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Adam Kinzinger

American military officer and politician (born 1978)

Adam Daniel Kinzinger (born February 27, 1978) is an American former politician and senior political commentator for CNN. He served as a United States representative from Illinois from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Kinzinger originally represented Illinois's 11th congressional district and later Illinois's 16th congressional district. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.

My mission as a congressman is to restore a sense of what it means to be an American. Our pride. Our unity. And that doesn't mean a unity of beliefs. We each have different beliefs. And that's how it should be. I have a strong legislative agenda, but from a large perspective, I want to restore unity in this country. We can be a source of inspiration and light. I also want to be sure that we can continue our mission around the world. Now is not the time to withdraw. Now is the time for us to step forward and lead.
It was great to be elected, but the proudest days of my life were when I earned my wings and when I became a lieutenant colonel. Nothing really compares with the sense of accomplishment you get from serving your country.
They always taught us in the military that if you are in a situation where somebody walks into a room with a gun, half the people in that room will run, 40 percent will freeze because they want to act but don't know how and they can't think. Ten percent of people will take over and tell other people what to do. You need to be able to take action. To do something.

Quotes

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2020

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  • We want every vote counted, yes every legal vote (of course). But, if you have legit concerns about fraud present EVIDENCE and take it to court. STOP Spreading debunked misinformation... This is getting insane.
    • As quoted (2020-11-06) to Donald Trump about the 2020 election, Tweet

Modern Warriors (2020) interview

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Modern Warriors: Real Stories From Real Heroes by Pete Hegseth. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. First edition November 2020.
  • They always taught us in the military that if you are in a situation where somebody walks into a room with a gun, half the people in that room will run, 40 percent will freeze because they want to act but don't know how and they can't think. Ten percent of people will take over and tell other people what to do. You need to be able to take action. To do something.
    • p. 139
  • At the beginning of 2020, I was thinking that this was the best time to be alive. Yet everybody seems more miserable than they've ever been. I was also thinking that maybe we needed another 9/11-type event to wake us all up. Well, maybe this pandemic is a 9/11 moment, and we aren't waking up. People are becoming even more partisan. The virus itself is partisan. The reaction to what we should do with China is partisan. I don't believe we should use China as a political weapon.
    The contempt I often see among the American people, quite honestly, fueled me to stay in this job longer. After ten years, you always evaluate. I do it every time I run. Am I the right guy at the right time? This thing has fueled me. My desire isn't to go out there and whack the Democrats on it. They'll whack us and we'll whack them, but nothing will change. I want to inspire people again. I want them to look at the contempt in their heart. It comes from fear. Don't be afraid. Fear leads to conflict. Conflict leads to destroyed societies.
    • p. 137
  • My mission as a congressman is to restore a sense of what it means to be an American. Our pride. Our unity. And that doesn't mean a unity of beliefs. We each have different beliefs. And that's how it should be. I have a strong legislative agenda, but from a large perspective, I want to restore unity in this country. We can be a source of inspiration and light. I also want to be sure that we can continue our mission around the world. Now is not the time to withdraw. Now is the time for us to step forward and lead.
    • p. 137
  • What goes through my head daily is my experience in the military. The vast majority of Air Force pilots I worked with were Republicans. I flew with a few Democrats and in our off hours we'd talk politics and argue. But at that moment in time, we were all on that mission together. It wasn't, Is Obama going to get elected or is it John McCain? It was the mission of the country that mattered. In Congress, I know that you should keep your partisan lines to some extent. That's what the people who elected you want. But you also have to be willing to work on things together. The tone you take is what really makes a difference.
    And in a crisis, I can fall back on my pilot training. We were taught that no matter the emergency, just stop, take a breath, analyze the situation. More specifically, we're told, "Maintain aircraft control, analyze the situation, take appropriate action, and land as soon as conditions permit." The same is true with anything in life. Maintain control. Keep your emotions in check.
    • p. 138
  • Fear operates best in an environment of uncertainty. As I said, when I was younger, I doubted that I could be a pilot. I developed a belief in myself and in my capabilities. I learned that I could take control and respond. I want them to believe in themselves. I want them to be able to dispel fear. I want them to be real.
    • p. 139
  • I'm fortunate that I'm a veteran and no one ever really questions my credibility on veterans' issues. But I see this country trying to make veterans victims. You come back from serving, you get a pat on the head, you're given a paycheck for a disability if you were wounded, and then you're told to go fishing for the rest of your life. And only veterans can address some of the problems we have within the system.
    • p. 141-142
  • Most of us went into the military because we wanted to be a part of a mission that is greater than ourselves. That's why I think you see so many honorable people coming out of the military. For the most part, for the vast majority of veterans, you get treated fairly in the military. When you take into account all the benefits you receive, you're being paid fairly. That should continue after you're done serving. This country needs to quit writing all these checks to veterans and start encouraging them to make the best of their life ahead. That's another mission I have in Congress: to give veterans purpose.
    • p. 142
  • I know what it is like to come out if active duty service. All of a sudden, you're spit out into civilian life. It's hard. I went through it. Even though I ran for Congress immediately and had a goal in mind, I still struggled. For the first four years in Congress I thought about resigning and going back into the Air Force full time. It was great to be elected, but the proudest days of my life were when I earned my wings and when I became a lieutenant colonel. Nothing really compares with the sense of accomplishment you get from serving your country. That doesn't mean you can't find another mission to take on. If that means going back to working on a farm like my granddad did, then do that fiercely. If it means doing some other kind of work then do that.
    • p. 142-143
  • It's all about the end of your life. What can you say you did? What was your life worth? What did you contribute? We don't all have to go into the military, but we can all make America a better place. That's the aspect of life today, especially in politics, that really troubles me. We're experiencing a real breakdown in appreciation with each other and all the ways we contribute to our collective betterment. That's what drives me. I've been around the world and seen situations far worse than our own. I've also seen some of our modern warriors come back from war, and I admire their efforts to show people again what life is about. Just like in the Bible, they were willing to enact violence to protect the people they love. Then they come back, pass on lessons, and inspire a new generation to bigger things.
    • p. 143

2021

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  • Like all Americans, I am frustrated that six months after a deadly riot breached the United States Capitol for several hours on live television ... we still don’t know exactly what happened. Why? Because many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight. It’s toxic, and it’s a disservice to the officers and their families, to the staff and employees on the Capitol Complex, and to the American people who deserve the truth. And it’s why I agreed to serve on this Committee. I want to know what happened that day, but more importantly, I want all Americans to be able to trust the work this Committee does and get the facts out there, free of conspiracy. This CANNOT continue to be a partisan fight. I am a Republican, I am a conservative, but in order to heal from the damage caused that day, we need to call out the facts. It’s time to stop the outrage and conspiracies that fuel violence and division in our country, and most importantly, we need to reject those that promote it. As a country, it’s time to learn from our past mistakes, rebuild stronger so this never happens again, and move onward.
    • "The Men who Helped Ensure Democracy Held," (27 July 2021), as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(9), p. 212.
  • Here’s what we know: Congress was not prepared on January 6th. We weren’t prepared because we never imagined this could happen: an attack, by our own people, fostered and encouraged by those granted power through the very system they sought to overturn. That is a lesson, not a conspiracy theory or counter-narrative. Some have concocted a counternarrative to discredit this process on the grounds we didn’t launch a similar investigation into the urban riots and looting last summer. Mr. Chairman, I was called on to serve during the summer riots as an Air National Guardsman. I condemned those riots and the destruction of property that resulted. But not once did I ever feel that the future of self-government was threatened like I did on January 6th. There is a difference between breaking the law and rejecting the rule of law, between a crime—even grave crimes—and a coup.
    • "The Men who Helped Ensure Democracy Held," (27 July 2021), as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(9), p. 212.

2022

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  • Yesterday, it became evident that not only has the president abdicated his duty to protect the people and the people’s house, he invoked and inflamed passions that only gave fuel to the insurrection that we saw here. When pressed to move and denounce the violence, he barely did so while of course victimizing himself and seeming to give a wink and a nod to those doing it. All indications are that the president has become unmoored, not just from his duty or even his oath but reality, itself. It is for this reason that I call on the vice president and members of the Cabinet to ensure the next few weeks are safe for the American people and that we have a sane captain of the ship.

Quotes about Kinzinger

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  • Republicans in Congress have failed the country more than anyone else. They had several opportunities to rid us and themselves of Trump, but nearly all of them instead crowded together to squeeze into the group photo of Trump’s Blind Mice. John McCain, Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and a few others have stood up to him, but most have publicly backed him 100 percent. I doubt they do this happily. Most of the GOP candidates who would kiss Trump on both cheeks on the county court house steps on a Saturday afternoon next spring to get his endorsement in the primaries probably wish he would drop dead. He is the biggest RINO of all, having no allegiance to conservative traditions and values unless they served his personal interest. Since 2015 he has spewed as much venom and assassinated as many characters in the Republican ranks as in the Democrats’. Eventually everyone gets attacked, including Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Trump’s own vice-president. That’s why Republican politicians should disown him, and it’s also why they don’t. Some GOP officials want Trump to become the all-powerful king that the framers of the Constitution went to such lengths to prevent, but whether they do or not, almost all of them are scared (insert a vivid gastro-intestinal metaphor here) of the big bully.
  • Several Republicans including Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) criticized Texas’ near-total ban on abortion Sunday because of its provision empowering private citizens to sue those who aid and abet abortions—potentially signaling the legal tactic could face resistance from within the GOP as more states plan to copy Texas’ law. The Maryland governor specifically pointed to the law’s “problem of bounties,” as the Texas law—known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8)—says government officials cannot enforce the law, but rather directs private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who “aids and abets” an abortion and stipulates they can earn at least $10,000 in damages if they win. Kinzinger said on CNN that while he’s “pro-life,” what he “doesn’t like to see” is letting “everyone being able to tattle” and the fact that under SB 8, private citizens are “deputized to enforce this abortion law” against even potentially Uber drivers that transport a Texan to their abortion. The GOP lawmaker also opposes the fact the law does not include exceptions in the case of rape and incest, though SB 8 does allow abortions in the case of medical emergencies. Former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), who identifies as “pro-life,” said on Meet the Press she views the Texas law as “bad policy and it’s bad law,” agreeing with a Wall Street Journal op-ed that described the law as a “blunder” that “sets an awful precedent that conservatives should hate.”
  • Several Republicans including Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) criticized Texas’ near-total ban on abortion Sunday because of its provision empowering private citizens to sue those who aid and abet abortions—potentially signaling the legal tactic could face resistance from within the GOP as more states plan to copy Texas’ law. The Maryland governor specifically pointed to the law’s “problem of bounties,” as the Texas law—known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8)—says government officials cannot enforce the law, but rather directs private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who “aids and abets” an abortion and stipulates they can earn at least $10,000 in damages if they win. Kinzinger said on CNN that while he’s “pro-life,” what he “doesn’t like to see” is letting “everyone being able to tattle” and the fact that under SB 8, private citizens are “deputized to enforce this abortion law” against even potentially Uber drivers that transport a Texan to their abortion. The GOP lawmaker also opposes the fact the law does not include exceptions in the case of rape and incest, though SB 8 does allow abortions in the case of medical emergencies. Former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), who identifies as “pro-life,” said on Meet the Press she views the Texas law as “bad policy and it’s bad law,” agreeing with a Wall Street Journal op-ed that described the law as a “blunder” that “sets an awful precedent that conservatives should hate.”
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