WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 10, 2026) – In a new op-ed published in The Hill, McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas calls for a burst of bipartisanship in Congress following the U.S. Midterms to forge consensus on solutions to the biggest issues facing the United States.
Dr. Farkas calls on the new Congress to draw inspiration from the character, courage, and bipartisan leadership of Senator John McCain as it tackles issues of foreign policy, national security, and artificial intelligence.
Read the op-ed HERE or below.
Op-Ed: The midterms gave Congress a mandate. Now it must use it.
The Hill
By Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas
November 10, 2026
The American people have spoken through the ballot box. They have repudiated the war on Iran and other misguided policies and made clear they want leaders who understand and tackle the most important problems while treating their fellow Americans with human dignity and fairness. They seek leaders with character and integrity, who refuse to stoop to fear-mongering and derision, leaders like the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who famously pushed back at a public town hall in 2008 when a supporter attempted to smear his White House opponent, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
American voters picked candidates who they felt understood the challenges facing working families and have the experience and determination to address them. They voted for a return to an America where the demands of the working and middle class dictate politics, not the money and power wielded by a handful of politically connected billionaires. Ultimately, consciously or not, they voted for a government that will work in a bipartisan fashion to forge consensus and pass smart legislation.
Congress now has an opportunity to lean into bipartisan problem-solving, to enact bipartisan foreign and domestic policies to address economic and fiscal pressures. Congress must address the president’s overreach on tariffs and take other steps to better manage the economy and address voter grievances. At the same time, Congress must authorize and fund a defense and foreign policy to keep America out of war — by boosting our defense deterrence, strengthening security alliances and foreign partnerships, harnessing technology and American innovation. A strong defense will advance U.S. economic interests and vice versa. Nonetheless, there will be constraints. To balance budget discipline with necessary spending will require smart, courageous leadership.
For almost a decade and a half, the McCain Institute has regularly convened members of Congress from both parties, Cabinet officials, foreign heads of state, CEOs, political dissidents and other global leaders to address difficult national and international security issues. They examine issues such as the impact of technology on modern warfare, how to counter Chinese activities in Africa and Latin America and Russia’s imperial and brutal foreign policy, how to strengthen our security alliances and how to support leaders in Venezuela and around the world who are fighting for human rights and democracy. At our signature Sedona Forum and beyond, the McCain Institute highlights and supports the actions of courageous leaders and connects them with one another.
As we finish this year and move into 2027, we will lean into our bipartisanship and convene small and large gatherings to help members of Congress and other policymakers advance an agenda that supports robust U.S. engagement around the world to advance our interests and values. We must work with public and private stakeholders to ensure that AI is shaped and utilized in a way that conforms with our democratic values — freedom, transparency — and keeps America secure and in the lead, particularly against China and other adversaries. We must revamp our conventional deterrence to be a more agile mix of high and low technology and density assets and maintain our strategic nuclear deterrence, even while we remain alert to opportunities to negotiate verifiable arms control. We must encourage our allies as they increase their defense capabilities, and we must cooperate to bolster allied, and Ukrainian, industrial synergies, secure supply chains and ultimately fortify our collective defense.
Immediate next steps for Congress during the lame duck session should include reasserting its role on tariff and sanctions policy, specifically in the latter case, with regard to Russia. Congress should demand laws be enforced, starting with the sanctions bill named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The law requires the administration to provide written justification for the waiver the White House recently declared in order to purchase diesel from Moscow. Congress must demand this and then repudiate it declaratively, if not legislatively. Even the declaration will add to the legal uncertainties for any port or business entities considering offloading and distributing this figuratively blood-soaked fuel.
Our national security clearly demands the swiftest, durable end to Russia’s war of aggression in order to restore security and international law in Europe and beyond, deter China from further aggressive action in the South China Sea or against Taiwan, and restore U.S. defense stockpiles. The only way to do this is to squeeze Russia’s access to capital, technology and hardware to supply its war effort. The risks to U.S. interests have grown with the escalatory Russian attacks on European territory over the last four years — culminating recently in two ships being sunk by Russia off the coast of Bulgaria and armed drones flying to an airport in Leipzig, Germany. These terrorist acts are dangerous and could lead to military clashes between Russia and NATO. To stop Russia from continued escalation, we must work with our allies to pressure Vladimir Putin to realize that he must negotiate a real end to the war.
Congress can also start drafting legislation on social media and AI that would balance protecting our democratic values, freedom, privacy and safety with the need to reap advantages and maintain a global competitive edge. On the international front, this would include encouraging the administration to work with China on international rules that would protect humanity from the worst-case scenarios. The lame-duck Congress can quickly assert its intent on sanctions and other issues where there is already consensus through bill and report language it will approve before January as part of the annual defense authorization bill.
Congress has the opportunity now to demonstrate character, courage and bipartisan leadership, drawing inspiration from the late Sen. John McCain. After all, it was during his time as a statesman in Congress that McCain first developed his global reputation for character-driven leadership. And it was in his defeat as a presidential candidate 18 years ago this week that he declared: “Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.” The elections are just the beginning of this next phase of history — which can and must be marked by a new burst of bipartisanship.
Evelyn N. Farkas, Ph.D., is executive director of the McCain Institute and former deputy assistant secretary of Defense.
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About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights and freedom, and empower character-driven leaders. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.