Armed Forces & Veterans

Political leaders across Ohio and West Virginia are weighing in after President Donald Trump authorized a targeted military strike on Iran.

The strike, aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear ambitions and responding to escalating regional threats, has garnered strong support from Republican lawmakers in the region.

The White House maintains the operation was necessary to prevent Iran—the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism—from acquiring nuclear weapons. While some global voices warn of further escalation, lawmakers in Ohio and West Virginia are backing the President’s move as both strategic and justified.

Both of West Virginia’s congressional representatives voted for the big reconciliation bill that narrowly passed earlier today.

The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is now headed to consideration by the U.S. Senate, where it could face changes.

The legislation, called the One Big Beautiful Bill, passed in a a 215-214-1 vote. Two Republicans voted against the bill, one voted ‘present’ and two did not vote. All Democrats voted against it.

Both Riley Moore and Carol Miller, Republicans of West Virginia, voted in favor of the bill.

“77 million Americans demanded generational change in November,” Moore said, referring to the number of votes received by President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

“Today, House Republicans delivered on that mandate from the American people.”

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION – Several Jefferson High School graduates returned to their alma mater on Saturday to help inform interested students about their experiences applying for and attending various military service academies, such as West Point.

The event was put on by Rep. Riley Moore, who has already written several letters of recommendation for students looking to attend military academies. He says it’s one of the best parts of his job.

“This is one of my favorite things that I do as a member of Congress,” Moore said. “I've had the opportunity to actually tell a couple young people that they've been accepted to West Point, the Naval Academy or the Air Force Academy, which is really a life changing event for them.”

As President Donald Trump gave his first speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday evening, many elected leaders from both Ohio and West Virginia, all Republicans, praised the president’s vision while the Democratic Party in both states said his actions will impact many hard-working Americans.

Trump addressed both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday night in his first joint address since returning to the presidency in January. His speech touched on a number of topics including border security, illegal immigration, tariffs, DOGE, the war in Ukraine and more.