Dozens of U.S. lawmakers were trying to make their way this weekend to the Munich Security Conference to assure allies of America's reliability. But they are burdened with political crises at home. Some didn’t make the trip at at all.
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Here's what the public doesn't know anymoreOne Tech Tip: Take your iPhone security to the extreme with Lockdown ModeHere’s what dermatologists are saying about your skin care routine: Keep it simplePhotos of monks and rescue dog as they finish cross-country peace walk in Washington, DCDemócrata clave acusa a Departamento de Justicia de"espiar" a legisladores que revisan caso EpsteinSen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. arrives before a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., takes part in the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on during a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. arrives before a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. arrives before a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., takes part in the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., takes part in the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on during a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on during a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. to assure allies of America’s reliability, but burdened with political crises at home, their entrance to the annual gathering of international leaders was more of a limp than a stride. Some didn’t make the trip at all. House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled an official delegation of roughly two dozen House members who had planned to attend the event, leaving those lawmakers either to find their own way to Germany or send their regrets.sweeping crackdowns on illegal immigration, which have included fatal shootings of two people protesting the raids, as well as the Trump administration’s recent failed effort to“It is a little bit, you know, depressing to be here with what we have to deal with at home,” Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who wasFor over six decades, the annual conference has gathered world leaders in pursuit of cooperation for shared security, with the United State often playing a leading role. But Trump has upended his nation’s posture toward the rest of the world, especially Europe. And while many lawmakers who attended tried to assure European counterparts that the U.S. still wants a seat at the table, it was clear they were still grappling with the rapidly changing political environment at home. “I expect to have a number of challenging conversations with friends and allies about their concern and alarm about what they’ve seen federal law enforcement under this administration do in Minneapolis and the attempt to indict six of my colleagues and other steps that frankly have more of the hallmarks of authoritarian societies than democracies,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware.The security forum in recent years has been a reinforcing event for the coalition of nations backing Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion — a cause that once enjoyed strong support from Republicans. But several GOP senators who have participated in years past and hold spots on committees overseeing the U.S. military and foreign affairs decided this year to stay home. The delegations that did attend included significantly more Democrats. As lawmakers exited Washington on Thursday, Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri ripped Democrats for heading to Munich while the Department of Homeland Security faced a“How do you justify getting on a plane and going to Europe when you’re shutting down DHS?” Schmitt told reporters. “They’re making a decision that their travel to Munich to cozy up with the Euros is way more important than funding DHS.” Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz responded on social media, noting that he and Schmitt had both gone to Munich the year prior and that it “continues to be an important bipartisan trip.” Still, Schatz also said this year is different in light of the Department of Justice attempting to indict two senators. “Spare me the high-minded panel discussions and bilats and press availabilities about the United States as the indispensable nation, when we are dispensing with our most sacred constitutional obligations,” he said in a floor speech this week.Some Republicans who attended the Munich gathering came not to offer reassurances, but to herald the changing world under under Trump. Secretary of StateSen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is close to Trump, led one of the delegations of senators. He presented a bullish argument that European security is better off with Trump’s willingness to break up the traditional roles of Western allies. He argued the U.S. needs to keep up pressure on Iran with the goal of toppling the regime, as well as “We’re here at a crucial moment, folks. If we don’t follow through with what we promised the people of Iran, it will destroy America’s credibility for years to come, it will make this world less safe,” he said.Graham has been a mainstay at Munich and other like conferences for years, yet there was also a new voice from the American side., the progressive from New York, made her first trip to the conference to discuss the rise of populism and the shifting role of American power in the world. Her attendance at the conference, she said, was meant to show support for international liberal values. “We are ready for the next chapter, not to have the world turned to isolation, but to deepen our partnership on greater and increased commitment to integrity to our values,” she said at a roundtable. Ocasio-Cortez said she identified with voters who had defected from traditional left-of-center parties in Europe and the United States for populist hard-right parties. She said her frustrations with a Democratic Party “that championed special interests, the elite” is what had pushed her to run for office. “Domestically and globally, there have been many leaders who’ve said ‘We will go back’. And I think we have to recognize that we are in a new day and in a time,” she said, adding “That does not mean that the majority of Americans are ready to walk away from a rules-based order and that we’re ready to walk away from our commitment to democracy.”
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