1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

You swore an oath to the Constitution, not to party or political convenience. That oath requires action now. Federal agencies are operating beyond their constitutional authority under Article II, prosecuting an unauthorized war without the Congressional declaration required by Article I Section 8. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz will trigger a global energy shock that hits my grocery bills, heating costs, and every good transported by ship. This supply shock will reach our state before the federal government acknowledges it exists. Declaring a state of emergency would activate our emergency management apparatus, position the state to cushion the blow, and create a legal record that this harm was foreseeable. The Tenth Amendment reserves to states all powers not delegated to the federal government. You are a sovereign executive within your sphere with authority and obligation to protect citizens from federal overreach. In Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, the Supreme Court established that when the president acts contrary to Congress's will, his power is at its lowest ebb. The founders placed states between the federal government and the people as a structural safeguard. Declare the emergency. Protect the people. Honor the oath.