1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

As your constituent, I demand that you exercise Article I war powers to halt the unauthorized escalation of the war in Iran and refuse to fund an unapproved troop surge. Reporting confirms the administration is ordering a third aircraft carrier strike group—the USS Theodore Roosevelt—along with Marine amphibious vessels and up to 10,000 additional American troops into the Middle East. Officials indicate the administration expects to resume active bombing operations by late November. This deployment directly contradicts White House claims that active combat operations have ceased. You cannot downplay a major foreign conflict while quietly mobilizing thousands more servicemembers for renewed combat. This escalation proceeds without statutory authorization and in direct defiance of Congress: - Expanding an Unauthorized Conflict: Both chambers of Congress have already voted to end hostilities in the Iran theater. Dismissing recorded legislative votes to execute a multi-carrier troop surge undermines Article I authority. - Operational and Readiness Costs: American casualties in this conflict have inflicted grave costs on servicemembers and their families, while official Pentagon casualty counts face ongoing public scrutiny over transparency. Committing a third carrier group and 10,000 personnel depletes global deterrence and puts thousands more American lives in harm's way. - Bypassing Separation of Powers: The Framers vested the power to initiate and expand war solely with Congress. Deploying massive carrier battle groups for an unvoted, open-ended war strips voters of representation and abdicates legislative duty. Congress holds the power of the purse. You cannot remain passive while an undeclared conflict quietly escalates into a full-scale regional war. I demand three immediate legislative actions: 1. Prohibit Funding for the Troop Surge: Insert binding riders into defense appropriations and the NDAA barring federal funds from deploying additional combat forces or carrier strike groups to Iran without prior, affirmative congressional authorization. 2. Force an Immediate War Powers Vote: Invoke the privileged procedures of the War Powers Resolution to force an immediate, recorded floor vote on halting offensive military operations against Iran. 3. Mandate Deployment & Casualty Transparency: Require the Department of Defense to submit an unredacted accounting of all regional troop deployments, operational costs, and conflict casualties to Congress within 14 days. Congress has a constitutional mandate to decide when this nation goes to war. Reclaim that authority, stop the unauthorized 10,000-troop surge, and protect American lives before this conflict expands further.