Don Bacon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska's2nd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Brad Ashford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donald John Bacon (1963-08-16)August 16, 1963 (age 62) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Nickname | "Bits"[1] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1985–2014 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | |
Bacon recognizingJudi gaiashkibos, aPonca Nation descendant, as part ofNative American Heritage Month Recorded September 27, 2018 | |
Donald John Bacon (born August 16, 1963) is an American politician and retired military officer who has served as theU.S. representative forNebraska's2nd congressional district since 2017. During his 29 years in theUnited States Air Force, he commandedwings atRamstein Air Base, Germany, andOffutt Air Force Base south ofOmaha, Nebraska, before retiring as abrigadier general in 2014. A member of theRepublican Party, his district includes all ofOmaha and the areas surrounding the Offutt base.
Bacon is often considered acentrist ormoderate Republican. His district was carried byDemocratic candidatesJoe Biden in2020 andKamala Harris in the2024 presidential election, making it a perennialswing district. Bacon has been described as a maverick for his opposition to theisolationist andprotectionist policies proposed byDonald Trump, who has derided him as a "rebel." Bacon self identifies as aReagan Republican.[2]
A member of the bipartisanProblem Solvers Caucus, Bacon was an original sponsor of theNaming Commission, which stripped theDepartment of Defense of names valorizingthe Confederacy, and of theEmmett Till Antilynching Act, which establishedlynching as a uniquehate crime, and voted to enact theRespect for Marriage Act, which codified federal recognition ofsame-sex marriage. He was one of 37 Republicans who rejectedattempts to overturn the 2020 election, and one of 35 who supported thecommittee to investigate theJanuary 6th attack. He has repeatedly sparred with members of thefar-right HouseFreedom Caucus. Bacon has been among the most prominent Republican critics of thesecond Trump administration.[3] As an active voice on foreign policy, Bacon is one of a slate of U.S. representativessanctioned by the Russian government and was the first member of Congress to be hacked by the Chinese government.
In June 2025,The New York Times reported that Bacon would not seek re-election in2026.[4] His decision not to run came amidst Trump's efforts to pass his "Big Beautiful Bill" with Bacon stating that "dysfunction" in Washington and "divisions" among the Republican Party, as well as his desire to spend more time with his grandchildren, contributed to his decision. Bacon ultimately voted for the bill.[5]
Donald John Bacon was born inChicago Heights, Illinois, on August 16, 1963, the son of Donald and Joan Bacon ofBourbonnais.[6][7] He grew up on a family farm inMomence, Illinois,[8] and graduated fromGrace Baptist Academy inKankakee in 1980.[7]
Bacon attendedNorthern Illinois University and interned in RepresentativeEd Madigan's Washington, D.C., office during his senior year in 1984. He entered the Air Force in 1985, commissioning through theAir Force Officer Training School at Lackland AFB, Texas. In his military career he specialized inelectronic warfare,intelligence,reconnaissance andpublic affairs, and also qualified as amaster navigator.[9] He served as awing commander atRamstein Air Base in Germany and atOffutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, as a group commander and squadron commander atDavis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and an expeditionary squadron commander inIraq.[10] Bacon has earned master's degrees from theNational War College and theUniversity of Phoenix. At the Pentagon, he served as a public affairs aide for GeneralDavid Petraeus, before his final assignment as the Air Force's director of ISR strategy, plans, doctrine and force development from July 2012.[9][3]
In 2014, Bacon retired from the U.S. Air Force.[11] During his 29 years in the Air Force, he was awarded theAir Force Distinguished Service Medal, twoLegion of Merits and twoBronze Star Medals; he was selected as Europe's top Air Force wing commander in 2009.[12] He served as an aide toU.S. representativeJeff Fortenberry and assistant professor atBellevue University before running for office.[13]
In the 2016 elections, Bacon won theRepublicanprimary for the U.S. House of Representatives inNebraska's 2nd congressional district,[14] a primarily urban and suburban district inmetro Omaha,[15] covering parts ofDouglas andSarpy counties.[16]
The general election race was considered a tossup, with Democratic incumbentBrad Ashford seen as having a slight edge.[17] After a2005 videotape showing Donald Trump making lewd remarks to Billy Bush surfaced in October 2016, Bacon said that Trump could not win the presidency and should withdraw from the race in favor of "a strong conservative candidate, likeMike Pence." But Bacon did not say that he would not vote for Donald Trump, since he did not "believeHillary is the right person. I'm in a quandary."[18]
Bacon narrowly defeated Ashford in the general election on November 8, 2016,[19][20] with 48.9% of the vote to Ashford's 47.7%.[21][22] He was the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democrat in the 2016 House elections.[23]
Bacon was reelected in 2018, narrowly defeatingprogressive Democrat[24] Kara Eastman with 51.0% of the vote to her 49.0%.[25]
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Bacon and Eastman faced off again in the 2020 general election. Bacon was reelected by a larger margin than in 2018, winning 51.0% of the vote to Eastman's 46.2%, even as Democratic presidential nomineeJoe Biden won the district by 6.5 points.[26][27] He was endorsed by his predecessor, DemocratBrad Ashford, whom he defeated in 2016.[28]
Bacon narrowly won re-election in 2022 against Nebraska state senatorTony Vargas.
Bacon claimed yet another narrow win in the November 2024general election in a rematch against Democratic challenger Tony Vargas. Trump had sought aprimary challenger against Bacon, while thestate's Republican Party backed conservative populist Dan Frei for the nomination, who lost by 24 points.[29][30][31]
Bacon was sworn in to the115th Congress in January 2017. DuringDonald Trump'sfirst term as president, Bacon voted in line with Trump's position 89.4% of the time.[32]
Bacon was reelected in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. During the first year ofJoe Biden'spresidency, Bacon voted in line with Biden's position 29.5% of the time.[33]
Following the2022 midterm elections and announcements byFreedom Caucus members that they would oppose or demand concessions of presumptive House speakerKevin McCarthy, Bacon announced he was willing to work with Democrats to elect a moderate Republican.[34]
In August 2023, the FBI revealed that Bacon was the first US lawmaker to be targeted in acyberespionage intrusion byChinese government hackers.[35] When asked about the intrusion, which Bacon said largely compromised campaign and personal email data, a spokesperson for theChinese Embassy in Washington, DC called the incident a "smear" and part of a "groundless narrative."[36] The embassy denial included a complaint that the U.S. government had undercut China's sovereignty with recent arms sales to Taiwan, an effort which Bacon had vocally supported.[36][37] A spokeswoman for Bacon's office said it was likely a reason for the attack.[37]
Following failed House votes on bills to avoid agovernment shutdown beginning on October 1, 2023, Bacon said of Republicans in the Freedom Caucus who sought major concessions or pushed for a shutdown "some of these folks would vote against the Bible because there's not enough Jesus in it."[38]
Bacon voted against the October 2023removal ofKevin McCarthy asSpeaker of the House, calling it a vote "for chaos", and "a good day for Russia and China".[39] He supportedSteve Scalise in his initial bid for theOctober 2023 House Speaker election, but voted against the subsequent unsuccessful bid by Freedom Caucus founderJim Jordan, Trump's preferred candidate.[40] Following the first round of voting on Jordan's nomination, Bacon revealed that his wife and staff were being harassed and threatened by phone and in public to push him to support Jordan, saying "there's been a bullying campaign...they're being told on certain cable channels that the world's falling apart...and they feel like approved to cross these boundaries and to be wrong."[41][42] He ultimately supportedMike Johnson's successful bid for the role.
Bacon supported the November 2023expulsion ofGeorge Santos from Congress for fraud.[43]
In the117th United States Congress, Bacon was ranked the most effective Republican lawmaker (and fourth most effective as a whole) by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.[44]
Bacon was seated in the119th United States Congress in January 2025, just before the start of thesecond Trump administration.
Since Trump's return to office, Bacon has been one of the most vocal Republican critics of the administration's aggressive moves to reshape the U.S. government and America's role in the world.[3] He has consistently rebuked Trump's handling of theWar in Ukraine, saying, "he's been very weak... he's been a bit of an appeaser to Russia."[45] He criticized cuts made byDOGE, such as the elimination ofAmeriCorps, as "haphazardly eliminating every program a software engineer fails to appreciate."[46] He pushed back against efforts to cutMedicaid, telling the White House that he would not accept more than $500 billion in cuts.[47][48] Bacon joined a coalition that avoided agovernment shutdown by passing a continuing resolution, angering Trump allies that preferred to force budget cuts through a shutdown.[45] Bacon called for the firing of Secretary of DefensePete Hegseth, whom he called "an amateur", following reports of Hegseth's repeatedunauthorized use of Signal to discuss military plans.[49][50][51] He later criticized Trump's decision to fire National Security AdvisorMike Waltz andTimothy D. Haugh, director of theNational Security Agency andU.S. Cyber Command, after Trump fired them and others on the advice of conspiracy theoristLaura Loomer.[52][53] Following President Trump'sLiberation Day tariffs package which implemented severe import duties against nearly every country in the world, Bacon introduced a bill to curtail presidential tariff powers and warned of a recession.[54][55] Trump responded that he would veto the bill.[56] Bacon was the lone Republican "nay" vote on thebill to codify President Trump'sexecutive order renaming theGulf of Mexico in U.S. federal documents to the "Gulf of America."[57]
For the119th Congress:[58]
Bacon has been frequently described as amoderatecentrist within theRepublican Party.[77][78][79][80][81] Bacon was ranked 8th inbipartisanship among members of the House in the year 2023 by theLugar Center.[82][83]
Bacon has been a member of the Armed Services Committee since taking office in 2017.
Bacon supportedairstrikes in Syria in retaliation for theAssad government'suse of chemical weapons.[84] In 2019, Bacon voted for a resolution opposing Trump's move to withdraw U.S. support for theKurds in Syria, which exposed Kurdish militias toattacks from Turkey.[85]
At aBrookings Institution event in October 2017, Bacon stressed the importance of military readiness and called for U.S. Air Force crews to increaseflight hours to enhance readiness. He also said the "gravest threat" to military readiness was the "partisan divide" in government, which had prevented necessary increases in spending.[86]
Bacon supports a stronger U.S. presence in theBalkans to counter Russia, which he has called a key adversary of the United States. He has expressed alarm regardingRussia's activity in Ukraine and the Balkans, as well asRussian interference in the 2016 United States elections and attempted Russian interference in other nations' elections.
In November 2017, Bacon told anelectronic warfare (EW) conference that the U.S. military needed "to elevate the electromagnetic spectrum to anofficial domain of warfare—alongside land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace–and appoint general officers as EW advocates in all four services and to the joint staff." He said the U.S. should re-intensify its EW capabilities, which he said had atrophied after thecollapse of the Soviet Union.[87]
Bacon is a consistent supporter ofTaiwan. In 2019, he spent time with RepresentativeSalud Carbajal and formerspeakerPaul Ryan in Taiwan to commemorate the 40th anniversary of theTaiwan Relations Act and open a newde facto Embassy. Bacon said, "we owe it to be clear that Taiwan is a success story and we have to support their democracy."[88]At the outset ofRussia's invasion of Ukraine, Bacon said:
"Today starts a new and dark chapter in national security that isHobbesian in nature where bullies will dominate weaker countries. Where might makes right, and dictators prey on their neighbors unless free nations band together and deter this threat.…We have entered anew cold war"[89]
In April 2022, theRussian Federation sanctioned and banned Bacon in retaliation for U.S. participation insanctions against pro-war members of the Russian Duma.[90]
In February 2023, Bacon signed a letter advocating for PresidentJoe Biden to giveF-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.[91]
Following the highly contentiousWhite House meeting between President Trump and Volodymir Zelenskyy in February 2025, Bacon described the summit as "a bad day for America's foreign policy."[92] In an interview with CNN, he described Trump's stance on Russia as "too conciliatory" and amounting to "walking away" from America's legacy as theleader of the free world. Bacon contrasted his foreign policy worldview with that of the Trump administration, saying:
"I'm not interested in a foreign policy that is totally built onrealism, ortransactionalism, where it's just, 'What do we have in it for us?' I believe in having a foreign policy where it's a mix of realism, protecting our country, andidealism."[93]
On60 Minutes, Bacon described Trump's approach as "appeasement", expressing concern that thepost-Cold War order of unipolar U.S.hegemony "is going to collapse."[94]
In March 2025, Bacon said the Trump administration needed "more discipline" after advisorElon Musk called SenatorMark Kelly a "traitor" for visiting Ukraine and instructed Polish Foreign MinisterRadoslaw Sikorski to "be quiet, small man." Bacon told CNN: "It's not appropriate. It's not right."[95]
Following Chinesecyber espionage against U.S. critical telecommunications infrastructure and Treasury Department networks by groups likeSalt Typhoon, Bacon toldPolitico his message to China was: "We're gonna be in your networks, causing mischief, and two could play this game"..."We're going back in [their networks]. Speak softly, but carry a big ass stick and let China know that, 'Hey, you're not gonna get by with just doing the shit you're doing".[96]
Bacon has been a member of the House Agriculture Committee since 2017. In 2019, he urged theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers to streamline its response to the2019 Midwestern U.S. floods and pushed to fund levies to shore up flooded farmland and Offutt Air Force Base.[97]
Baconopposes abortion.[13] In 2017, he voted for legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy[32] and to repeal a rule requiring state and local governments to distribute federal funds toFederally Qualified Health Centers even if they perform abortions,[32] a measure aimed at defundingPlanned Parenthood.[98] Bacon said he supported redirecting funds to community health care centers that do not provide abortion services.[98]
In 2024, Bacon said he supported a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks with exceptions for the life of the mother.[99] Bacon opposed the2024 Nebraska Right to Abortion Initiative that would have amended the state's constitution to establish a right to abortion untilfetal viability but supported the opposing ballot measure (Protect Women and Children) which would criminalize most abortions after thefirst trimester and may allow lawmakers to restrict or ban abortion in the future.[99]
In the 119th Congress, Bacon became co-chair of the new House Anti-Semitism Task Force.[100] He called the Trump administration appointment of Kingsley Wilson as deputy spokesperson for the Department of Defense "unacceptable" after her use of social media to espouseantisemitic,white nationalist, andneo-Nazi rhetoric and conspiracies about the lynching ofLeo Frank came to light.[100][101]
In 2019, Bacon and RepresentativeSeth Moulton introduced the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2019. The bill specifiedlynching as a unique deprivation of civil rights, and would for the first time make it a federal crime. The bill's language was incorporated into the 2020 Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which passed the House but was blocked byRand Paul in the Senate.[102] A later versionbecame law in 2022.
Bacon expressed support for "most of" theGeorge Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. He supported mandatory wearing ofbody cameras by police officers while on duty and a national registry for police misconduct, but opposed endingqualified immunity provisions for officers.[103] He also criticized provisions ending the Department of Defense1033 program, which allows the transfer of surplus military equipment to law enforcement agencies, saying, "if our police are encountering a serious threat, I don't want an equal fight for them."[103] He ultimately voted against the legislation in a mostly party-line vote.[104]
After themurder of George Floyd, Bacon andAnthony Brown introduced legislation to rename Department of Defense assets that valorized Southern confederate leaders or values. Alongside companion legislation introduced in the Senate byElizabeth Warren, the bill resulted in the creation of theNaming Commission through incorporation into theomnibusNational Defense Authorization Act. When asked about the bill, President Trump insisted that he would "not even consider" the proposal, to which Bacon replied inThe New York Times, "you're wrong—you need to change... we're not the party of Jim Crow."[105][106][107] Trump vetoed the NDAA for reasons he said included funding for the commission, after which Congress delivered the only veto override of his presidency.[107]
On July 19, 2022, Bacon and 46 other Republican representatives voted for theRespect for Marriage Act, which codified the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[108] He said he does not believe "the government should dictate who can marry each other based on gender, race, or ethnicity."[109]
In 2018, Bacon said that he opposedmarijuana legalization as a personal matter, but that he supported decriminalization at the federal level and believed that states should be permitted to make the decision.[84][110] Bacon supported the2018 Farm Bill, which legalized industrialhemp production.[111] Bacon voted against the2022 MORE Act, which would haveremoved cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.[112]
In 2017, Bacon voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[113] Bacon has expressed support for raising the full retirement age for eligibility forSocial Security for Americans now under age 40.[110]
Bacon has said, "I don't think we know for certain how much of climate change is being caused by normal cyclical changes in weather vs. human causes. I support legislation that allows for continued incremental improvement in our environment but oppose extreme measures that create significant economic and job disruption."[114]
In 2018, Bacon said he would support a ban onbump stocks.[84] In 2021, he introduced legislation to enhance penalties for engaging in illicitstraw purchases of firearms.[115]
Bacon favors repealing theAffordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare,[116] and opposes proposals forMedicare for All orsingle-payer healthcare.[84] In May 2017, he voted for theAmerican Health Care Act of 2017, Republican health-care legislation that would have repealed large portions of the ACA.[117][118]
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In August 2017, Bacon and five of his House colleagues urged Trump to preserve theDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program forundocumented youth brought to the United States as children (also known as "Dreamers"), "until we can pass a permanent legislative solution."[119][23] In 2019, he voted for legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth.[120]
Bacon has expressed support for construction of theU.S.-Mexico border wall supported by Trump.[121] Bacon voted against legislation toend the December 2018–January 2019 government shutdown by appropriating funds without money for a border wall.[32] He said that Trump's attempt to circumvent Congress by declaring a national emergency to redirect money from military construction to building a border wall was not "the right way to go" because it infringed on congressional powers,[121] but voted against a House resolution to overturn the emergency declaration and against overriding Trump's veto of legislation that would have overturned the declaration.[32]
In 2017, Bacon reintroduced the Kerrie Orozco Act, which would "allow the spouses of first responders, killed in the line of duty, access to a quicker process of becoming an American citizen."[122]
In 2025, Bacon cosponsored theAmerican Families United Act.[123]
In 2019, the House voted ontwo articles of impeachment against Donald Trump. Bacon voted against both articles.[124]
In 2021, the House voted onone article of impeachment against Trump forincitement of insurrection after theJanuary 6 attack on theU.S. Capitol. Bacon voted against the article.[125]
In 2023, Bacon voted for theimpeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, but said he was skeptical of theefforts to impeach, stating that he thinks Biden did engage in corruption, but that impeachments are bad for the nation and generally hurt the election successes of the party bringing the proceedings.[126]
Bacon initially said he would support President Biden'sInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and criticized Republicans for opposing it, but during negotiations he said he could not commit to voting for the bill.[127] Ultimately, Bacon was one of 13 House Republicans to break with their party and vote with a majority of Democrats in favor of the legislation.[128]
Bacon supports an "ironclad partnership" with Israel and endorsed therecognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.[129] Bacon voted to provide Israel with support following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[130][131]
In a December 2020Washington Post survey of the 249 Republican members of Congress, Bacon was one of 37 who acknowledgedJoe Biden as the legitimatePresident-elect.[132]
Bacon did not join congressional Republicans who sided with the Trump campaign'sattempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election. He voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's votes in the2021 United States Electoral College vote count.
On May 19, 2021, Bacon was one of 35 Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish theJanuary 6 commission meant to investigate theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack.[133] Before the vote, he was one of only a few Republican lawmakers who openly expressed their support for the commission.[134]
On September 13, 2024, Bacon and RepresentativeJosh Gottheimer released a bipartisan letter spearheaded by centrist House representatives in which they pledged to respect the results of the2024 presidential election. Five other Republicans signed the letter alongside Bacon.[135]
On September 18, 2024, the entire Nebraska delegation, including Bacon, signed a letter to Governor Pillen supporting changing Nebraska's presidential election system to a winner-takes-all method, effectively eliminating the allocation of electoral votes by congressional district.[136][137]
| Republican candidate | Democratic candidate | Other candidate | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Candidate | Votes | Candidate | Party | Votes | |||
| 2016 | Don Bacon | 141,066 | 48.9% | Brad Ashford (Incumbent) | 137,602 | 47.7% | Steven Laird | Libertarian | 9,640 | 3.4% |
| 2018 | Don Bacon (Incumbent) | 126,715 | 51.0% | Kara Eastman | 121,770 | 49.0% | ||||
| 2020 | Don Bacon (Incumbent) | 171,071 | 50.8% | Kara Eastman | 155,706 | 46.2% | Tyler Schaeffer | Libertarian | 10,185 | 3.0% |
| 2022 | Don Bacon (Incumbent) | 112,663 | 51.3% | Tony Vargas | 106,807 | 48.7% | ||||
| 2024 | Don Bacon (Incumbent) | 160,198 | 50.9% | Tony Vargas | 154,369 | 49.1% | ||||
Bacon and his wife Angie (née Hardison) have four children and eight grandchildren.[5][7][141] They live inPapillion, Nebraska.[1] Bacon is aProtestant.[142]
When Bacon chose not to run for re-election in 2026, one of the reasons he gave was so he could spend more time with his grandchildren.[5]
Bacon's military awards and decorations include:[citation needed]
| Badge | Master Navigator Badge | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badge | Senior Intelligence Badge | |||
| 1st row | Legion of Merit withoak leaf cluster | Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster | ||
| 2nd row | Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters | Aerial Achievement Medal | Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters | |
| 3rd row | Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster | Joint Meritorious Unit Citation | Meritorious Unit Award | |
| 4th row | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | Combat Readiness Medal | National Defense Service Medal | |
| 5th row | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Iraq Campaign Medal | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | |
| 6th row | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Short Tour | Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Long Tour | |
| 7th row | Air Force Longevity Service Award | Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon | Air Force Training Ribbon | |
Estonia
Lithuania
UkraineWhen a news headline mentions a Republican objecting to something Trump has done, odds are it's Bacon
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska's 2nd congressional district 2017–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Main Street Caucus 2021–2023 Served alongside:Mike Bost,Pete Stauber | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 158th | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
