EDINBURG, Texas, March 16 -- Rep. Monica de la Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release: A $2 million grant to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's University Transportation Center for Railway Safety consortium could make the rails safer. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) applauded the grant award on Thursday, March 16. UTRGV's Railway Safety consortium includes South Texas College, Texas A&M University, the University of California Riverside, the University of Nebraska Lincoln, an  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting that the Department withdraw a proposal that would raise fees  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release on March 16, 2023: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today questioned Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, about ISIS-K in Afghanistan and U.S. military capabilities in the region. Sen. Fischer also discussed the United States' strategy to deter Iranian and Russian aggression in the Middle East. Following is a transcript of Senator  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release on March 16, 2023: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today questioned U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack about the Department's efforts to push back against Mexico's ban on genetically modified corn. During the hearing, Sen. Fischer also highlighted the importance of expanding broadband access to rural communities and discussed her legi  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release on March 14, 2023: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today led the reintroduction of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. The legislation would allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10% -- ending years of regulatory uncertainty and preventing a patchwork of uneven state regulations. Increasing the availability of biofuels like  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), along with U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mon.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), recently reintroduced the National Advisory Council on Indian Education Improvement Act, legislation that would give Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) greater input over federal funding discussions that  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and 13 of her Republican colleagues sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security Melissa Dalton after receiving information confirming that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has spent more than $300 million in taxpayer dollars to house unused border wall panels  more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, issued the following column: * * * Taking a Stand for Rural America Agriculture producers in Nebraska have earned their standing as world leaders in agriculture through their excellence and tradition of respecting the natural resources with which our state is blessed. No one cares more about the land and water of our state than the farmers and ranchers whose livelihoods depend on careful management these resources. Unfortunately, top-dow  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, issued the following column on March 17, 2023: * * * The Path to Growth The recent failures of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) have increased the concerns of many over the threat of a deepening international economic crisis. While the failure of major financial institutions is particularly troubling on top of the inflation and supply chain problems of the past two years, we should take time to ensure new policies enacted in r  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) co-sponsored bipartisan, bicameral legislation from Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to allow for year-round E15 sales. "High costs of living are costing American families hundreds of dollars a month," said Senator Ricketts. "We owe it to them to use every tool we have to save them money at the pump. Nebraskans know year-round E15 sales have endless b  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) questioned Biden's Environmental Protection Agency about the challenges rural areas face in receiving government funding for clean water, replacement of lead service pipes, and prevention of emerging contaminants. "Previously, having been governor, one of the things that I'm very well aware of is water infrastructure and how challenging it can be... not just for big citi  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) highlighted the threats caused by the Chinese Communist Party's investments in Latin American countries like Brazil. "Over the last two decades, China has been allowed extensive access to tighten its grip across Latin America, including Brazil," said Senator Ricketts. "There are obvious concerns that China will continue to leverage these economic ties to expand influence  more

OMAHA, Nebraska, March 18 -- Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) joined Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo for a wide-ranging interview that touched on the ongoing border crisis and Ricketts' recent visit, Biden's lack of action on important issues like Social Security, bank management, and Iran. Ricketts on Biden's Border Crisis: "There's no answer for why the President or the Vice President [are] not more engaged with this. It gets  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting that the Department withdraw a proposal that would raise fee  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following column on March 13, 2023: * * * A New Kind of Agriculture My colleagues and I on the Senate Agriculture Committee have already begun working on the 2023 Farm Bill, a package of critical agriculture legislation passed only once every five years. Those of us on the Agriculture Committee often agree on many aspects of the Farm Bill, and one of the most popular solutions we hope to implement this year is an increase in the  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, issued the following Weekly Column on March 17, 2023: * * * Serving All Nebraskans While most attention is paid to the policy work I do for Nebraskans in Washington, D.C., my first priority will always be ensuring government is working for all taxpayers. When I was governor, I was proud of the progress we made to streamline and simplify how Nebraskans interact with state agencies, but navigating the federal bureaucracy can be even more d  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release on March 14, 2023: Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Angie Craig (D-MN) were joined by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) - three of the four co-chairs of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus - to reintroduce the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. The members released the following statements: "Year-round E-15 has broad, bipartisan support in Congress and from key stakeholders," said Rep. Adrian Smith. "Moving forwar  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Last month, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) led the introduction of legislation to overturn an excessive Biden Administration regulation on heavy-duty vehicle emissions. The legislation now has 36 cosponsors. You can read more about the effort and background on the issue here: https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=8CF42BC1-03CD-4D07-AAE7-E47CC683003F Press Coverage: Click here (http  more