PHOTOS: Ricketts Returns from First Senate CODEL

February 27, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), the newest member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement upon returning from his first Congressional Delegation to Germany, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Finland:

“Congressional delegations allow members of Congress to conduct critical oversight of American assets abroad and meet with partners around the world to ensure U.S. foreign policy puts the security and trade interests of our nation first.

“This congressional delegation led by Leader McConnell allowed us to hear firsthand about the situation in Ukraine and how Vladimir Putin’s aggression continues to impact our European allies at the Munich Security Conference in Germany and our stop in Finland.

“In the United Arab Emirates, we saw a glimpse of what can be accomplished through American-facilitated peace like the Abraham Accords. We had the chance to meet with members of our armed services in Saudi Arabia, including Nebraskans stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base.

“We also reinforced the essential and mutually beneficial U.S.-Israel alliance during meetings in Jerusalem with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We also met with Israeli intelligence and the Israeli Defense Forces, toured the northern border, and visited one of Hezbollah’s tunnels to see the continued threat from Iranian proxies.”

Photos of Ricketts congressional delegation stops are available on his Twitter feed @SenatorRicketts here.