Newsletter

Dear Friend,

There’s been a lot of focus on health care in the Senate this month, and I know Nebraskans are engaged and involved in this important debate. That’s what I heard from many of you at my Listening Session in Omaha on June 16th, where our conversations focused primarily on health care.

An initial draft of legislation to replace ObamaCare was released in the Senate last week. The bill is a work in progress right now. I’ve been hard at work with my staff to determine exactly how this bill will affect you and your family. I’ve also reached out to Governor Ricketts’ office, the Nebraska Department of Insurance, other leaders, and Nebraska families to gather their feedback.

As the legislative process continues, my colleagues and I are in discussions about changes to the bill. I’m optimistic that we will come up with a compromise to provide Nebraskans with more options, affordability, and certainty in their health care for the future.

Before you dive into other news from this month, I want to wish you a very happy and safe Independence Day! Wherever you are celebrating this year, I hope you’ll take a moment to think about our shared values as a nation and how lucky we are to live in the greatest country on earth.

Providing for the Common Defense

I serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Recently, our committee unanimously approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This annual legislation authorizes defense spending and sets the policy and priorities for our military. National defense is the first priority of the federal government and this legislation reflects a shared agreement among members of both parties that more must be done to strengthen our armed forces. Read more about the bill and the specific provisions I worked on in my capacity as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces here.

Ensuring Continued Support for the Essential Air Service

At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing this month, I questioned Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao about the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program, which incentivizes air carriers to provide service to rural areas. Several of Nebraska’s small and community airports, such as Alliance, Chadron, Grand Island, McCook, North Platte, Kearney, and Scottsbluff, benefit from a continuation of the EAS program. Without these facilities, many Nebraskans would be hundreds of miles and hours away from their next flight. Leaders from rural areas need to shore up support for the EAS program and remind Congress how important it is to agricultural states.

For that reason, I also led a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to Secretary Chao encouraging her to continue working with Congress to ensure continued support for this program.

More Accountability at the VA

Earlier this month, I was proud to vote in favor of the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, which President Trump recently signed into law. This bipartisan legislation addresses management failures at the agency by giving the VA Secretary the authority to terminate bad employees. It also provides protections for whistleblowers who bring malpractice issues within the department to light. The reforms in this bill will bring more accountability to the agency so we can take better care of our veterans.

Letting Consumers Choose

I testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at hearing on my bipartisan legislation, the Consumer and Fuel Retailers Choice Act. This renewable energy bill would expand consumer choice at the pump by extending the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver to ethanol blends above 10 percent during the summer traveling season. It would also provide regulatory certainty and increase economic opportunity for business owners who sell E15 and other higher-ethanol/gasoline fuel blends. American families should be able to decide which fuel they put into their vehicles. This bill would ensure retailers can offer consumers consistent choices year round with less confusion and red tape.

Photos of the Month

It was an honor to meet with Jefferson Award winner Judy Mallory in my office. Her courageous battle with cancer and dedication to arts education is inspiring.

At my listening session in Omaha on June 16th, there was a good exchange of ideas from all sides. I make it a priority to be accessible to all Nebraskans and will continue to do so.

It was wonderful to welcome my old friend Don Olson, from Custer County, and his family to the Senate.

I had a great time speaking with students from Kearney and introducing them to my dog Fred. He loves all the Nebraskans he meets!

I enjoyed talking to these 4H students about their favorite parts of our nation's capital, but we agreed that we miss the Nebraska sky.

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