WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) has reintroduced the Stop Improper Federal Bonuses Act. The bill would prohibit federal agencies from giving bonuses to employees who have conduct violations. It would also provide a mechanism to recover previously awarded bonuses when the agency learns of misconduct. "We have to end the practice of federal agencies awarding bonuses to employees who have engaged in serious   more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska, issued the following column: If you have ever watched a session of the House of Representatives, or perhaps the State of the Union Address, you most likely noticed the large wooden tiered rostrum that dominates the center of the room. Here is where the Speaker presides over the House, bills are introduced and voted upon, and Members speak to their causes. At the lowest level of the rostrum, carved into the wood, are five words: Union. Ju  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement: Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) today voted no on H.R. 582, Raise the Wage Act, because it is anti-worker, anti-business and would cause the loss of up to 3.7 million jobs. It mandates a 107 percent increase in the federal minimum wage. He issued the following statement regarding the negative effects of the legislation, based on findings by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO): "Americans will only b  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-California, issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on July 15, on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020 (H.R. 2500): I rise in strong support of Amendment No. 47 to H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020, an amendment I offered with my good friend from Nebraska, Mr. Fortenberry. The Fortenberry-Eshoo amendment declares that the safe return of religious and ethnic minorities in  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement on the political discourse: "I am increasingly disturbed by today's political charges and counter-charges of racism," Fortenberry said. "Last week, Speaker Pelosi was accused of racism. This week, President Trump. None of this is leading anywhere except to more division. "Politicians must elevate what is good, promote the principles of justice, fight for what we believe in, and invite all to this proposit  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, issued the following column: With July upon us, we are now more than halfway through the first year of the 116th Congress. So far 2019 has been marked by partisan divides which have stood in the way of results. There is much work to do to solve our nation's challenges. Instead of focusing on impeachment or forcing the President to release his tax returns, Congress should be working on efforts to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreem  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following column: In the last 200 years, our world has transformed because of two major waves of innovation. The first began in the 18th century with the Industrial Revolution, which ushered in machines, factories, electricity, cars, and air travel. The second revolution was the emergence of the internet, which gave us unprecedented access to information at the tips of our fingers. Today, our world is preparing for another wave of   more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, received the National Corn Growers Association's President's Award. The award is given each year to a leader who has worked on issues of great importance to corn farmers and agriculture. "It's a real honor to receive this recognition from the National Corn Growers Association. From pushing to advance USMCA to securing ye  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after it was announced that Brian Buescher's nomination a district court judge in Nebraska would be voted on by the full Senate: Mr. Buescher was nominated by President Trump to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Nebraska. Today, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture on Mr. Buescher's nomination. "This has been a long process and we've had to fight ever  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Oversight, issued the following statement after a federal judge ruled that child rapist Jeffrey Epstein must remain behind bars as he awaits trial: "This wasn't a close call: this molester stole the innocence of many little girls and being a billionaire isn't a get out of jail card." Background: Since 2018, Sasse has repeatedly pushed the DOJ to investigate the sweetheart deal that Epstein re  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, a co-sponsor of the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act, issued the following statement regarding Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's sentencing to life in a U.S. prison: "El Chapo's going to spend the rest of his life behind bars, so the feds should seize his drug money and use it to secure the border. "This convict doesn't need the cash - he'll be getting three square meals a day and making collect cal  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement on Planned Parenthood firing its president, Leana Wen: Today, Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, fired its president, Dr. Leana Wen, because, in her words, "the priority of Planned Parenthood moving forward is to double down on abortion rights advocacy." U.S. Senator Ben Sasse issued the following statement: "Planned Parenthood's outgoing president just told the world she was fired for   more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, issued the following statement regarding recovery efforts from floods that hit south-central Nebraska: Today, it was announced that 98 homes were destroyed or suffered major damage as a result of the flooding. "These flood waters have put our communities in tough spots, and it hurts to see neighborhoods and homes go underwater. "But, we're Nebraskans, and we're going to keep working hard to recover. "We'll rebuild stronger and better than   more