1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am a constituent writing to ask for your leadership on three urgent matters. The next eight weeks, until the newly elected Congress is seated in January, have the potential to be especially volatile. I urge you to work with your colleagues and others in positions of influence to secure the following: 1. No escalation with Iran until the newly elected Congress is seated in January, unless Iran strikes first. Decisions that could deepen or widen this conflict should not be made in the gap between the election and the swearing-in of the next Congress. Holding steady, while preserving the right to respond to an attack, protects American service members and gives the incoming Congress its proper role. 2. A two-month moratorium on federally armed agents in American cities, unless the sitting governor and mayor request them. Local leaders know their communities and are accountable to them. A temporary pause, with an exception when state and local officials ask for help, would keep civic life on its ordinary footing and ensure that no moment of unrest, whatever its cause, becomes an occasion for extraordinary measures. In a period this charged, preserving the normal balance between federal, state, and local authority is a safeguard for everyone, regardless of party. 3. A call on all countries serving as mediators in conflict zones to demand that civilians and civilian infrastructure not be killed or targeted in the major conflict areas. Protecting homes, hospitals, water, power, and the people who depend on them should be a baseline expectation. The United States can use its diplomatic standing to press for it.