Jared Golden represents the Second District of Maine in the United States Congress, where he serves on the Small Business Committee and the Armed Services Committee.
He grew up in Leeds, a small town in Androscoggin County. After enlisting as an infantryman in the Marines, Golden deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan before returning home to Maine.
Congressman Golden currently lives in Lewiston with his wife Isobel.
After 9/11, Jared answered the call to serve our country and enlisted in the Marines, deploying overseas to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He knows firsthand the consequences of sending our troops into foreign conflicts without a clear, well-articulated strategy for their mission and their withdrawal. He uses his experience as a Marine combat veteran when confronted with national security decisions in Congress.
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Jared works across the aisle to create policies that keep America safe and ensure that our servicemembers have the training and tools they need to fight for our country.
Jared believes we need to reevaluate the use of the American military in foreign conflicts and strike a pragmatic balance: we must be clear-eyed about the consequences of withdrawing our troops from strategically important regions in the fight against terrorism, like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, while acknowledging that nation-building and long, protracted wars are not in our country’s best interests.
Earlier this year, Jared voted to affirm Congress’ authority under the War Powers Resolution and prevent the administration from a military attack on Iran unless authorized by Congress. He also voted to repeal the 2002 Authorized Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq, which provided the Bush Administration with authority to attack Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The Iraq AUMF has been rendered obsolete and is not needed by the Pentagon to conduct current military operations.
Jared deeply respects Maine’s servicemembers and also knows many civilian Mainers play a critically important role in our national defense as well. Thousands perform vital defense work in our state, including building the finest warships on the planet at Bath Iron Works and defense research at our universities. Jared uses his position on the Armed Services Committee to support these institutions and their workers at the federal level, ensuring that they have access to the resources they need and helping create a level playing field to compete for federal contracts.