Bernard Flowers
Role at the time: Republican nominee for U.S. House in Maryland's 3rd district, in an emailed statement
Statement summary
Berney Flowers, the Republican nominee for U.S. House in Maryland's 3rd district and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, told Dispute Index by email that he would not vote for a resolution ordering U.S. forces out of hostilities with Iran while they are under fire. He said he would support a specific authorization debate with a defined mission and a reporting requirement, and that leaders should not be restricted as they defend the American people.
“No. I would not vote for a resolution that orders U.S. forces out of hostilities with Iran while those forces are still under fire. Congress has the power to declare war and to authorize or refuse sustained offensive operations. It also has a duty not to pull the rug out from under troops already committed.”
Read the full email
Berney Flowers here. Thanks for the opportunity to speak on this subject. Having faced war in the past, this subject will always be "near and dear" to me, as I know what it feels like to be “downrange”. As for your question. No. I would not vote for a resolution that orders U.S. forces out of hostilities with Iran while those forces are still under fire. Congress has the power to declare war and to authorize or refuse sustained offensive operations. It also has a duty not to pull the rug out from under troops already committed. I would support a specific authorization debate, with a defined mission and a reporting requirement. I would not support a concurrent resolution that treats withdrawal as the policy and leaves force protection as a footnote. Congress must consider that laws passed now will affect Presidents in the future, as well as our current leader. Leaders should not be restricted as they try to defend the American people and our interests. Feel free to email me if you have further questions.
Flowers sent this statement by email in reply to a Dispute Index request about the Iran war. The link is to his campaign website; the statement itself is not published there. The text is reproduced as sent, without the signature block.
Why we used this label
The case tracks support for continued U.S. military operations against Iran, including whether a candidate would vote for a war powers resolution to remove U.S. forces from hostilities. Flowers says he would not vote for that resolution and that leaders should not be restricted in defending American interests, which supports continuing the operation, so we labeled it Defended. He also backs a congressional authorization debate with a defined mission, which conditions how operations continue rather than ending them.