Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska has criticized the administration’s reported decision to end funding for the Baltic Security initiative and related military assistance programs in Eastern Europe. As Co-Chair of the House Baltic Caucus, Bacon described the move as “flat out wrong,” arguing that it would halt efforts to strengthen defenses on Europe’s eastern flank against Russian aggression.
“The administration’s reported decision to cut off funding for the Baltic Security initiative and other military assistance programs for East European Allies is flat out wrong. While I applaud the Department of Defense for recognizing the challenges that China poses, it is Russia that today is the greatest threat to the US and our allies. We have already seen that Vladimir Putin is a vicious thug and criminal, and his war in Ukraine is only the first step in his plan to remake the former Soviet Union. His own top officials have stated that after Ukraine, they want to retake other countries who were in their USSR sphere such as Moldova, the Baltics and Georgia,” Bacon said.
He continued: “Our NATO allies have already committed to increase their own defense spending as a result of President Trumps negotiating, and to back out now sends a bad signal. This is a misguided decision that is certainly being cheered in Moscow. I hope that President Trump rethinks the decision, and I will do everything in my power to change this foolish policy decision from the Pentagon. The Administration is communicating shear weakness to Putin. It is not even ‘in two more weeks’ anymore… it is worse.”
Bacon has represented Nebraska’s 2nd district in Congress since 2017, succeeding Brad Ashford. He was born in Momence, Illinois in 1963 and lives in Papillion. Bacon earned a BA from Northern Illinois University in 1984 and also graduated from the University of Phoenix.
The Washington Post recently published further details on this topic at https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/04/trump-europe-security-russia-ukraine/.
