Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Proven Nebraska Solutions, Ready for America

August 11, 2023

Our nation faces significant domestic challenges. Massive and reckless spending to fund big government programs has given us a national debt of over $32 trillion. That’s over $253,000 per taxpayer. Families and businesses are struggling under the burden of inflated costs, high taxes, and rising interest rates in President Biden’s economy. A wave of job-killing regulations from agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is harming agriculture and raising energy prices. The president refuses to engage the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border. Deadly drugs like fentanyl are flooding our streets and kill Americans. Meanwhile, the federal government can’t even perform the most basic of its functions. The Biden State Department is taking months to issue passports, forcing some of my constituents to delay or cancel long-scheduled trips. This is wrong. America must change course.

Despite all these challenges, I wholeheartedly believe that America’s future is bright. Why? Because Nebraska has lit the path forward with proven solutions that will work for America – if we choose to embrace them.

During my time as Nebraska’s Governor, we kept the size and scope of government small. We kept kids in school, people at work, and were named the #1 best state for pandemic response. I signed $12.7 billion in tax relief. This includes tax relief for veterans and seniors by phasing out taxes on military retirement income and Social Security. We ran government more like a business. We improved the level of service to families in need. We cut in half permit turnaround times. We created the SNAP Next Step Program, which helped families on SNAP increase their income, improve their quality of life, and get off government assistance.

This past week at the annual Federal Legislative Summit, I outlined my plan to make these proven Nebraska solutions the focus of my legislative agenda. I introduced the SNAP Next Step Act. My bill will enable workers on SNAP nationwide to access the same job training, resume writing, and job search coaching that helped Nebraska families increase their yearly income by more than $25,000. By embracing this successful program, we can give people the tools they need to get off welfare and into new and better jobs. We can do so without spending any additional taxpayer money. Additionally, I’ve co-sponsored legislation to streamline the permit process for infrastructure, transportation, and energy projects. I’m working to eliminate the death tax and protect women’s sports. I’m backing the blue and defending the right to life. I’m also fighting the fentanyl crisis by bringing accountability to the drug cartels and chemical manufacturers who profit from the deaths of Americans.

In addition, I’m fighting the many detached-from-reality mandates coming from far-left bureaucrats in Washington and elsewhere. In response to the Biden EPA mandates that would require up to two-thirds of new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2032, I introduced The Flex Fuel Fairness Act with Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Our bill will counter this mandate by leveling the playing field for flex fuel vehicles and protecting consumers’ ability to choose biofuels like ethanol. I’ve also co-sponsored bills to protect Nebraska agriculture from burdensome mandates coming from California bureaucrats and prevent the president from using fake national emergency declarations to usurp more power.

There’s a lot of work to do, and I’m just getting started. I will soon introduce additional pieces of legislation to bring more of Nebraska’s proven solutions to Washington. My commitment to you is this: I will work to make the federal government effective and efficient, not bigger and worse. I will support agriculture, fight unnecessary regulation, and reject every effort to restrict our fundamental freedoms. Working together with my colleagues, I will continue to hold this administration accountable for its incompetence and misplaced priorities.

I am confident that America’s best days remain ahead of us. By embracing these proven Nebraska solutions, America can overcome the challenges we face and ensure that a better future for our children and grandchildren.

Along with Senator Fischer and the rest of my colleagues in the Nebraska delegation, my team and I are here to serve you. Contact my team and I anytime by phone at 202-224-4224 or on my website at www.ricketts.senate.gov/contact. I am honored to serve our great state and will continue to work to protect the Good Life from Washington overreach.