By U.S. Senator Deb Fischer

Since the beginning of the new Congress, senators have been meeting to determine the best way to repeal Obamacare. Nebraskans know this law is unsustainable. For too many families, health care 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. In May, the president announced his intention to implement a national infrastructure plan. I agree that we need to enact long-term reforms on how infrastructure projects are regulated, funded, delivered, and maintained.

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. Since my days serving in the Nebraska Unicameral, infrastructure has always been a priority for me, and it is an area I continue to focus on as chair of the Senate Surface Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Our conversation at the White House consisted of an array of topics, from surface transportation to regulatory reform. I’d like to share a few highlights and explain where I believe there's common ground, both between the White House and Congress and across the aisle on Capitol Hill.

We can invest in our nation’s transportation system without the need for reckless stimulus-style spending. The last major infrastructure bill required states to spend 50 percent of the funds they received within six months. This did not provide sufficient time to develop major projects fully and create something that would last.

Any infrastructure funding package should utilize current programs while giving states flexibility. Congress should encourage targeted, strategic, and long-term investments that strengthen safety, facilitate commerce, and enhance the reliability of our transportation system. We must have programs that will work in both urban and rural areas. Congress should consider new ideas and different approaches that will utilize technology. For example, expediting the permitting process and reviewing lending eligibility could stretch taxpayer dollars to deliver better results.

We also touched on broadband and how Nebraska has led the way in expanding telecommunications to rural areas. Nebraska’s Public Service Commission has a well-established mechanism for allocating federal and state telecommunications and broadband funding. I believe the Nebraska model could be built upon and promoted nationally.

The federal government and the states can work together to develop existing plans to build and expand our infrastructure. Congress should, to the fullest extent possible, rely on states to allocate funding with federal oversight and accountability measures. Local authorities know what should be fixed first and how to spend funding more efficiently than bureaucrats in Washington. Congress should give states the tools to do the job right and then let them do it.

Through smarter policies on issues like health care, infrastructure, and broadband, Congress has opportunities to make the lives of Americans better. As your Senator, I will continue to work hard for Nebraskans.

Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.

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