President Donald Trump is traveling to Nebraska on Monday for a Republican midterm rescue mission, joining Sen. Pete Ricketts to discuss his immigration enforcement and plans to import foreign beef. The stop comes as a group of U.S. service members wounded in the deadliest Iranian drone strike on American troops voice concerns about the military’s medical care.
Soldiers speak out on medical care
The Associated Press interviewed 13 wounded soldiers, most of them officers, who served at the Port Shuaiba site in Kuwait when an Iranian drone strike on March 1 killed six service members. Several of the interviewees said the Pentagon did not treat the threat seriously enough and that the Army’s medical system left them to navigate treatment on their own.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rodney Bearman, who sustained shrapnel injuries from his face to his legs, described waiting ten days for treatment in Germany only to be told he would not be hospitalized because he was not documented as wounded in combat. “Never did I think that if I was wounded these things would happen,” Bearman said, adding that a “sacred trust” had been broken.
The Army declined to comment on the AP report, citing the need to protect families awaiting briefings on the investigation’s findings. An official familiar with the completed June investigation said the report has not been released because it contains sensitive information.
Trump’s Nebraska campaign
In Nebraska, Trump will address ranchers who have protested his plan to import low‑quality foreign beef, a policy the governor‑candidate says threatens local livestock markets. “The plan to import low‑quality foreign beef is not helping Nebraska ranchers,” Sen. Ricketts told the AP, urging the White House to reconsider.
Trump’s broader immigration enforcement record remains a point of division among rural voters. An AP‑KFF poll of more than 2,000 rural respondents found about one‑third said the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement had been positive for their community, another third said it had been negative, and the remaining respondents saw no impact.
Laura Leigh Taylor, a 37‑year‑old farmer who voted for Trump in 2024, expressed mixed feelings. “I understand getting rid of the rapists and the murderers,” she said, “but all the people that fell in between really weren’t doing nothing but taking care of their family.”
Administration response
The Pentagon maintains that all wounded soldiers received appropriate care and were evaluated by physicians following health‑industry standards. The statement emphasizes that the military continues to improve its medical response capabilities in the wake of the Iran conflict.
While the war with Iran enters its eighth month, the conflict’s economic fallout is influencing midterm dynamics. Republicans face criticism over rising fuel and grocery costs, and the administration’s policies on beef imports and immigration are under intense scrutiny in key swing states.
What’s next
The Army’s investigation report remains pending, and families of the fallen await official briefings. Meanwhile, President Trump’s Nebraska appearance is expected to rally his base and highlight his stance on immigration enforcement and agricultural policy ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
