Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said he has concerns that President Donald Trump was reportedly not informed of a shortage of cruise missiles and Patriot interceptors during the war with Iran, calling it “the number one issue” facing the administration’s handling of the conflict. Bacon made the comments in a “Face the Nation” interview with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan and Ed O’Keefe.
Bacon: “There’s Been a Lack of Transparency”
“I do have concerns that the president said he was not aware that we had a shortage of weapons like cruise missiles and Patriots. That’s not a good thing,” Bacon said. “I think that’s the number one issue. We’ve conducted these operations, and it appears as though there’s been a lack of transparency. I think we’ll get some transparency when we go back to Washington, D.C., here on the 31st of August.”
Washington Post Reported Confrontation Between Trump and Hegseth
Bacon’s comments referenced reporting that Trump had confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Camp David after learning munitions shortages he believed had been resolved were still a serious constraint on U.S. options against Iran. Two people familiar with the exchange told The Washington Post that Hegseth pointed blame at Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg for the shortages and for not adequately informing Trump. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed that the exchange occurred, calling it “100% fake news,” and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth “did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture.”
Administration’s Public Messaging on Munitions Shifted Over Time
Trump and Hegseth had repeatedly denied any shortage earlier in the conflict. “We have massive amounts of ammunition,” Trump said in March; Hegseth said the same month that “our munitions are full up.” By early August, Trump was again publicly denying any shortage, writing on Truth Social that “the U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types” and threatening to identify and jail those he described as “leakers” behind reports of depleted stockpiles. Multiple outlets reported around the same time that the Pentagon had nearly exhausted its supply of certain long-range missiles and interceptors.
Democratic Senators Have Separately Raised Munitions Concerns
Concerns about weapons stockpiles have not been confined to Republicans. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in March that “our munitions are low. That’s public knowledge,” adding that addressing the shortage “will require additional funding, funding where we have other domestic needs as well.” A defense policy scholar, Ryan Brobst of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said at the time he was less concerned about running out during the Iran conflict itself than about the long-term implications for deterring China and Russia afterward.
Bacon Defended War’s Necessity While Criticizing Messaging
Bacon largely defended the underlying case for the war, telling CBS that “Iran has killed about 1,000 Americans” and citing roughly 600 U.S. deaths in Iraq that he attributed primarily to Iranian-made roadside bombs supplied to militants. “We cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Bacon said, adding, “this should probably been done a long time ago.” He argued Trump’s early framing of the war as a quick fight had backfired. “He started out this whole war with, ‘This is going to be an easy fight … we’re going to get a deal tomorrow.’ And I think that those false expectations hurt him.”
Bacon Also Faulted Trump’s Response on USS Lincoln Deployment
Asked about Trump’s dismissive response to concerns over the USS Abraham Lincoln’s nearly nine-month deployment — in which Trump told reporters the deployment had been “not nearly long enough” — Bacon said the president mishandled the moment. “I think it would have been better to acknowledge, hey, long deployments are hard,” said Bacon, who deployed to Iraq for a year during his 30-year Air Force career. “It’s hard on the families. It’s hard on the service members. Thank them for being willing to defend our country.”
Bacon Recalled Suicides Aboard Carrier During His Own 1996 Deployment
Bacon said he supports congressional oversight of the Lincoln’s deployment, including testimony from Navy leadership, but noted that hardship incidents aboard carriers are not new. “I served on an aircraft carrier as an Air Force guy during my 30 years in the Air Force, and we had some of these incidences when I was on the carrier,” Bacon said, describing a 1996 deployment enforcing a no-fly zone over Iraq. “We had a couple members jump overboard and commit suicide while I was on that deployment. So these incidences, they’re terrible, they’re sad, but it’s happened previously.”
Bacon Urged Trump to Maintain Pressure on Iran Rather Than Announce Deals
Bacon argued Trump’s public statements suggesting imminent deals had signaled weakness to Tehran. “What they were hearing was weakness,” Bacon said. “The president should say less. Keep the pressure on. This blockade is crippling to Iran, and we need to keep that blockade ironclad. Not let a single ship enter or leave the ports out of Iran.”
Bacon Cited Tariffs as Separate Driver of Inflation
Beyond the war, Bacon said Trump’s tariff policy has independently contributed to inflation and should be reconsidered. “Tariffs have hurt inflation,” Bacon said. “Global tariffs, it ends up being a tax on consumers, and we’re paying more because of it,” adding that Republicans “have never supported tariffs since World War II” until recently.
Interview Cited New CBS Poll Showing Voters View GOP as “Extreme”
The interview referenced a new CBS News/YouGov poll, conducted Aug. 12-14 with 2,287 U.S. adults, that found 58% of registered voters chose “extreme” as the word that best describes the Republican Party, more than any other descriptor offered. Bacon, who is retiring and not seeking reelection this year, said he believes the party could move back toward the political center by reconsidering its tariff policy and increasing support for Ukraine, which he said 70% of Americans back.
Bacon Acknowledged Americans Are Feeling Economic Pain
Bacon said Trump has struggled to communicate empathy for households affected by inflation, telling CBS that “he makes light of the affordability question, and we do have an affordability problem.” He compared current conditions to the roughly 9% inflation under President Joe Biden, arguing wages have “never recovered” and that inflation remains “slightly higher than wages,” meaning price growth continues to outpace wage growth for many Americans.