ICYMI: Sen. Banks Joins The Big Weekend Show on Fox News ChannelMonday, August 17, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) joined The Big Weekend Show on Fox News Channel to discuss the conflict in Iran, updates on the U.S. Military, supplemental defense funding, the ongoing investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the federal response to recent severe weather in Indiana. Click the image above for the full discussion. Key Excerpts on Iran: Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.): “First and foremost, President Trump is the only President in 47 years who has had the guts to take on the regime in Iran and let them know they are not going to get away with it; they cannot have a nuclear weapon. What President Trump, our military, the brave men and women who wear the uniform, to keep us safe and secure here at home; what they have done to decimate Iran’s industrial base, wiping out 85 percent of their ballistic missiles, and their nuclear program has set Iran back decades or generations. We can all be very happy about that because none of us want Iran to have a nuclear weapon that they would point right at us. We don’t want to live in a world where Iran has a nuclear weapon, and President Trump deserves enormous credit for what he has done to prevent them from ever having one.” Key Excerpts on the U.S. Military: “I hung up my United States Naval uniform, and now I serve in the United States Senate, and here’s one thing I can tell you: those brave sailors on the USS Lincoln, those sailors that are on every ship in the United States Navy, they are damn proud to wear the uniform and serve the greatest country in the history of the world. These sailors are serving our country; they’re wearing the uniform, and they’re proud to do it.” “That’s a big point here too: our service members love President Trump, they know President Trump has their back, and at the same time it’s the Democrats in Congress who are blocking the annual defense bill. A bill that has always been bipartisan. It’s got pay raises for our troops, better equipment, better resources, better funding for the military, and it’s the Democrats are the ones who are blocking it in the United States Senate and preventing us from passing a defense bill to support our troops…They are using our troops as leverage. They are politicizing our military; it’s shameful. We should be doing everything we can to support our troops. The defense spending supplemental isn’t President Trump asking;  it’s all of the branches of the military. They are asking for more funding to support our troops and support the mission to keep America safe. ” Key Excerpts on Dr. Anthony Fauci: “We knew all along he lied to the American people, but the more these text messages and voicemails confirm that Dr. Fauci knew of the health concerns with pregnant mothers and covered up other risks with the vaccines, he should be held accountable in a big way. No one should ever be able to get away with what Dr. Fauci got away with, and if you don’t hold him accountable, it allows for the next guy to do the same, and we can’t let that happen.” Key Excerpts on Indiana Severe Weather: “Thank you for bringing it up. It’s devastating; 53 counties in our state have been impacted in a big way. We have rivers overflowing throughout the state, and the flooding is terrible. Thousands of families have been affected, millions of Hoosiers without power.” “The President called me yesterday; we talked about the flood damage, and he signed the Declaration of Emergency for our state and committed to send millions of dollars here to help rebuild Indiana. We appreciate President Trump’s leadership and all that he has done to support Indiana over the years, but it’s going to be a long road to recovery for the Hoosier state. One thing I’ve seen traveling the state this week is how resilient Hoosiers are; we come together, we help each other, we rebuild in times like these.” ###