Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Time for Compromise on Debt Ceiling
May 13, 2023 The national debt is a major problem with consequences for every taxpayer. According to one estimate, our debt per U.S. citizen is approaching $95,000, and our national debt per household is around $240,000, adding up to a staggering $31.457 trillion debt overall. At nearly 120% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), our debt […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Supporting Year-Round E15
May 5, 2023 In May we celebrate Renewable Fuels Month and highlight the importance of biofuels. Nebraska farmers and ranchers fuel the world through the production of biofuels like ethanol. Our state is the second largest producer of ethanol, representing 2.3 billion gallons per year. Nebraska’s 24 ethanol plants boost our state’s economy by $5.7 […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Relief, Not Regulation
April 28, 2023 Joe Biden has continued to abuse his executive authority to show Nebraskans – and all Americans – his misplaced priorities. The examples are almost too numerous to count. In this time of high inflation, Americans deserve relief, not regulation. Fighting Biden’s overreach and attacks on who we are can be daunting, but […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Addressing Our Drug Crisis
April 21, 2023 America currently faces the worst drug crisis in our nation’s history. In 2021, 106,000 Americans died of a drug overdose – nearly 70,000 because of fentanyl. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-45. The precursors to fentanyl are produced in China. From there, they are shipped to […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Mandate Madness
April 14, 2023 This week, President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced burdensome new emissions requirements on American-made vehicles. By requiring up to two-thirds of cars and trucks in the U.S. to be electric in just eight years, they are one step closer to their goal of making gas-powered vehicles obsolete. While we all care […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Navigable Means Navigable
April 6, 2023 Last week, I spoke on the Senate floor to fight a blatant power grab by the federal government. The Senate considered a resolution attempting to block the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule from President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This rule would change the definition of navigable waters to include […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Nebraska Is What America Is Supposed to Be
March 31, 2023 This week, I gave my U.S. Senate Maiden Speech – a long-held tradition for freshman senators to highlight their priorities in an inaugural speech on the Senate floor. The first time I entered the U.S. Senate chamber, I got chills. The chamber and the Capitol building represent the values we’ve held for […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column:
Securing Our Southern Border
March 24, 2023 Recently, Senator Fischer and I returned from an oversight visit of the southern border. We heard directly from Border Patrol personnel about the challenges they currently face and the lack of support they’ve received from the Biden administration. This disorder caused by the president’s inaction has made every state, including Nebraska, a […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column:
Serving All Nebraskans
March 17, 2023 While most attention is paid to the policy work I do for Nebraskans in Washington, D.C., my first priority will always be ensuring government is working for all taxpayers. When I was governor, I was proud of the progress we made to streamline and simplify how Nebraskans interact with state agencies, but […]
Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Keeping Our Communities Safe
March 13, 2023 Keeping Our Communities Safe One of government’s primary responsibilities is to keep people safe. Elected officials make laws that keep the peace and protect us from violent criminals. It’s an idea that seems like common sense to an overwhelming majority of us. Yet in recent years, loud voices on the far-left crying […]