1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am writing to express urgent concern over the continuous, unauthorized military campaign against Iran and the dangerous depletion of our nation's air defense stockpiles. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared "Operation Epic Fury is concluded," assuring the public that primary objectives had been achieved. That assertion was false. Since then, U.S. forces have remained trapped in an active, open-ended war—executing blockades, exchanging daily strikes, and absorbing enemy fire. Dozens of American service members have been killed or wounded since the administration claimed the war ended. Shuffling these casualties into separate administrative categories isn't just a cynical disregard for human life—it is a calculated evasion designed to reset the War Powers clock and bypass Congress. This continuous combat reached a breaking point leading into this past weekend, when U.S. forces carried out 13 consecutive nights of strikes—only pausing after military leadership raised alarms. On July 24, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice President personally warned the president that continuing would dangerously deplete the interceptors required to defend our forces and allies. The numbers demonstrate an urgent readiness issue: - Patriot Interceptors: The U.S. entered this conflict with roughly 2,330 units and has reportedly expended nearly half the total inventory. - THAAD Interceptors: An estimated 190 to 290 of our ~360 interceptors have been fired. - SM-3 Interceptors: Stocks of these high-end interceptors ($29 million each) are severely depleted. - Replenishment Delay: DOD timelines indicate replacing these stocks will take two to four years, leaving our strategic posture exposed in the Indo-Pacific and Europe. This campaign has neither been debated nor authorized by Congress under Article I. Burning through critical deterrence inventories built for great-power conflict without legislative approval undermines both constitutional governance and national security. I urge you to take the following concrete actions: 1. Enforce War Powers Accountability: Exercise immediate oversight over ongoing operations against Iran that lack explicit congressional authorization. 2. Audit and Mandate Stockpile Reporting: Direct an independent audit of Patriot, THAAD, and SM-3 inventories and require congressional notification prior to further drawdowns for unauthorized conflicts. 3. Condition Reprogramming Requests: Deny requests to shift defense funds into unappropriated operational accounts that drain critical air defense reserves. Our national defense cannot be treated as a blank check. I expect your office to defend constitutional checks and balances, protect our national readiness, and demand full transparency before another single interceptor is expended without authorization.