Missouri and Illinois political figures are reacting to President Donald Trump’s decision to strike three nuclear sites in Iran.
Trump announced on Saturday that American B-2 bombers attacked Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan. That decision came about 10 days after Israel attacked Iran, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that he was trying to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Shortly after Trump publicized the attack, several GOP members of the Missouri and Illinois delegations issued statements supporting the Republican president’s decision. Congressman Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, posted on X that “Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
“Peace through strength,” said Graves, whose district takes in most of northern Missouri.
Congresswoman Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, said in a statement that “Iran was given every chance to get rid of its nuclear program, but instead of choosing peace the Ayatollah embraced violence and chaos.”
“President Trump was absolutely right to send our bombers in and strike the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear facilities, and this decision will save American lives and protect our national security,” Wagner said. “He and I are in full agreement that we must achieve peace through strength, and today’s decisive strikes are a testament to that shared commitment. Iran cannot and will not have nuclear weapons and today is a direct result of the Ayatollah’s reckless choices.”
Congressman Mark Alford’s 4th District is home to Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster, which houses the B-2 bombers that were used in Saturday’s attack. He said on X that “Peace through strength requires strength.”
“We strongly support President Trump’s targeted strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities,” Alford wrote. "The Ayatollah must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and we will always stand with Israel.”
The near-unanimous GOP support from Missouri and Illinois members of Congress came after a week of intense debate among Republicans. Some prominent right-leaning pundits, including Tucker Carlson, and Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green argued against attacking Iran. Carlson conducted a viral interview with Sen. Ted Cruz in which he lambasted the Texas Republican for not knowing population or demographic information about Iran.
But some Republicans who were fiercely critical of then-President Joe Biden for providing aid to Ukraine to repel Russia’s invasion offered praise for Trump’s decision. They include Sen. Eric Schmitt, who sent out a Tweet on X stating “President Trump is a foreign policy realist not an ideologue.”
“He has taken limited military action to achieve a crucial objective that is in the core national interest of the United States: preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons,” said Schmitt, R-Missouri. “He doesn’t want another Forever War. He wants peace. What happens now is up to Iran.”
Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller, an Oakland Republican who also chastised Biden for aiding Ukraine, said on X that the Iran bombing is “a great victory for the United States!”
“President Trump understands that peace through strength keeps America, and the world, safe and secure,” Miller said.
And Illinois Congressman Mike Bost, another Ukraine aid skeptic, said on Facebook that he trusts “that President Trump made the decision to target Iran’s nuclear program tonight due to intelligence that indicates the regime was within reach of developing nuclear weapons that could threaten the lives of American citizens and U.S. troops stationed across the globe.”
“He showed the strength to ensure that never happens,” Bost said.
Budzinski says Congress should be involved
At least one Illinois Democrat, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, sharply condemned Trump’s decision to bomb Iran.
Duckworth, a combat veteran, noted that she ran for Congress “so that when the drums of war started beating in Washington again, I’d be in a position to make sure that our leaders fully consider the true costs of war — not just in dollars and cents, but in the sacrifices and blood of our troops.”
“The Trump Administration illegally bombed Iran tonight, putting American troops and citizens at risk of retaliation and threatening to draw us into yet another Middle East war without Constitutionally-required Congressional approval,” Duckworth posted. “I have long said Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. But this goal could and should have been pursued through diplomatic means first.”
Before the news became public, Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski said on Saturday afternoon in Granite City that Congress should be involved in any decision to attack Iran.
“Let me say Iran is obviously a sworn enemy of the United States, and I do support Israel's right to defend itself against Iran's increasing aggressiveness,” Budzinski said. “But I'd like to remind the president that it takes an act of Congress, specifically Congress, to start doing an act of war. And so what I would be advocating for is aggressive diplomacy to ensure that Iran does not get nuclear capability — aggressive diplomacy and then consultation with the United States Congress.”
