U.S. Rep. Mark Takai expressed frustration this week over an Iraq and Syria conflict with no clear end and lack of congressional debate about escalating operations in the Middle East.

Takai voted in favor of a resolution, ultimately defeated, to withdraw U.S. forces by the end of the year.

“I think many of us here in Congress are gravely concerned that the administration is considering committing a substantial American ground force to the ongoing efforts to combat ISIS, as it has been

10 months and we have slowly seen a ramp-up of U.S. forces,” Takai said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday.

There are no U.S. troops in Syria and about 3,500 in Iraq assisting the nation’s security forces. The White House announced last week it was sending up to 450 more U.S. troops to a base in western Iraq’s Anbar province.

The resolution voted down 288-139 later in the day called for the troop withdrawal unless Congress passed a new Authorization for Use of Military Force — a step taken in 2001 following the terrorist attacks.

“We cannot let ourselves engage in another Middle East conflict with no clear end, under a law that was enacted 14 years ago,” Takai said in a release. “Before we commit any additional resources to the Middle East, there needs to be clarity as to the role the United States will be playing.”

Takai added it “remains unclear what the endgame and limits of American commitment are to this conflict.”

“It has been 10 months; we have spent billions of dollars and again find U.S. troops at risk,” Takai said. “It is time for the White House and Congress to have a discussion on how to best use our military resources in the Middle East.”

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said she voted against the resolution because the version passed in 2001 “already authorizes the U.S. to go after Islamic extremists who declared war on America, whether they call themselves al-Qaeda, ISIS or any other name.”

“The problem is not a lack of authorization,” Gabbard said in an email. “The problem is that since 9/11, the Bush and Obama administrations lost sight of our mission and have instead pursued regime toppling and nation-building. We need to remember who the enemy is and develop an effective strategy to defeat them.”

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at Wednesday’s hearing that the United States would be able to train only 7,000 Iraqi troops by the fall — and not 24,000 as projected — because of a lack of recruits.

“It’s my military judgment that an enduring victory over ISIL can only be accomplished by those nations and stakeholders in the region who have as much and actually more to gain or lose than we do,” said Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, using an alternative name for ISIS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.