Bacon to Retire at End of 119^th Congress

Touts Accomplishes and Pledges to Continue Outstanding Service and Pursue Legislative Initiatives

Omaha, Neb. – Today, Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) Cyber, Information Technologies and Innovation Subcommittee (CITI), announced he will not seek reelection in 2026 and will retire at the end of the 119th Congress. 

“After consultation with my family and much prayer, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2026 and will fulfill my term in the 119th Congress through January 2, 2027. After three decades in the Air Force and now going on one decade in Congress, I look forward to coming home in the evenings and being with my wife and seeing more of our adult children and eight grandchildren, who all live near my home. I’ve been married for 41 years, and I’d like to dedicate more time to my family, my church, and the Omaha community. I also want to continue advocating for a strong national security strategy and a strong alliance system with countries that share our love of democracy, free markets and the rule of law. 

“During the remainder of the 119th Congress, we will be focused on finishing the job. Providing top-notch constituent services in the district, for which we were recognized in 2021 with the Congressional Management Foundation’s Democracy Awards for Constituent Services in 2021, will be a priority as it always has been.  

“To date, we have processed close to 8,500 casework/requests for assistance; we have helped people who were wrongly marked as deceased, helped citizens in distress around the world return home; helped people devasted by disasters such as flood and tornadoes, literally climb out of the rubble and connect them with resources; we have solved problems with Medicare, Social Security and IRS problems, passports and immigration, and so much more. Our team has worked diligently every day to advocate for and deliver on behalf of our constituents. 

“Legislatively, I aim to work to get five agricultural bills passed that were included as part of the Farm Bill, including the increase of defenses for our nation’s food supply chain and removing barriers for the next generation of farmers seeking to establish their operations. I will continue my work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and lay the groundwork for a new VA hospital in Omaha.  

“My service to our great nation started in the Air Force, where I served sixteen assignments, five commands and four deployments and will continue in Congress until the end of the 119th Congress. I’d like to find new ways to serve our great country.  I have a love for national security, and I’ll always be a proponent for old-fashioned Ronald Reagan Conservative values.  It has been an honor to serve the 2nd District of Nebraska and the nation, and I thank our constituents for trusting me to represent them. I am proud of the work we have done and will continue to do until the lights in the office are turned off for the last time. Thank you, and God bless America.” 

Highlights from Rep. Bacon’s Congressional Career 

Legislative Record 

• Most bills signed into law in the 118^th Congress and bill totals as of Jan. 2025 

·         Total number of stand-alone bills enacted into law: 2 

·         Total numbers of bills enacted through NDAA: 33 

·         Total number of bills enacted through non-NDAA legislation: 3 

·                     Total number of bills introduced that became law: 38 

Defense 

Rebuilt and Improved Offutt AFB & Camp Ashland 

• Delivered forceful congressional advocacy for Offutt Air Force Base, one of the district’s leading engines of economic growth and prosperity 
• Led the fight in the House to secure critical resources to respond to the devasting 2019 floods 
• Engaged with the Secretary of the Air Force to prevent the permanent loss of the flying mission 
• Secured more than $1.5 billion for the cleanup, rebuild and critical improvements to Offutt AFB – one of the largest employers in the region – including a new runway 
• Worked tirelessly to protect, modernize, and replace aircraft fleets at Offutt AFB including the RC-135, WC-135 and E-4B 

Confederate Base Names: Original co-sponsor for H.R. 7155, National Commission on Modernizing Military Installation Designations Act, the bi-partisan legislation in the House to re-designate military bases named after Confederate generals 

Spearheaded the Restoration of DoD Electronic Warfare Capability 

• Drove major legislative reforms requiring the Pentagon to develop a new EW strategy, implementation plan and other organizational reforms 
• Secured more than $1.5 billion to double the size of the USAF’s fleet of EA-37B Compass Call aircraft, the most powerful and sophisticated electronic attack aircraft in the world 
• Helped guide the establishment of the Joint EMSO Center (JEC) at STRATCOM 

Relentlessly Championed Initiatives to Modernize America’s Strategic Nuclear Deterrent 

• Secured more than $75 million establish the NC3 technical engineering and development hub in Nebraska 
• Advocacy helped speed the establishment of the new 95th Wing at Offutt focused on NC3 operations 
• Helped secured more than $500 million to advance development of the future E-4C SAOC aircraft which will be based at Offutt 

Championed Improvements to Military Quality of Life  

• Led the most significant and comprehensive package of legislative reforms to improve the quality of life for military servicemembers and families in US history 
• Largest single-year increase for junior enlisted pay ever (14.5%) 
• Billions in critical improvements to military housing and barracks  
• Major expansion and improvements to childcare for military families 
• Fought for employment reforms and RIF protections for federally employed military spouses  

Conference Committee 

• Passage of major national defense legislation in 2017, 2018 and 2019 that reversed the dangerous decline in military readiness after years of neglect and funded the modernization of US military capabilities 

• Named to select House-Senate Armed Service Conference Committee for 3 straight years 

Agriculture 

• Responsible for numerous provisions in the Farm Bill, including language related to the Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccine and measures to address foreign ownership of farmland and improve SNAP administration 
• Original sponsor of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which established lynching as a federal hate crime 

Education 

• STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (co-sponsor) – Provides DOJ money for grants to states and local governments to improve security including the placement and use of metal detectors and other deterrents measures at schools and school grounds. Fighting for $125 million in FY’20 to fund these grants 

Civil Rights and Holocaust Education 

• House Republican lead for Anti-Lynching Legislation making lynching a federal crime – Language was amended into H.R. 35 and passed House 2/26/20) 
• Helped lead effort to push H.R. 943 – Never Again Education Act which was signed by the President 5/29/20 
• Worked with state leaders on getting Holocaust Education requirements enacted into state statute 
• Leader on support for non-profit security grants for religious institutions 

Veterans Affairs 

• Finalized additional funding for the VA’s Ambulatory Care Center and pushed House Leadership to go ahead and pass the bill while my friend Brad Ashford was still in office 

• CHIP IN Bill: Congressman Bacon’s CHIP IN Bill, H.R. 3888, was incorporated into HR 5293: Department of Veteran Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2021, extending the program through 2025 
• HR: 217 in the 119^th – seeks to extend the program and expand authorities to include minor projects and non-recurring maintenance projects (passed House) 

• Led Congressional efforts to support Gold Star families and survivors; championed significant legislation to care for and honor these families 

• Lifetime installation access for survivors 
• Major reforms to military veterans transition assistance programs 
• Mandated regular meetings with DoD leadership and surviving families 

Infrastructure and Jobs Act:  

• Voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provided $165 million for Nebraska’s 2nd District: Eppley, modernization of natural gas lines and other projects 

Eppley Airfield 

• Over $77.1 million of improvements to Eppley Airfield from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and other sources 

• Make it a true international airport 
• Increase flights and inspection areas 
• Streamline process of checking in and TSA for consumers 

Other Community Funding projects of note: 

• (2024) Wahoo Airport Runway - $4.3 million 
• 2024) Saunders County Emergency Radio Equipment - $2.6 million 
• (2024) City of Omaha N. 24th Street Lighting Project - $4.17 Million 
• (2023) OPPD Grid Resiliency and Modernization - $7.7 million 
• (2023) City of Omaha North 24^th Street Streetscape Improvement Projects Phase II - $4 million 
• (2023) Blackstone Business Improvement District - $2 million 
• (2022) North 24^th St. Streetscape Improvements - $3 million 
• (2022) the CHOICE $50 million federal grant to redevelop the Southside Terrace Garden Apartments and the surrounding Indian Hill neighborhood in South Omaha. 
• (2019) the CHOICE neighborhood grant program, which awarded $25 million for the 75 North project to the City of Omaha and Omaha Housing Authority for 5 years 

Other Accomplishments/Recognitions 

• Founded the bipartisan For Country Caucus 

• Co-chair of bipartisan Caucus made up of 30 veteran members of Congress, evenly divided between R’s and D’s 
• Objective of the Caucus is to work in a nonpartisan way towards a more productive government. Members serve with integrity, civility and courage 

• Restarted the Main Street Caucus 
• Co-chair of the Congressional Electronic Warfare Caucus, leading voice in Congress to advance and reform US capabilities to defend and dominate the electromagnetic spectrum
• In 2023, appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council by former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy 
• Center for Effective Lawmaking 

• One of the top ten effective legislators in the 118^th congress, 2^nd most effective Republican 
• Most effective Republican in the 117^th Congress and fourth overall, despite being in the minority party 

• Rated #1 Most bi-partisan Republican 117^th Congress-Common Ground Committee 

• Earned a perfect score by the Common Ground Committee of 110 (2024) 
• Rated #1 in 2022 by Common Ground Committee with a score of 104 out of 110 

• 2021 Democracy Awards-Constituent Services, Congressional Management Foundation  

• Over the course of 8 and ½ years, the office has processed close to 8,500 casework/requests for assistances including people who were erroneously marked as deceased; devastated by disasters such as floods and tornadoes literally climb out of the rubble and connect them with resources to rebuild; and in distress around the globe trying to return home. 
• Other cases include problems with Medicare, passports or immigration, helping veterans get their benefits, cutting through red tape to solve Social Security and IRS problems, and others. 

• 2024 Democracy Awards- Workplace Environment, Congressional Management Foundation  

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