U.S. senator from Kansas points to risk of alienating NATO military alliance members

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, argues the United States shouldn't take for granted commitments of NATO countries to defend against military aggression in Europe and discourages directing criticism at alliance countries reluctant to directly take part in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. He is seen here at a July 14, 2025, news conference in De Soto. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas is pushing back against criticism of the NATO alliance as member nations in Europe take on responsibility for sustaining Ukraine’s fight against Russia and “quietly” assist the United States and Israel in the war against Iran.

Moran, a Republican who has represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate or U.S. House for nearly 30 years, said the conflict with Iran had significant impact on the United States and members of the 32-nation transatlantic military alliance. Since the United States launched military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, there have been consequences in terms of elevated gas prices, heightened security threats and disrupted trade through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Renewed criticism of the alliance fails to recognize that it is defensive in nature and risks further alienating partners who are essential to an America first policy,” he said.

President Donald Trump denounced NATO as a “paper tiger” for not directly engaging in the war against Iran and not backing an effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz. The president said he was contemplating “absolutely without question” withdrawing the United States from NATO.

Moran said NATO members last year pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, which would serve as a greater deterrent to westward encroachment by Russia.

“What is less recognized, however, is the fact that Europeans are already stymieing any such advance. They are now responsible for sustaining Ukraine in its fight against Russia,” Moran said. “While the U.S. shifts focus elsewhere, our European allies are doing the heavy lifting against one of our principal adversaries.”

The senator said alliances existed despite foreign-policy differences among member countries, but the United States “should be careful to not overlook the ways our allies are quietly assisting the U.S. in the conflict against Iran.”

U.S. allies in NATO granted permission to fly through airspace, opened bases to stage missions and offered ports for ships to undergo maintenance, Moran said.

“At a time when our nation’s own budgetary pressures and backlogged industrial base limit our ability to sustain force in multiple theaters simultaneously, we cannot afford to take them for granted,” Moran said.

USDA staff shortages

U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt, R-Kansas, urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promptly address staff shortages at local Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service offices.

He signed onto a letter to USDA raising an alarm about delays in processing applications and payments.

Persistent staff shortages could spread to other USDA programs tied to agriculture production and conservation, the letter said. Deployment of temporary staff in underserved county offices would be insufficient to meet ongoing demand, said the letter signed by Schmidt and 14 other members of Congress.

“To deliver on the promises made to American agriculture, USDA must ensure local offices are staffed and equipped,” Schmidt said. “These programs are essential to managing risk, supporting conservation and keeping operations running. Reliable, timely service is critical to the success of producers and rural communities across Kansas and the country.”

Schmidt represents a district that runs from Nebraska to Oklahoma in eastern Kansas. No other member of the Kansas congressional delegation signed the letter to USDA.

NWS forecasting

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat serving all of Johnson, Miami, Anderson and Franklin counties as well as southern Wyandotte County, said she was concerned breakdowns in forecasting of storms and the early warning system may have put Kansans at risk in mid-April as EF-2 tornadoes hit the 3rd District.

Davids said news reports indicated NWS offices in the Great Plaints didn’t launch weather balloons at 7 a.m. April 13 as they have for decades, apparently because of staffing issues. The decision to release the balloons at noon deprived meteorologists of information on developing storms.

“These irresponsible decisions at the NWS have direct, real-world consequences for the safety of communities across Kansas and the country,” she said. “Kansans should not have to wonder whether the systems designed to protect them are fully operational when severe weather strikes.”

Davids said in hours before tornadoes touched down, the NWS storm prediction center hadn’t identified a tornado threat in northeast Kansas.

Davids said staffing shortages and missing data directly impacted forecast accuracy, reduced warning times and increasing risk to communities in the path of severe weather.

“The fact that Kansans avoided catastrophic loss in this instance does not excuse these breakdowns,” she said. “It underscores how close we came, and what could happen if these failures continue.”