1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am writing to demand that Congress reclaim its constitutional authority over war and peace by using upcoming defense spending bills to enforce Article I of the U.S. Constitution and halt unauthorized military operations against Iran. This is not a hypothetical concern, and increasingly, it is not just a partisan issue. On August 7, President Trump himself admitted the war "can't go much longer"—just days after calling off a massive strike on Iran at the last minute. Leaving decisions of war and peace to executive impulse is dangerous and unpredictable. Congress cannot wait on executive whim; it has a constitutional duty under Article I to vote and put a legal end to this unauthorized conflict. On July 30, the Senate voted 50 to 49 against a war powers resolution requiring the withdrawal of U.S. forces absent explicit congressional authorization, with Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul crossing over in support. This was at least the fourth such vote since hostilities escalated in February. One resolution actually passed the Senate 50 to 48 in June, and the House passed its own version 214 to 208 in July, proof that Congress can assert itself when it chooses to. Yet on each of the other attempts, Congress has come within one or two votes of a binding check on this war and fallen just short. The human and readiness costs are severe. Eighteen U.S. servicemembers have been killed and roughly 600 wounded since February. Defense analysts warn that our stockpiles of key missile interceptors are being rapidly depleted, straining military readiness as far away as East Asia. Taxpayers are funding open-ended deployments with no defined end state, no clear diplomatic exit strategy, and no vote from the branch of government assigned that responsibility. Why Continuing Unauthorized Hostilities Harms Our Security: - It Violates Article I of the Constitution: Section 8 explicitly vests the power to declare war in Congress, not the executive branch. Allowing prolonged military action without explicit statutory authorization dismantles basic constitutional checks and balances. - It Depletes Critical Military Readiness: Draining advanced munitions on unapproved overseas engagements undermines our strategic deterrence elsewhere while placing American service members in ongoing danger. - It Strains the Domestic Economy: Extended regional conflict destabilizes energy markets, driving up fuel and goods prices for everyday American families. Concrete Legislative Actions Congress Must Take: 1. Defund Unauthorized Hostilities: Attach explicit funding prohibitions to the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Defense Appropriations bills prohibiting funds from being used for military operations against Iran without express congressional approval. 2. Sunset Legacy AUMFs: Repeal outdated military authorizations, including the 2002 Iraq AUMF, which are stretched far beyond their statutory intent to justify modern conflicts. 3. Enforce Power of the Purse Oversight: Refuse to pass any defense appropriations package that lacks strict reporting requirements and binding time limits on unauthorized military deployments. Congress holds the power of the purse. You are one vote away from reasserting constitutional control. When even the President acknowledges this war cannot continue, Congress has both the political mandate and the constitutional duty to step in. I urge you to use defense spending legislation to codify that reality and end this unauthorized conflict before more American lives are lost.