WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release on June 29: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled that the leadership structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is unconstitutional and that its director is removable at the will of the president. "Today's decision by the Court has found the CFPB Director's extreme independence to be unconstitutional. This is something I have long   more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Nebraska's all-Republican House delegation stood united last week against Democratic legislation aimed at the police misconduct that has sparked nationwide demonstrations. Rep. Don Bacon, who represents the Omaha-based 2nd District, said he agreed with most of the bill, touting the benefits of mandatory police body cameras as an example. He said some fine-tuning could have addressed problems with other provis  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) voted against H.R. 2, the INVEST in America Act which reduces flexibility and funds the Democrats' Green New Deal and partisan agenda. House Democrats introduced this $1.5 trillion bill without any way to pay for it and relied on deficit spending to fund new grant programs and mandates that make it harder for non-federal partners to accomplish the infrastructure priorities of their  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02), member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted Thursday in favor of advancing H.R. 6395, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. The bill was reported out of committee by a unanimous vote of 56 to 0. This annual legislation, which contains a number of amendments and provisions authored by Bacon, authorizes defense spending and sets the policy   more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01) offered the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Recovering America's Wildlife Act as an amendment to the Moving Forward Act. "The Recovering America's Wildlife Act is the single most exciting public policy development in the conservation space in decades," Fortenberry said. "Thank you to my colleagues Debbie Dingell and Jamie Raskin for   more

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska, issued the following column: The origins of this country were born from those who were willing to sacrifice everything on this day some 250 years ago. On the Fourth of July, we reconnect to the understanding of where we came from and reflect on who we are and who we want to become. The ongoing work towards the ideals of liberty and justice is the fundamental reason we have these days to pause, to reflect, and to celebrate. In our time, i  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Rep. Collin C. Peterson, D-Minnesota, issued the following news release: House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and former Chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, joined Reps. Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, Chellie Pingree of Maine, G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Jim Costa of California, David Rouzer of North Carolina, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Robert Aderholt of Alabama, to introduce the Requiring Assistance to Meat Proces  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Rep. Collin C. Peterson, D-Minnesota, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, issued the following news release: House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and former Chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, joined Reps. Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, Chellie Pingree of Maine, G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Jim Costa of California, David Rouzer of North Carolina, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Robert Aderholt of Alabama, to intr  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE), released the following statement after the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) went into effect on July 1, 2020. The USMCA improves upon the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was signed more than 25 years ago, while the benefits of NAFTA to Nebraska agriculture remain intact for a future generation. Canada and Mexico represented more than $3.5 bill  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement: Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE), released the following statement after opposing H.R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act. H.R. 1425 would expand the so-called Affordable Care Act, implement government mandated drug price controls, and would punish states like Nebraska who followed a Supreme Court ruling and chose not to expand Medicaid. * * * "Ten years after we were told the AC  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and chairman of the Transportation and Safety Subcommittee, chaired a hearing focused on traffic safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) grant programs. "A major factor in 94 percent of fatal motor vehicle crashes is human error. Choosing to drive distracted or impaired rather than focusing on the road can   more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced the bipartisan Airport Infrastructure Readiness (AIR) Act, which would provide airports with greater certainty as they consider future infrastructure projects in the midst of a pandemic. "With the number of flights down significantly this year due to COVID-19, several Nebraska airports are at risk of receiving less feder  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement on July 2 after the Air Force Civil Engineer Center awarded a contract to replace the runway at Offutt Air Force Base: "Today's announcement of a contract award is exciting news for Offutt Air Force Base, the state of Nebraska, and our nation. "It is the culmination of years of tenacious work and cooperation to make sure this critical project could happen. I'm proud to see this positive movement toward a new r  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following column: When a 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson sat down in a rented room in the heat of the Philadelphia summer to write the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution had already begun. On one level, Jefferson was simply putting the reasons for independence into words. The first shot had been fired over a year earlier, after decades of increasingly tyrannical British abuses of the American colonists had culminated  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) applauded the Department of Education's approval of 10 additional career and technical education (CTE) plans, including the state of Oklahoma. Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin are the latest states, along with the District of Columbia, to have their CTE plans approved under the new, bipartisan Strengthening Career and Techn  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission formally designated Huawei and ZTE as national security threats: "Make no mistake: Huawei is an arm of China's Communist Party, not a private company. The CCP has gained footholds in countries around the world with Huawei and ZTE under the premise that they are independent companies. "Now the world is learning that is not true. The United States will not put US dollars   more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement after the reports that Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's chief confidante, was arrested by the FBI: "Ghislaine Maxwell was complicit in Epstein's wicked crimes that targeted vulnerable, young girls for their disgusting trafficking ring. "Epstein got a crooked, sweetheart deal years ago that protected his coconspirators, like Maxwell. Maxwell has been on the run for months because she too hoped to escape justic  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement in celebration of nation founding: "Our founders in signing the Declaration of Independence said something unique throughout all of human history: our rights come from God, not government. That's the truth we celebrate this weekend. It's also true that, in this moment, there are raw emotions across our country. Some of the time, those emotions have led to meaningful discussion. But many other times, they've led to   more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement after the release of testimony from Planned Parenthood and abortion industry officials admitting that infanticide occurs in their facilities and that tissues from aborted babies are sometimes sold for research: "The truth -- as found in these sworn testimonies -- is going to catch up to Planned Parenthood and their big business abortion partners. Their admissions have nothing to do with healthcare, but instead are  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement on June 29 after the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law mandating abortion clinics secure admitting privileges to close-by hospitals: "SCOTUS got this wrong -- again. If the Court cares about preserving its legitimacy as a non-political institution, then it shouldn't make decisions based on how its judgements will be perceived politically. The problem with today's decision is absolutely terrible jurisprud  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement on June 29 after the Supreme Court ruled that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutional: "The CFPB acts like an unchecked fourth branch of government, and it's clear that there's no such clause for its creation in the Constitution. Today's decision says that the head of the organization should be removable - which is great, but when I read the Constitution, it's pretty clear t  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court struck down a Montana ban prohibiting state aid to parochial schools: "Statutes that exclude people and institutions of faith from fully participating in civil society have a dark history grounded in rank anti-Catholic bigotry. "Today's decision is a win in our long efforts to live up to the letter and spirit of the Constitution and treat every American with equal dignity and worth."  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement: U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, a leading advocate for Nebraska agriculture and increased trade, released the following statement as the USMCA trade deal went into effect. * * * "Today is a win for Nebraska's farmers and ranchers: USMCA is officially on the books. NAFTA did a lot of good, but this new agreement modernizes our trading relationships with Mexico and Canada and increases business for Nebraska ag. There ar  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee on Transportation and Safety issued the following testimony by Lincoln Police Captain Chris Peterson at a hearing entitled "Safety on Our Roads: Overview of Traffic Safety and NHTSA Grant Programs" on June 30: My name is Chris Peterson. I am a Lincoln Police Captain and currently the local drug task force commander. Thank you for holding this hearing and for the invitation to testify before you today. The Lincoln  more