Nebraska leaders back Trump as renewed Iran conflict raises pressure on Congress

LINCOLN, Neb. —

Nebraska’s Republican members of Congress are backing President Donald Trump’s handling of the renewed conflict with Iran, opposing efforts in Congress to limit his military authority as fighting resumes following the collapse of a ceasefire.

All five Republicans in Nebraska’s congressional delegation have voted against recent War Powers Act resolutions that would have hobbled the president’s standing to continue U.S. military operations involving Iran.

“It’s time to play hardball,” Bacon said. “And Iran needs to come to the table with their hand out saying, ‘Please stop.’ That’s how this has got to go. And so we’re going to have to do more military operations.”

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts said in a statement that Iran bears responsibility for the renewed conflict.

“A country that chants ‘death to America’ can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” Ricketts said. “Iran had plenty of opportunities to agree on a diplomatic solution. It was Iran’s illegal and belligerent behavior that ended the ceasefire. If Iran wants to pursue aggression instead of peace, then it’s time to turn the pressure back up.”

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith also blamed Iran for violating the ceasefire.

“Just days ago, crowds were chanting ‘Death to America’ in the streets of Tehran at Khamenei’s funeral, and last night the Iranian regime violated the ceasefire agreement by attacking commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump Administration’s peace through strength approach brought Iran to the negotiating table, and I will continue to encourage them to keep diplomatic channels open in order to bring an end to this conflict and ensure that Iran can never attain a nuclear weapon.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Flood said he hopes recent military strikes will pressure Iran into reaching a lasting peace agreement.

“Iran’s continued ceasefire violations show they are choosing conflict over peace, and America must respond,” Flood said. “These strikes send a message that Iran must return to the negotiating table, fully dismantle their nuclear weapons program, and stop threatening stability in the Middle East.”

Flood’s Democratic challenger, Chris Backemeyer, criticized the administration’s approach to the conflict. Backemeyer was among the lead negotiators of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.

“We signed this deal on my son’s second birthday. And after we sign that deal, I missed it because I was in Vienna trying to finalize the agreement,” Backemeyer said. “And after that deal, I wrote him a postcard that said, you know, that I apologize for missing his birthday, but then I thought that what we were going to do was make this world a little bit safer for him when he got older. Unfortunately, though, the safety and security of the United States does not seem to be the top objective of this administration.”

He said Trump started the war with no clear exit strategy and that Congress needs to reassert its Constitutional authority over war-making power.

As fighting intensifies in the Middle East, concerns are also growing about potential impacts on global oil prices and consumer costs.

Bacon acknowledged the economic concerns, saying many Americans are already struggling with higher prices.

“People are struggling to pay the bills and to go to the grocery store because their wallets have not caught up with inflation,” he said.

Bacon argued that weakening the Iranian government now would improve long-term security and said passing a War Powers resolution during the conflict could undermine the U.S. military effort.

Bacon mulled support for a funding package to re-stock munitions drained in the war.

“I intend to vote yes on the supplemental, particularly if we can get some movement on what the administration has promised us in Europe, which I think may happen, but still too early to say,” Bacon said.

Bacon said the Trump administration needs to treat America’s European allies better, seeing a strategic bridge between U.S. interests in the Middle East and Europe.

“I was very troubled by the fact the Pentagon withdrew 40% of our Army’s armor brigades from Europe, and he did it unilaterally against the wishes of Congress,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer did not respond to KETV’s request for comment.

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