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In October, the world watched as tragedy struck Israel when the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas brutally attacked men, women, and children in a hateful act of war. The United States stands with the people of Israel, and we will support our strongest ally in the Middle East.
Please click here for more information from the State Department about assistance for those impacted by this crisis.
Even as we continue to grapple with this crisis and see the horrific images coming out of the Middle East, your representatives in Washington are working for you every day.
In October, I worked to bolster our national security, secure our border, and stop electric vehicles (EVs) from freeloading. I also pushed back against President Biden’s attempts to reinstate failed Obama-era net neutrality rules, and I called for our military to reevaluate its strategic posture.
I was very proud to call up and pass my resolution with Senator Pete Ricketts honoring the historic Volleyball Day in Nebraska.
Read more about my work for you below.
Like Americans across the country, I am appalled by the brutality of Hamas’s attack against Israel. It’s hard to believe the terror Hamas perpetrated is something human beings are capable of doing.
In October, I spoke twice on the Senate floor about the importance of standing with Israel. I joined some of my colleagues in a press conference to express solidarity with the people of Israel, and I cosponsored a resolution to stand with Israel against terrorism. I also signed a letter to hold social media companies accountable for archiving content as evidence of Hamas’s atrocities.
Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend itself against unconscionable assaults from groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. That’s one of the reasons I introduced a bill with Senator Bill Hagerty to reallocate aid funding that could have ended up in Hamas’s pockets back to Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, which is the backbone of its missile defense architecture.
As this situation continues to develop, it’s important for us to stand by our ally Israel. For our nation’s safety, it’s also important that those who are in the United States on visas should not be allowed to remain in our country if they participated in or encouraged the spread of pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist activity. I recently joined a letter with Senator Marco Rubio calling on Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to use his authority under current law to ensure that visa holders who support terrorism are quickly removed from our country.
It’s important to remember that Hamas would not exist without the financial backing of Iran. That is why it is critical to fight back against Iran’s malicious activity. In October, I joined nine Republican colleagues in calling on President Biden to take action against Iran. We pushed the president to immediately convene the G7 nations and take coordinated action to further isolate Iran with severe sanctions that would strike directly at the wealth it contributes to regional terrorist groups.
After Hamas’s attack, I also called on President Biden to freeze his administration’s attempted $6 billion payment to Iran. In the Senate, I co-led two bills that would prevent the Iranian regime from accessing and using this money to finance terrorist attacks against Israel or any other nation.
I’ve been to the southern border, and I’ve seen the humanitarian and national security crisis unfolding there. Under President Biden, the situation keeps getting worse. There were 2.4 million encounters at our southern border during Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 — the highest annual number ever recorded. There were 269,735 encounters at the southern border during September alone, which is the highest monthly number ever.
President Biden’s failure to secure the border is a national security crisis. It only takes a single terrorist to carry out a devastating attack — yet 169 people on the terror watchlist were arrested between ports of entry along our southern border in FY2023.
President Biden must recognize the crisis at our southern border and take meaningful steps to protect our country by enforcing the law, finishing the border wall, and reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy. That’s why I joined my colleague Senator Rubio in sending a letter to President Biden demanding that he resume and expand the construction of the border wall.
As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the top Republican on the subcommittee that oversees our nuclear forces, I know the threats our country is facing. Our military must be prepared to address the changing global threat environment of the 21st century.
In October, I spoke at a hearing on the final report from the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. This bipartisan, unanimous report highlights the urgent need for our country to comprehensively update our strategic posture, including modernizing our nuclear deterrent. Right now, our strategy is not sufficient to effectively deter America’s two peer nuclear competitors: China and Russia. In the Senate, I will continue working with my colleagues to turn the Commission’s recommendations into legislation.
Recently, I introduced the Stop EV Freeloading Act to ensure that electric vehicles (EVs) pay into the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) that supports the construction and maintenance of our nation’s roads and bridges.
Unlike gasoline-powered cars, the sale or charging of EVs does not contribute to this fund. The average EV is significantly heavier than its gas-powered counterpart because of the weight of large EV batteries.
The point of my bill is simple: it’s unfair to force the millions of Americans who don’t drive EVs to foot the bill for those who do. If the Biden administration plans to continue pushing EVs on the American people, the least Congress can do is require EVs to support the upkeep of our nation’s infrastructure.
I’m opposed to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) push to reinstate the failed, heavy-handed Obama-era regulations on the internet. Although the FCC claims these regulations would help achieve “net neutrality,” we do not need to regulate the internet like a utility in order to preserve an open internet. More than 40 of my colleagues and I sent a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel encouraging her to abandon this misguided proposal.
As we said in our letter, reimposing heavy-handed, public utility regulations on the internet would threaten the innovative progress our networks have made since 2017. It would risk steering us out of the fast lane and into a world of less competition, less choice, and less investment — meaning slower speeds and higher prices.
On August 30th, Nebraska made history. An outstanding 92,003 fans streamed into Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska, setting the new record for attendance at a women’s sporting event.
This historic event took months of preparation to pull off, and it represents the best our state has to offer. Nebraska is defined by dedication, drive, and most of all, community.
I spoke on the Senate floor last month, along with my fellow Nebraskan U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, to pass a resolution honoring the record-setting “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” event and celebrating the importance of women’s collegiate athletics in Nebraska.
Our resolution, which passed unanimously, celebrated a special day for women, for volleyball players, and for Nebraskans. I’m proud to bring well-deserved recognition to this unique accomplishment. As we often say, there is no place like Nebraska.
I appreciated speaking with representatives from the Transportation Intermediaries Association about issues facing the transportation industry, like the need to fight fraud and bad actors in motor carrier selection.
I was honored to join the United Service Organizations (USO) and other Members of Congress to assemble 2,000 care packages for our deployed service members.
The men and women serving in our military sacrifice so much to keep us safe, and I’m glad these care packages will provide a sweet taste of home.
I always enjoy sitting down with local papers as I travel through Nebraska. I welcomed the Nebraska Press Association to DC to discuss the importance of community news and other issues facing local papers.
 
It was great speaking with members of the Nebraska Agribusiness Association about issues facing agricultural retail and ag input suppliers. Thank you for your work to advocate on behalf of Nebraska’s agricultural industry!
 
The United States should not be dependent on countries like China for our rare earth elements.
Last month, I met with Rare Element Resources about some of the work it is doing to strengthen the supply chain and protect our national security.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process.
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