Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Funding President Trump’s Priorities

February 21, 2025

The last four years of the Biden administration failed the American people. Under Biden’s watch, millions of illegal aliens flooded our border. His appeasement-first foreign policy emboldened our adversaries. Biden made our country less safe. Reckless spending and burdensome regulations caused a 20% increase in consumer prices. Americans elected President Trump to secure the border, restore American strength, and unleash American energy. 

I’m a member of the Senate Budget Committee. Last week, my Budget Committee colleagues and I advanced a budget resolution that will lay the groundwork to fund President Trump’s priorities. It instructs the Senate committees of jurisdiction to allocate funds or find savings to support the President’s agenda. This week, I voted to pass it.

This budget resolution represents a significant step forward in giving President Trump the resources he needs to deliver security and prosperity for the American people. It instructs the relevant committees to enable President Trump’s agenda.

First, the budget resolution provides a blueprint to secure the border. We have 300,000 kids who crossed the border under the Biden administration but are currently missing. They need to be found. We have 1.4 million illegal immigrants who came to our country, were denied asylum, and are currently awaiting deportation. They need to be returned to their home countries. More concerning, of the millions of people here illegally, over 350,000 committed additional crimes in our country. More than 35,000 of these criminal illegal aliens committed homicide or sexual assault. They need to be deported as soon as possible. We must secure the border to ensure Americans like Laken Riley and Nebraskans like Taryn Lee Griffith no longer lose their lives.

This budget resolution provides a framework to spend roughly $175 billion to finish the border wall and upgrade border technology. It envisions increasing the number of detention beds so dangerous criminals aren’t released into our country. It envisions increasing the number of ICE officers and Border Patrol agents who work to expedite the removal of criminal illegal aliens. It envisions adding more assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute drug cartels – and more immigration judges to clear our case backlog. After four years of Biden’s open border policies, we need resources now to secure the border.

Second, this resolution calls for the revitalization of our military. This would mean roughly $150 billion in new funding for the Department of Defense to improve readiness. It calls for more funds for the continued modernization of our nuclear triad. It calls for the strengthening of our defense industrial base to help us build more ships for the Navy. The budget resolution also calls on the Pentagon to perform an audit to ensure our tax dollars are being spent effectively. These provisions will help us deter adversaries like Communist China. It will help keep Americans safe.

Third, this budget provides a framework for unleashing American energy production. That would mean blocking the Biden administration’s natural gas tax. That would mean facilitating the development of America’s abundant natural resources. And that would mean requiring new oil and gas lease sales. These common-sense policies will combat the soaring cost of energy.

Finally, this legislation is fully paid for. We save by reversing Biden’s Green New Deal spending. We save by rolling back burdensome Biden mandates and regulations.

Americans elected President Trump to secure the border, restore American strength, and unleash American energy. This budget resolution provides the blueprint and resources he needs to deliver prosperity and keep Americans safe. Democrats tried to obstruct and delay. They filed dozens of amendments to weaken the legislation. My Republican colleagues and I stood united in support of the President’s agenda. We will continue fighting to get America back on track. 

My team and I are here to serve you. Contact us anytime by phone at 202-224-4224. You can also view my website at www.ricketts.senate.gov/contact.