Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Sunday he does not expect the ongoing conflict with Iran to be resolved before the November midterm elections, offering a wide ranging assessment of foreign policy, inflation and several closely watched Senate races during an appearance on a major Sunday political program.
Kennedy’s comments came just days after the U.S. military struck Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran launching missiles toward two Navy ships. Despite acknowledging the conflict remains unresolved, Kennedy argued that the broader region has become safer due to weakened adversaries, pointing to reduced threats from several groups and the removal of a longtime foreign leader from power.
He also defended the ongoing blockade affecting the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as an effective pressure tactic against Iran’s government even as it contributes to elevated fuel prices domestically. Inflation remains a top concern Turning to economic matters, Kennedy acknowledged that inflation continues to weigh heavily on American households, even as he characterized other aspects of the economy as relatively strong.
He cited several encouraging indicators, including 1. low unemployment 2. rising wages 3. a roughly 12 percent increase in average tax refunds 4. the creation of 136,000 jobs last month. Despite those figures, Kennedy said persistent inflation continues to erode confidence among voters and acknowledged that Senate Republicans missed an opportunity months ago to address the issue through a reconciliation bill.
He attributed the failure to a lack of support from party leadership and insufficient votes within his own conference, while maintaining there is still time before the election to take further action. Texas Senate race draws national attention Kennedy also addressed the competitive Senate race in Texas, where a Republican has not lost a Senate seat in 38 years.
With a recent infusion of campaign funding from a political action committee aligned with President Donald Trump, Kennedy expressed confidence that Republicans would ultimately hold the seat, though he cautioned that the race remains unusually close compared to historical trends in the state.
He connected voter frustration in that race and others to broader anxieties about the cost of living, ongoing tension surrounding the Iran conflict and growing public unease over the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure across the country.
Data centers face public pushback On the topic of data centers, Kennedy distanced himself from recent comments made by Trump suggesting that communities opposing new data center construction risked falling behind economically. Kennedy argued that the technology industry has done a poor job explaining the trade offs associated with artificial intelligence expansion, citing concerns among the public about job displacement, rising utility costs and heavy water usage tied to data center operations.
He suggested several changes could help ease public opposition, including transitioning toward closed loop water systems, requiring data centers to generate their own energy, improving the appearance of facility infrastructure and ending requests for state tax subsidies given the industry’s overall profitability.
Ukraine and Russia negotiations continue Kennedy also weighed in on ongoing diplomatic efforts involving Ukraine, following meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Trump administration officials in Moscow. He expressed skepticism about Russia’s willingness to make concessions in any peace deal, while criticizing the House for failing to pass a sanctions bill targeting Russia.
Kennedy argued that continued economic pressure remains the most effective way to influence the Kremlin’s decision making moving forward. Defense secretary faces scrutiny Asked about renewed calls from a fellow Republican senator to replace Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Kennedy stopped short of fully endorsing recent leadership decisions but said he continues to support Hegseth absent clear evidence of wrongdoing.
Kennedy said his primary concerns center on increasing military resources, expanding drone based warfare capabilities in coordination with Ukraine and securing additional funding for the Defense Department. This article contains reporting originally published by NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.