Dear Friend,

Since the beginning of the new Congress, senators have been meeting to determine the best way to address health care. Nebraskans know the status quo is unsustainable. For too many families, health insurance has become unaffordable. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, premiums in Nebraska increased 153 percent from 2013-2017. CoOportunity collapsed, leaving 80,000 Nebraskans to face tough decisions about their insurance coverage. Just like our neighbors in Iowa, our state has only one insurer offering individual plans.

In the past few weeks, a number of health care proposals were brought forward in the Senate. I'm on record voting to repeal Obamacare and replace it with policies that move us in the right direction. I'm frustrated the Senate was unable to approve any proposal. Americans need relief, and I believe the Senate should stay in session through the month of August to find a way to address this very important issue.

While health care remains at the top of the discussion, I am also focused on another important issue that affects our state: infrastructure. Recently, I was at the White House for a meeting to discuss new legislative plans for infrastructure and to highlight my ideas to help American transportation and infrastructure projects move forward.

Through smarter policies in a variety of areas, Congress has opportunities to make the lives of Americans better. As your senator, I will continue to work hard for Nebraskans.

Please continue reading for more updates from my office.

The Importance of Missile Defense

Earlier last month, I met with Lieutenant General Sam Greaves, the new Director of the Missile Defense Agency. We discussed the ongoing Ballistic Missile Defense Review at the Department of Defense as well as the Missile Defense Agency's priorities for the future. Missile defense is especially important as our country confronts the evolving threats from the abhorrent regime in North Korea.

I serve as the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, which has oversight of our homeland missile defense program. The Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) takes steps to strengthen this system and authorizes additional funding to further improve its capabilities. NDAA was approved by the full Senate Armed Services Committee in June. As the legislative process continues, I will be working hard to ensure our nation has a strong and capable missile defense program.

Holding Regulators Accountable

Both in my office and when I travel our state, Nebraskans often describe how federal regulations act as obstacles to their success. That's why one of my priorities in the Senate has been to cut government red tape. For that reason, I was pleased to vote in support of Neomi Rao's nomination to serve as the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget, the administration's top regulatory position. I am hopeful she will cut through reams of government red tape and eliminate misguided federal regulations that hold back families in Nebraska.

Also last month, I joined Senator Lankford in reintroducing common-sense legislation to reform our federal regulatory process. The Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act would require agencies to reveal potential costs and effects of new regulations before they are enacted. With this legislation, Congress can help rein in unreasonable rulemaking by the federal government.

A Place in History for Nebraska's Veterans

Recently, I had the opportunity to honor the legacy of Nebraska's veterans. I delivered stories of 20 Nebraska veterans to the Library of Congress as part of the Veterans History Project. The program promotes the collection of firsthand accounts from U.S. veterans and those close to them so they can be accessible for future generations. Over the past several years, my staff has been collecting these stories through in-person interviews, written journals, and photos. It was truly an honor to present these extraordinary accounts of courage, service, and comradery to the world's largest library to be archived.

Photos of the Month

A big thank you to our summer interns Seth, Molly, and Justus for all their hard work this summer! Click here for more information on internship opportunities in my D.C. and Nebraska offices.

I love kicking off Wednesdays with the Nebraska Breakfast, the longest running congressional delegation meeting in history. Click here for our Nebraska Breakfast schedule.

I was proud to attend a ribbon cutting for Hwy 133 in Blair. This project was possible because of the Build Nebraska Act, which I championed in the Nebraska Legislature.

On my way to votes, I took a quick selfie with Omaha Boy Scouts from Mid-America Council Troop 2331.

I loved chatting with the folks at Ashland Pharmacy and Cheri O's Coffee Shop during my visit to Ashland.