1. United States
2. W.V.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand that you publicly defend Congress’s constitutional war powers and stop ceding them to the executive branch. Under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress — not the President — holds the power to declare war. The President is Commander in Chief of the armed forces, not Commander of U.S. foreign policy by fiat. Large-scale military action, regime-level intervention, or sustained hostilities against a foreign sovereign require congressional authorization. Full stop. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 exists precisely to prevent presidents from dragging the country into international conflict without democratic consent. When members of Congress stay silent or compliant while presidents bypass that law, they are not being “pragmatic” — they are abdicating their oath. History shows where this cowardice leads: • The Vietnam War expanded through executive escalation while Congress deferred — with catastrophic consequences. • The Iraq War followed a blank-check authorization and congressional timidity, destabilizing an entire region and costing trillions of dollars and countless lives. • Repeated bipartisan erosion of war powers has normalized the idea that presidents may act first and ask permission later — a direct threat to constitutional government. This is not strength. It is weakness. If Congress does not reassert its authority now — through hearings, resolutions, and if necessary impeachment proceedings — then the Constitution becomes optional whenever a president claims “national interest.” You were elected to check executive power, not applaud it from the sidelines. If you are unwilling to defend Congress’s role in matters of war and peace, then you should step aside for someone who will. Silence is consent. Stand up — or get out of the way.