(The Center Square) — Maine Congressman Jared Golden is defending his support for ongoing military actions in Iran after breaking with fellow democrats to vote against a war powers resolution.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted 212-219 to reject a proposal that would have restricted President Donald Trump from continuing the military campaign in the Middle Eastern country. Similar to a vote in the Senate, the measure failed largely along party lines with a majority of Democrats supporting the plan to reel in the operation, now in its seventh day.
Members of Maine’s congressional delegation were divided over the resolution,
Golden, one of only four Democrats to vote with Republicans, said while the president “has not provided sufficient clarity for why this action was necessary” members of the U.S. military “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,” he said. “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.”
Trump ordered strikes on Tehran last weekend and called for the overthrow of the Islamic regime. The military operation has intensified into regional conflict with neighboring countries being targeted by Iranian missiles and drones. The president has vowed to continue the military operation.
Golden said Trump “has so far acted within the authorities given to him by Congress” through the War Powers Act. The president has been briefing Congress, Golden said, and he has 60 days to make his case for ongoing operations.
He joined with Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ, to sponsor a resolution that would give Trump 30 days to end military action and prohibit the deployment of ground troops without explicit congressional authority. But the measure didn’t pass.
“A month is plenty of time for the president to make his case to the American people — and for Congress to weigh in,” Golden said. “This is not an illegal war — but it could become one.”
If approved, the resolution would block additional U.S. military action in Iran without congressional approval under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. The law was passed by Congress during the Vietnam War as a legislative check on executive war authority.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said the war powers resolution “plays right into the hands of the enemy” and argued the Iran operation is “necessary, lawful and effective, and reversing it now would weaken America.”
“Congress has a constitutional right to exercise its oversight authority, and we will, but we also have a duty and obligation not to undercut our own national security,” Johnson said.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine voted against the war powers resolution, siding with the Trump administration, while Independent Sen. Angus King joined Democrats in voting for it.
Maine’s other House member, Rep. Chellie Pingree, also voted for the war powers resolution. She said Congress needed to act to “reclaim its role” in authorizing military action.
“Some are suggesting that, while the president should have consulted Congress before launching these attacks, now that the war has begun, there’s no way to pull back,” Pingree said in a statement on social media. “I firmly reject this sentiment.”
