Ricketts Reflects on Successful Year Fighting for Nebraska

December 13, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) reflected on the achievements he and his office delivered for Nebraskans over the past year. Ricketts made the comments while on a conference call with Nebraska media.

“I’m proud of the work my team and I have done fighting for Nebraskans,” Ricketts said. “Whether it’s meeting with Nebraskans or helping them navigate the federal government, my goal remains the same. I will make sure Nebraskans’ voices are heard and their concerns are addressed. My team and I are committed to advancing Nebraska’s priorities in Washington.”

Ricketts highlighted his efforts to remain accessible to Nebraskans. Ricketts held 87 public events across Nebraska in 2024, released the “Ricketts Review” on abusive and wasteful spending, authored 52 weekly columns, and participated in nearly 150 exclusive interviews seen or heard by Nebraskans. Ricketts also reflected on his team’s commitment to excellent constituent services.

“Finally, I’m proud of our work to help Nebraskans navigate the federal bureaucracy, Ricketts closed. “My constituent services team held nearly 700 outreach events in Nebraska this year. This includes Mobile Office Hours in all 93 counties – twice. We helped nearly 800 Nebraskans access federal services. We cut through red tape and recovered almost $5 million owed to them by the federal government.”

TRANSCRIPT:

Senator Ricketts: “Today, I’m going to recap the year we’ve had.

“I’m proud of the work my team and I have done fighting for Nebraskans.

“Whether it’s meeting with Nebraskans or helping them navigate the federal government, my goal remains the same.

“I will make sure Nebraskans’ voices are heard and their concerns are addressed.

“My team and I are committed to advancing Nebraska’s priorities in Washington.

“One of my greatest priorities is remaining accessible to Nebraskans.

“I continue to do what I did as Governor. Get around the state. Talk to people. Listen to their concerns.

“This year, I held 87 public events across the state. 

“Federal Spending Briefings and Border Security Briefings. Community Meetings, and a well-attended, capstone Federal Issues Forum at the Nebraska State Fair.

“I released the “Ricketts Review” filled with examples of abusive and wasteful spending. It also highlighted my targeted solutions to get us back on track.

“In addition, I released 52 weekly columns to keep folks at home informed.

“I did nearly 150 exclusive interviews that were seen or heard across the state.

“I held 23 of these weekly press calls to answer your questions.

“Senator Fischer and I also hosted regular telephone townhalls to answer questions directly from Nebraskans.

“These events will continue.

“I’m also proud of the legislative successes we’ve achieved this year.

“We passed landmark legislation to ban foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party from owning apps like TikTok.

“We passed the ADVANCE Act to expand and support for advanced nuclear energy, including in Nebraska.

“We passed the Winnebago Land Transfer Act, which returns 1,600 acres of wrongfully seized land by the Army Corps of Engineers back to the Winnebago Tribe.

“We passed a water bill that included seven of my solutions to increase transparency from the Army Corps of Engineers, expedite permit processing times, mitigate ice jam impacts to critical infrastructure and report on the accuracy of cost estimates.

“And this week, we will pass a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that provides critical funding for modernizing our nuclear deterrent.

“All these wins were bipartisan.

“The Senate also passed the Kids Online Safety Act, which requires social media platforms to put the well-being of kids first.

“I hope the House will consider it soon.

“Despite Republicans being in the minority, we delivered results for Nebraska.

“I’m also hopeful we will soon pass a Farm Bill that works for Nebraska.

“The Farm Bill framework proposed by future Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman ensures our farmers and ranchers will have the tools they need.

“It improves crop insurance and strengthens trade promotion programs.

“It includes my bills to improve flood protection, make infrastructure more resilient, and assist rural microentrepreneurs.

“It also includes my bill to give a next step to workers on SNAP.

“We need to pass it as quickly as possible. Our farmers and ranchers deserve it.

“Finally, I’m proud of our work to help Nebraskans navigate the federal bureaucracy.

“My constituent services team held nearly 700 outreach events in Nebraska this year.

“This includes Mobile Office Hours in all 93 counties—twice.

“We helped nearly 800 Nebraskans access federal services.

“We cut through red tape and recovered almost $5 million owed to them by the federal government.

“For example, one constituent had developed leukemia related to his time serving our country.

“Despite this, the VA denied him compensation, inaccurately claiming he was “asymptomatic.”

“His appeal went unheard for months – until he contacted my office.

“Thankfully, the VA soon acknowledged they made an error.

“They issued him $83,000 as backpay and monthly compensation for continued treatment.

“We’re going to continue delivering excellent customer service for our constituents.

“There’s still much work to do, and I’m just getting started.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to fight for Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.”