Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) Talks Moderate And Votes MAGA
In 1969 Richard Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell infamously advised the press to “watch what we do, not what we say.” (Incidentally, he was tried and convicted as a result of his involvement in the Watergate scandal. Imagine that: corrupt Republicans being held to account. I digress.) One could say the exact same thing about Representative Don Bacon (R-NE).
Bacon represents Omaha based CD02. The district consists of Omaha, parts of suburban Sarpy County and rural Saunders County. It is the only competitive Congressional district in Nebraska. In 2024, Bacon was re-elected by a 51% to 49% margin while Harris carried the district by a 51% to 47% margin. Obama carried CD02 in 2008 and Biden carried it in 2020.
Bacon has posed as a “moderate” and consistently voted with Trump and MAGA since he was elected to Congress in 2016. Bacon has fooled the press and many voters in his district. Bacon can only be re-elected if he can convince a certain number of Harris supporters that he is a moderate. The reality is that Bacon is a well behaved version of Trump.
Bacon has endorsed Trump three times and once said it was an “easy choice.” Bacon voted with Trump 98% of the time in 2017–18 when the GOP had the trifecta. Bacon has voted with Trump 100% of the time in 2025. Let’s look at several recent votes to see how Bacon operates.
In February, the House budget was being debated and its chances of passage were in doubt. It contained $880 billion in Medicaid cuts and added $19 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years. Don Bacon went into his phony moderate act and pretended that he opposed the Medicaid cuts.
February 19 from the Hill.com : “Three key House moderates told The Hill on Wednesday that they are still not on board with the chamber’s budget resolution, even after President Trump endorsed it earlier in the day.
Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said they still have concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid, which some GOP lawmakers are eyeing to pay for the cost of tax cuts and other provisions in the massive package.”
Just seven days later on February 26, Don Bacon and his fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives voted 217–215 to adopt a budget that required $2 trillion in spending cuts, including the Medicaid cuts that Bacon claimed to oppose. This budget also gave tax breaks to the wealthy and big corporations. If Bacon had voted no, the resolution would have failed and the House would have had to pass a budget on a bi-partisan basis.
Arm twisting by Donald Trump pushed the budget across the finish line. It was reported that Trump met with and called numerous Republican House members. Bacon fell in line with Trump again.
On March 11, House passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open by a narrow 216–214 margin. Included in the bill was a provision that surrendered Congress’ authority for the rest of the year to force a vote that could repeal Trump’s destructive tariffs.
Where was the “moderate” Don Bacon on March 11? As usual, he voted with Trump and the MAGA Republicans in the House. He could have voted against giving away Congress’ power and forced any tariffs to be approved by Congress. However, his vote once again represented the winning margin and further empowered an out of control executive branch.
On April 8, just four short weeks later, Bacon did a 180 and introduced a bill that would require Congressional approval for any unilateral tariffs imposed by the president. While Bacon has said he supports some tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, he correctly stated that the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to impose tariffs.
“The Constitution clearly gives the authority for taxes and tariffs to Congress, but for too long, we have handed that authority to the executive branch,” Bacon said in a written statement. “This is less about the actual tariffs laid by the Trump Administration, some of which I support because they are reciprocal, but more a commitment to uphold the Constitution. Congress has the power of the purse. Our founders created checks and balances for a reason.”
Bacon had the opportunity to live up to his brave rhetoric the very next day. On April 9, the House voted again on a budget that included $880 billion in Medicaid cuts, a huge tax cut for the rich and gave away Congress’ power to end the Trump tariffs. Bacon did yet another 180 and voted to give away Congress’ power to set tariffs to Trump. Bacon could have stopped this power grab by executive since the budget passed 216–214. Every vote mattered.
“Republicans are already putting in a provision to make sure that they don’t have to vote on the tariffs that are in place,” Representative Suzan DelBene, Democrat of Washington, said. “Congress should have a role here. It’s terrible that my colleagues on the other side aren’t willing to have a vote.”
The “moderate” Don Bacon had three opportunities to stop this run away freight train and save his constituents from a ruinous trade war, savage Medicaid cuts and a recession. There is a vast chasm between Bacon’s moderate rhetoric and his actual voting record. Bacon has a serious credibility gap.
Well informed sources have told me that Bacon won’t be running for re-election next year. He can clearly see the blue wave that is building. Democrats have out performed in the 2025 special elections by 10 to 20 points and are favored to take back the House. In addition, the Senate is in play.
If we do the work, we will win. Let’s go!
Sources consulted:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/10/trump-budget-bill-republicans-house
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mike-johnson-reveals-ll-fund-185833705.html