The Hormuz "Toll" is a Tax on Every American Household

I am writing to demand an immediate investigation into the proposed Joint Venture truce with Iran. After 40 days of war in Iran—an undeclared conflict conducted without a War Powers Resolution—the reported outcome is not a victory, but a surrender of international maritime law. As your constituent and a consistent voter, I am appalled by the following results of this ill-conceived strategic failure: - A Permanent Tax on Trade: By entertaining a toll-based revenue model for the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. is legitimizing maritime extortion. This is a direct tax on global supply chains that will drive up the cost of groceries, medicine, and every consumer good that relies on international shipping. This does not in any way serve the vast majority of the people you represent. - The Price at the Pump: Despite claims that domestic production insulates us, oil prices are global. This conflict has already sent crude oil surging, and a pay-to-play model in the Strait ensures that energy prices will remain artificially high, hurting every working family in our state. - The Failure of Deterrence: We have spent billions in taxpayer dollars only to hand Iran more leverage than they had before this conflict began. By breaking international norms ourselves, we have signaled that might makes right, inviting every coastline nation with a missile battery to extort passing vessels. - The Death of American Credibility: By launching an unprovoked war and conducting it with might-makes-right brutality—including the horrific strike on the school in Minab and public threats to target civilian infrastructure—we have forfeited our standing as a decent nation. We are no longer viewed as a leader of the free world, but as a reckless, volatile state that ignores international law whenever it suits a personal or political whim. This isn't just tough talk; it is a total abandonment of the standards that once kept Americans safe abroad. We have traded our global reputation for a corrupt joint venture with the very regime we claimed to be deterring. - Congressional Abdication: For 40 days, Congress failed to exercise its Constitutional duty to rein in executive overreach. To now demand oversight only after the strategic damage is done is a height of political hypocrisy that the American people see through. While it's better late than never, remember that these effects are caused by both an out-of-control executive and a weak, ineffective legislature. Do better. I am asking you to formally oppose any truce that includes Iranian usage fees or tolls in international waters. We need a return to the rule of law and the protection of free seas—not a partnership in a piracy-based revenue model. How does a toll booth in the Middle East benefit the workers and families of our state? I look forward to your response.