Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today voted against a War Powers Resolution sponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie (KY-04) and Ro Khanna (CA-17) that would have forced an immediate end of military operations in Iran.
The resolution failed in a 212-219 vote. Golden has instead joined Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) to sponsor a resolution that would give President Donald Trump 30 days to end military action and prohibit the deployment of ground troops without explicit congressional authority.
Golden released the following statement:
“The president has not provided sufficient clarity for why this action was necessary at this exact moment. But servicemembers are actively engaged in hostilities, our allies are under attack and the Iranian regime is more desperate than ever to reassert its power. While I do not believe that an abrupt about-face is a good course of action given the reality on the ground, that should not be construed as my approval. While conflict requires that we remain flexible to shifting circumstances, at this time I would not support Congressional authorization or funding for sustained combat operations.
“The president has so far acted within the authorities given to him by Congress through the War Powers Act of 1973. He has been briefing Congress, and he has 60 days to make his case for ongoing operations. This is not an illegal war — but it could become one.
“There are reasonable constraints Congress should impose. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing the Resolution I have introduced with Congressman Gottheimer, which would cut the president’s authorized timeline for military action to 30 days and prohibit the deployment of ground troops outside the context of search-and-rescue or intelligence gathering. A month is plenty of time for the president to make his case to the American people — and for Congress to weigh in.”
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