To the editor:

Now that the midterm elections are over, our legislators can focus on governing and setting priorities for the future.

The plan of the administration to continue negotiating with North Korea on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a positive sign. Continued American diplomacy with the enthusiastic help and urging of South Korean leader Moon Jae-in can facilitate ending a war between the North and South, unresolved since 1953. Step-by-step negotiating can lay the groundwork for denuclearization.

However, members of Congress must be more engaged. There are two bills circulating through Congress, one in the House of Representatives, HR4837, and one in the senate, S2047, stating that the president does not have the power to start a war in North Korea without the consent of Congress. This is not a partisan issue. It is stated in the United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, that the declaration of any war requires the consent of Congress, and therefore applies to all presidents and congresspeople. While many members in both houses have already signed, it is essential for the rest of the members to acknowledge their constitutional duty, and in doing so, choose the path of diplomacy.

Muriel Cohan,

Lawrence