CODEL McCain upholds the late Senator John McCain’s legacy of marshalling bipartisan support for the transatlantic alliance
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will lead a bipartisan, bicameral congressional delegation to this weekend’s Munich Security Conference (MSC). The MSC is widely considered the world’s leading forum for international security policy. The conference is a “marketplace of ideas” where initiatives and solutions are developed and opinions are exchanged. It also provides a venue for diplomatic initiatives and ideas to cooperatively address the world’s most pressing security concerns.
“It’s an honor to once again co-lead CODEL McCain with Senator Graham. The institutions that have underpinned democracy and security in the United States and Europe since World War II are under attack, as the forces of oligarchy, kleptocracy, and criminality rear their ugly heads at home and abroad,” said Whitehouse. “The Trump administration has taken a sledgehammer to America’s anti-corruption apparatus and discarded American values, opting instead to reward flattery from autocrats. I’m eager to connect with colleagues, partners, and allies in Munich to find common ground against authoritarian regimes, support our allies in Ukraine, and safeguard the laws and traditions that have allowed the Western alliance to prosper.”
The trip is called CODEL McCain in honor of the late Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, who served as the longtime leader of the American congressional delegation to the conference along with Senator Whitehouse.
Whitehouse and Graham are scheduled to lead the delegation in bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders, including heads of state and foreign ministers. In addition to a handful of side events, Whitehouse will also participate in a public town hall on the future of US-Ukraine security cooperation on Friday at 9:30 AM EST and a panel from the main stage on international climate cooperation on Friday at 12:30 PM EST. Both public events can be viewed online here.
In addition to Whitehouse and Graham, other congressional participants include:
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ)
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA)
U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC)
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS)
U.S. Representative William Timmons (R-SC)
Additional Information on the 2025 Munich Security Conference:
YouTube Channel for the 2025 MSC Panels and Discussions:
