Politics
RINO Congressman Threatens To Resign Over Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) — a longtime Trump critic on foreign policy who is retiring at the end of his current term — was so “appalled” by the president’s peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine conflict that he considered resigning immediately.
The 28-point peace plan aims to provide a U.S. -brokered framework to end the most deadly war in Europe since the Second World War. It will require Ukraine to make territorial concessions, largely along the lines of areas currently under Russian control, affirming Ukrainian sovereignty, and require Russia to sign a nonaggression pact with Ukraine and European neighbors.
It also mandates limits on NATO expansion eastward and establishes a U.S.-mediated dialogue between Russia and NATO to address security concerns, de-escalate tensions, and foster economic ties
Ukraine has agreed to the core terms of the proposal, with U.S. officials stating that only minor details remain to be resolved following revisions that removed some maximalist Russian demands. Ukrainian President Zelensky has welcomed the changes as making peace “doable” and requested a meeting with Trump to finalize the deal.
At the same time, senior U.S. officials are meeting with a Russian delegation in the Middle East on Tuesday in order to potentially agree a final framework between the two sides.
Portions of the peace plan have been met with fury by some of the more hawkish members of congress, however, including Bacon. The Nebraska lawmaker told Axios he was “so angry” at the Trump administration’s proposal last week that he “thought about” resigning early.
Bacon, a centrist foreign policy hawk, has won several tight elections in Nebraska’s Democrat-leaning Second Congressional District
The retiring congressman took shots at Trump foreign policy envoy Steve Witkoff, dubbing the proposal the “Witkoff Ukrainian surrender plan.”
He ultimately decided against resigning because “in the end I have a commitment to our constituents to fulfill my term,” Bacon said, adding that he “shared my anger” with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Bacon further noted that he did not discuss resignation in a heated discussion with Johnson.
If Bacon decides to reverse course, his resignation could prove disastrous for the Republican Party’s thin majority in the House. The conference will be down a member for several weeks after U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announced that she would be resigning effective January 5, which will leave the resulting House breakdown at 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats with four vacancies.
A closely-watched special election for Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District is set for December 2. While the district has a Republican-friendly partisan lean and went to President Donald Trump by 22 percentage points in 2024, both parties have poured millions of dollars into the race due to the current balance of the House.
Should Republicans hold onto the seat, one Democrat vacancy should be filled come January 31st, when a special election will be held in a deep blue Texas district to replace deceased U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner. Democrats will almost certainly gain another pickup when a special New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s seat comes up in April, while a special election to fill Greene’s seat could occur as early as February.
