I believe it is time for Congress to do its constitutional duty to vote on U.S. involvement in Syria.

The president has been very secretive about where U.S. troops are stationed, how many troops are involved, the nature of their mission and the rationale for their presence.

I recently learned about a close-quartered, deadly fight between our troops and our partners to take back the al-Tanf base in Syria from Islamic State insurgents. The day after the offensive, the president told the Fox Business Network that “we’re not going into Syria.”

Hello! Our troops had to leave their base because of the danger they faced after the missile launch, then returned and defended the base from attack.

We cannot continue in this mode. We do not have a Syrian strategy. The president changes his views on a multitude of issues on a daily basis, and the voices of our elected representatives have been largely absent. All this leads to an increased level of anxiety.

For the good of our nation, we need to have our Congress debate, allocate funds (or not) and vote on our involvement abroad.

Jessica Simpson

Cape Elizabeth