1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

On Christmas Day, the United States carried out military airstrikes in Nigeria at the unilateral direction of Donald Trump. These strikes were announced after the fact on social media, and were framed as a counterterrorism operation. They were also justified with inflammatory rhetoric about protecting Christians in Nigeria, when Nigeria is a complex, multi-religious, constitutionally secular country. This is unacceptable — legally, constitutionally, and morally. The U.S. Constitution is explicit: only Congress has the authority to declare war or authorize the use of military force. Nigeria does not pose an imminent threat to the United States. There has been no congressional authorization, no debate, and no vote. That alone makes these strikes unlawful. If Congress allows this precedent to stand—as it seems to have this far with Venezuela— then the War Powers Clause becomes meaningless. That is not how it constitutional democracy functions. I am asking you to act immediately to: • Reassert exclusive Congressional authority over war and the use of military force • Demand a full legal justification and operational briefing on the Nigeria strikes • Prohibit further military action absent explicit congressional authorization