WASHINGTON - Maine's two Democratic U.S. House members Wednesday voted against providing money to train Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State terrorists. But 1st District Rep. Chellie Pingree and 2nd District Rep. Mike Michaud were on the losing side. The House passed the measure on a vote of 273 to 156.
On the Senate floor today, independent U.S. Sen. Angus King spoke in favor of arming, equipping and training the moderate Syrian opposition. King says ISIS presents a clear and present danger to the United States.
"Why do we even have this discussion?" he said. "Because the most fundamental responsibility of any government, anywhere, anytime, is to protect their citizens."
But King says having a credible coalition is an important part of the strategy. And he says he believes there must be a new authorization by Congress for the U.S. to wage war. The Obama administration has said that it doesn't need congressional action to wage its effort against ISIS, citing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force passed by Congress soon after the September 11th attacks.
