1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

President Trump's war in Iran, among the many, many problems it exposes, is a direct assault on our constitution and is literally taking food from the mouths of hungry children at home. There is a reason why our system of government requires that the president obtain the approval of Congress before entering into a war. As you well know, President Trump did not even seek the approval of Congress before attacking Iran. Nor has he presented any evidence of "a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces" that would justify acting under the authority granted to him by the War Powers Act. Once again President Trump is thumbing his nose at Congress and his oath of office. His contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law is already evident and every time he acts without authority he strengthens his position as an autocrat and weakens Congress. He must not be allowed to continue to do this. The decision to enter a war, let alone to start one, is an enormous undertaking. It must not be taken without considering its costs: in lives, in money spent in battle, in money that will be taken from those at home, in the ongoing costs of caring for those we send into battle and the families of those who do not return. President Trump did not do this. If Iran actually presented the threat to us or any of our allies that President Trump would like us to believe that it did, it seems likely that he could have made a compelling argument. He did not do that. Now we are hearing reports from the military and intelligence communities that suggest that their assessment was that there was no immediate, or even short term, threat. Every day that this war continues is a day when Congress is allowing the president to plunder resources that could go to people in need at home. Congress allows him to do this without justification and without a plan for "the day after." It is time to say "no" and refuse to fund this war or any of President Trump's actions until they are debated openly and approved by Congress. That is your obligation as a member of Congress. I want to be clear. I am under no illusions about the government of Iran. By all reports they are indescribably cruel despots. But I see no sign that this is a war of liberation, nor do I see any evidence that we have a plan in place to actually support the people that the president is urging to "rise up." It is time to put a stop to this mistake before it gets worse. Vote no on war funding.