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Dec. 12, 2025 18:31-18:42 - CSPAN
10:54
Washington Journal Rep. Don Bacon R-NE

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) warns Republicans that midterm losses loom if inflation—dropped from 9% to 3%—still erodes purchasing power, criticizing Trump’s tariffs as regressive and calling for broader review. He questions Trump’s Ukraine strategy amid bipartisan support (70% of Republicans back aid) but notes murky messaging on Russia ties. On 20+ Caribbean/Latin American strikes targeting drug runners, Bacon demands congressional authorization, citing 100,000 annual U.S. drug deaths vs. Vietnam’s 58,000 casualties, and flags potential war rule violations in Venezuela’s September 4th double-tap strike. Legal clarity on sanctions, regime change motives, and Maduro’s collapse—linked to Chavez-era policies—is urgent, he insists, urging transparency before public trust vanishes further. [Automatically generated summary]

Participants
Main
d
don bacon
rep/r 06:18
Appearances
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brian lamb
cspan 00:48
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greta brawner
cspan 02:02
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Speaker Time Text
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greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
Joining us this morning is Congressman Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska.
He's a member of the Armed Services Subcommittee and also sits on the Agriculture Committee.
Congressman, I want to begin with the economy.
The Associated Press out with a new poll that found only 31% of U.S. adults now approve of how President Trump is handling the economy.
Paired with that is the front page of USA Today with the headline, Poll finds inflation taking a heavy toll.
President Downplays Affordability Concerns.
We also saw Newt Gingrich telling the Hill newspaper that if the economy doesn't turn around, it's not going to be good for Republicans in the midterm elections.
Would you agree?
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
Yes, I do, Greta, and thanks for having me back on.
You know, the Americans are still mad about what happened two years ago.
We're at 9% inflation.
We're at 3% now, but they don't see an improvement.
You know, it's still the, they can afford less at the supermarket.
And that's what that's what they're upset about.
Their pocketbook, their salary is not going as far as it did three or four years ago, and they feel it.
And so I think the president should take heed that these numbers are real.
I think Newt Gingrich is absolutely right.
And I don't think the president wants to hear it, but I believe tariffs are a big issue.
The tariffs are increasing the costs on goods.
There are costs on consumers.
It's the most regressive tax there is when you put a tariffs on goods.
And this is hurting the affordability case that he needs to make.
So he took tariffs off of coffee.
That's something I was pushing.
And bananas.
Really, he needs to review the whole tariff regimen.
Maybe the Supreme Court will do it for him.
But the Republicans have never supported tariffs since the 1930s because they didn't work.
And so we're, I hope we can relook at this and the White House needs to look at it.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
You're retiring after this term.
However, if the election was held today, could you win your seat?
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
I think it was always hard.
I mean, I won in 19 or 2018 when the Democrats outperformed Republicans by eight points.
I won by two, and I'm in a totally even district.
I think it would be hard.
I mean, I could do it.
I've done it five times.
I would never take it to the bank and never assume it.
I would have to work, like this last election, I worked 55 days before the election, 14-hour days, and I would have to do that again.
I'd like to think the voters trust me, but it's always a challenge.
I think this environment is similar to 2018 unless we get the economy turned around.
Also, the president needs to relook at how he's handling Ukraine and Russia.
The Americans are overwhelmingly opposing his favoring Russia in these negotiations.
70% of the Republicans, or 70% of Americans, to include a far majority of Republicans, support Ukraine.
But you don't really hear that from the president.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
Political climate, you're saying not great for Republicans.
If the election were held today, would Republicans lose the House?
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
Likely.
And you can see this with Virginia, New Jersey, Tennessee, some of the down ballot elections.
We're seeing about a 10-point swing from a year ago.
And the number one issue is the economy.
They don't see an improvement.
And we have to be candid, it was 9% inflation under Biden at the worst.
We're at 3% today.
So it's much better when you look at that stat, but yet it hasn't gotten better on their pocketbooks because we're still feeling the 9%.
So wages fell behind inflation, and everybody's feeling it.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
You blame tariffs.
The Wall Street Journal edited.
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
It's a contributing factor.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
Contributing factor.
Wall Street Journal this morning, editorial board, another $12 billion for a tariff bailout.
Trump's latest round of aid for U.S. farmers hurt by his global trade wars.
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
I agree.
I come from Nebraska.
We were having a hard time before President Trump came in.
Under President Biden, we were nearing a depression-like economy.
Commodity prices roll low and put prices high.
But the tariffs exacerbated it.
It put higher costs on fertilizers and herbicides, things like that.
And we're not selling our corn and soybeans.
Now, China has made some promises to buy soybeans, but they have not yet to any degree that they promised.
There's a small purchase.
So in other words, we're not selling our corn and soybeans, and the costs to plant them are high.
And that's what we're feeling in the Midwest.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
What role should Congress play in the strikes that we're seeing from this administration in the Caribbean and Latin America against alleged drug runners on these boats?
What role should Congress have in this case?
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
We should have a vote on authorization of force.
That's one thing when the president and his team decides to hit a couple of boats and they come back and tell us, hey, this is why we're doing it.
But they've done over 20.
Continued hostilities should require the president or the Secretary of Defense coming to Congress, making their case.
Well, what do we want to hear?
We want to hear the legal justifications, which they have done in papers, and I think reasonably well.
But we also want to know the intelligence.
How do you know that that boat has cocaine on it or fentanyl or whatever it may be?
We just need reassurances.
I think if they did that, there would be a majority in Congress that would support.
You know, we lose 100,000 people a year from drugs.
Vietnam, we lost 58,000 over 10 years.
We're losing 100,000 a year from these drugs.
I think Congress would be supportive.
But the president should come to Congress.
I think it's constitutional.
He needs to make a better case to the American people.
And right now, we don't know what he's really doing overall with Venezuela.
There's been no case made.
What are we doing off the coast?
What's the intent?
Are we trying to do regime change?
Is it just about the drugs?
There's been no case made on this.
So I ask the president, come forward, make your case, not just to the people, but Congress as well.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
Let's talk about two actions by the administration related to Venezuela.
First, the double-tap strike on September 4th.
Was the second strike against those survivors legal?
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
I'd like to have a hearing.
I'm not a lawyer.
I think we're in the gray zone.
You know, I've been in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we took out people trying to run away from a strike that were terrorists.
I don't think this is the same case, but I would love to have people that are very smart on this legally and give us the pros and cons.
I think we're in a gray zone.
It looks to me like these two people were trying to survive.
That does not look good for the rules of war.
Now, they're trying to make the case back.
There was still cocaine on the remnants of this boat, and that other folks are coming in to rescue them, and they're going to get the cocaine back.
We should dig into it.
And I think it would be wise to get the retired or the four-star general or admiral that was the southern command.
He resigned.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
Admiral Holsey?
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
Right.
He resigned after this.
It would be good to have his feedback and hear from him.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
On the second action, the most recent one, the United States seizing this oil tanker, was that legal?
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
I think so because it's being sanctioned and they were trying to skirt the sanctions.
And by the way, Maduro is staying in power because he's skirting the sanctions.
That's his only source of revenue.
And we should know Maduro's a bad guy.
The band has taken the richest country in South America, has made it the poorest country.
He's ruined democracy, the free markets there.
But this vote was sanctioned, and they were trying to evade it.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼
The opposition leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize, the opposition leader in Venezuela, the headline in Wall Street Journal this morning is that she hails the U.S. help, saying that the moves like seizing the oil tanker are key in the fight for democracy in Venezuela.
don bacon ▲ ● ▼
Well, I believe she's the rightful winner.
And if it was a free election, she'd be the president of Venezuela today.
Maduro stole the election.
And again, he took the richest country in South America, made it the poorest.
And his predecessor, Chavez.
He's no friend of the United States.
I don't mind pressuring him and doing sanctions, but the president should tell us why do we have an aircraft carrier?
Why do we have all these other forces?
Are we going to invade Venezuela or not?
There's been no case made.
We don't know what's going on.
brian lamb ▲ ● ▼
Most of the names are familiar to those who follow politics and government: Hunter Biden, Rudolph Giuliani, Tony Podesta, Paul Manafort, and many others.
Kenneth Vogel has written a book about these figures.
It's called Devil's Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests.
In the publisher Mauro's liner notes on the book, they write: The foreign influence business comprised of shadowy operators who quietly shape U.S. foreign policy while producing massive paydays for themselves has existed for decades, often unnoticed by Americans.
Ken Vogel is a reporter for the New York Times, previously was with Politico.
unidentified
Author Kenneth Vogel with his book Devil's Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the payroll of corrupt foreign interests.
On this episode of BookNotes Plus, with our host, Brian Lamb, BookNotes Plus is available wherever you get your podcasts and on the C-SPAN Now app.
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