The Warning with Steve Schmidt Steve Schmidt WARNS: Every Congressional Race Counts To Vote Out MAGA
Feb 22, 2026
Terry Virts, former Air Force colonel, F-16 pilot and NASA astronaut who commanded the ISS, is running for Congress in Texas. He talks about why this redistricted seat matters, the urgency of flipping the House, threats from authoritarianism, space-informed views on inequality, regulating tech and AI, and local infrastructure and immigration concerns.
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Space Time Made Democracy A Universal Need
- Long-duration space missions sharpened Virts's view that humans share basic needs across nations.
- He connects that commonality to defending democracy against authoritarian leaders like Putin or Trump.
Force Congress To Use Its War Powers
- Demand Congress fulfill its constitutional duties on war and oversight now.
- Virts urges enforcing Article One and using the War Powers Act to force debate and authorization before military action.
Affordability Must Come With Accountability
- Virts frames 'affordability with accountability' as the necessary Democratic economic message.
- He pairs consumer-focused affordability with investigations into officials and private actors who abused power under the last administration.