Weekly Column

Like many Nebraskans, my life has been shaped by agriculture. For over 40 years, I’ve worked with agriculture and rural development organizations across our state and recognized how the success of ag producers is connected to the success of our state as a whole. As a state senator in the Nebraska Legislature and as a U.S. Senator, common-sense agriculture policies have always been a top priority for me.

Serving Nebraska during the last five years has been an honor, and as I begin 2018, I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of our great state and our great people. My staff, both in Washington and throughout Nebraska, work hard to ensure that Nebraskans receive the best representation and guidance when navigating federal bureaucracy, planning a trip to the nation’s capital, or looking for other services that my office can provide.

Our children are our future. In Nebraska and across the country, families are working hard and doing all they can to keep their kids happy and healthy. When a child is sick, caretakers want to know their children will receive the care necessary to get better. During my time in the Senate, I have worked hard to support effective programs to do just that. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) helps to ensure all of our nation’s children have access to health insurance coverage, and it has my fullest support.

Shortly after the founding of our nation, American citizens engaged in a debate about what kind of country they and later generations would live in. No one understood the value of rural Americans more than Thomas Jefferson. Writing in a letter to John Jay, the author of the Declaration of Independence stated, “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.” Then serving as secretary of state, Jefferson understood that

Many American families have struggled over the past decade. Wages for workers have flatlined. We’re only beginning to see a turnaround. Putting more money back into the pockets of regular Americans serves as the best way to continue this momentum. The Senate tax reform bill achieves this by nearly doubling the standard deduction and protecting the first $24,000 married couples earn, and the first $12,000 individuals earn, from federal taxes.

Small businesses don’t have the professional resources to deal with a tax code that comes in at over 74,000 pages. Simply doing taxes, let alone paying them, has become a burden on locally-owned companies. Our current tax code is not built to foster their growth. If we want to thrive, we must have an economic climate where small businesses and startups can succeed.

The warmth of a fire and chatter among friends and family, the smell of turkey—and all its fixings—floating in the air, and don’t forget about the pie waiting for dessert, Thanksgiving is a great time to be with loved ones. It offers a moment of reflection about how blessed we are to live in the United States, the freest and greatest nation in the history of the world.

On September 17, 2017, Ms. Yvonne Ambrose shared a heartbreaking story in front of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. She testified about her wonderful daughter, Desiree. She told us about how Desiree enrolled in JROTC because she dreamed of becoming a doctor in the United States Air Force. She wanted to help people.

In 1945, Clarence Hupka, from St. Mary, Nebraska, found himself in one of the world’s greatest ironies. Surrounded by an ocean of blue water, he was dying of thirst. Traveling from Guam to the Philippines, the USS Indianapolis sunk in the Pacific Ocean after being torpedoed during the final phase of World War II. Clarence had been a member of a crew 1,200 men—only 317 survived. He knew that drinking the salty water of the Pacific would only cause him more pain and likely kill him. Remarkably, he followed his training, resisted temptation, and lived.

The Senate recently confirmed Nebraska Director of Agriculture, Gregory Ibach, unanimously to serve as Under Secretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). I am thrilled my friend and fellow Nebraskan will be serving America’s farmers and ranchers in this role. In Nebraska, we understand the importance of agriculture to our families and the economy. We also know what policies farmers and ranchers need from Washington.