1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

Congratulations on your recent election to serve Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Your service as a West Point graduate and Army officer — including combat deployments and years in the Tennessee Army National Guard — reflects a deep commitment to this country that many of us veterans respect. Wikipedia I write not as a partisan but as a fellow veteran who took the same oath you once did: to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath applies first and foremost to civilian leadership in Congress, which is the body the Constitution specifically empowers to declare war and authorize the use of military force. Recent actions placing U.S. forces into hostilities without clear Congressional authorization raise profound constitutional and legal questions. The War Powers Resolution exists precisely to prevent executive branch overreach and to ensure service members are not placed into harm’s way without the consent of the people’s representatives. I believe many Tennesseans expect their elected leaders to uphold these constitutional boundaries and to act when they are threatened. You and I both know what it means when a service member is ordered to execute operations that may not be backed by lawful authority. It puts troops in an impossible position and undermines trust in our civilian leadership. I am asking you directly to use your voice and vote in the House to affirm Congress’s constitutional authority over declarations of war and military engagements, to demand proper accountability and debate, and to act in a way that defends the rule of law rather than eroding it.