Nuclear is on the Ballot

As momentum builds for the 2026 midterm elections, the term “affordability” echoes throughout media as the number one issue for voters. The prices for groceries, gas, and housing are front and center for families across the nation. In addition, voters have expressed concern over the rise of data centers, AI, and the Iran War. What many voters fail to realize however, is that nearly every issue that is important to who they will for vote for in November is related to one word: nuclear.

Let’s start with the obvious: Gas prices. Before the Iran War, the national average for gas prices was just under $3 a gallon. Today, the average is approximately $4.50. Diesel is even worse going up nearly $3 a gallon to a whopping $6.50. If Trump didn’t destroy the JCPOA also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal that President Obama put in place, many of us would not have to take out a second mortgage to fill up our vehicles.

Sticking with affordability, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the United States is set to spend $946 billion ($95 billion a year) for the next ten years on nuclear weapons. In 2025, the U.S. spent $69.2 billion, an increase of 22% on nuclear weapons. It should not go without mentioning that we already have enough nuclear weapons in our arsenal to end life on the planet….more than once. While it is not as easy as just transferring funds from one part of the federal budget to others, let’s just ponder what nearly a trillion dollars could do for housing, healthcare, and education. How does this relate to the midterms? Nuclear weapons spending is part of the Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8800), which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 216 to 212, with Republicans casting 209 of the yeas.

Back to the Iran War. Perhaps if Republicans were not in the majority, Congress would not have given blanket authority to go to war to a man who has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons on Iran and even suggested that he would be okay if Iran “took out” a few American cities. In September, the Republican led Senate defeated a resolution to end the war in Iran with a vote of 50-49.

Another issue that is front and center for voters is data centers. The data centers that continue to be developed all over the country bring with them noise pollution and chemical waste in the ground and water. Not to mention the massive amounts of water and land that is required for these monstrosities all so that we can have more AI. What is less talked about is how many companies are turning to SMRs, which stands for Small Modular Reactors, to power these data centers. However, one word is conveniently left out when describing this process. The full name is “Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.” Therefore, a vote for a candidate who supports data centers is a vote for more nuclear power. This leaves the door open for nuclear accidents and meltdowns. Moreover, these nuclear reactors will also be vulnerable to attacks from drones and other autonomous weapons.

Add in Trump’s repeated calls for a resumption of nuclear testing, advocating for South Korea, Japan, and other nations to develop their own nuclear arsenals, failure to negotiate any arms control treaties with Russia, and signing the 123 Agreement with Saudi Arabia, and it is safe to say that having a Congress that rubber stamps anything Trump wants will only continue to put us all at risk of nuclear annihilation.

So, while we know a Democratic led Congress will not be able to stop everything, let's be clear: a vote to keep the House and Senate in Republican hands will mean more nuclear weapons, more wars, high groceries and gas prices, more data centers, and more AI. But hey at least you can see what you would look like if you grew up in the 1980s and your emails will sound much more professional, while school children in Iran are bombed and the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war. We think the choice of who to vote for is pretty easy.