1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

Subject: Armed Services Oversight of Threatened Use of the Insurrection Act Dear Representative, I am writing to you as a constituent and as a member of the public concerned about recent statements by the President threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests in Minnesota, despite the absence of a request from state authorities and without clear evidence that civilian law enforcement has failed. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, you are entrusted with oversight of the Department of Defense and with safeguarding the long-standing principle that the U.S. military should not be used for domestic law enforcement except in the most extreme and clearly defined circumstances. The Insurrection Act is a narrow and extraordinary exception to that rule, not a routine tool of executive discretion. Publicly threatening to deploy federal troops against civilians—without meeting the Act’s historical thresholds—raises serious concerns about civil-military boundaries, federalism, and the normalization of emergency powers. Even absent deployment, such threats alone risk eroding public trust in civilian governance and setting a precedent that could be invoked in any state. I respectfully urge you to: * Seek formal clarification from the Department of Defense regarding its posture, legal analysis, and role in any contemplated invocation of the Insurrection Act. * Exercise Armed Services Committee oversight to ensure that active-duty forces are not politicized or placed in positions that undermine civilian authority. * Support congressional efforts to clarify and constrain the Insurrection Act so it cannot be used as a coercive or political instrument against states or the public. The strength of our constitutional system depends not only on lawful authority, but on restraint in the face of unrest. I ask that you use your committee role to help preserve that balance before extraordinary force is even considered. Thank you