Moving in the Right Direction
On any given evening, if you flip on the national news, you’d think the country is unraveling at the seams. Headlines scream crisis, chaos, and collapse, as if America is teetering on the brink.
Not long ago, those headlines would have rung true. Out-of-control federal spending fueled inflation, open-border policies strained communities, and working families felt squeezed from every direction. Higher grocery bills, rising energy costs, and uncertainty about the future left many Nebraskans wondering whether Washington was even listening.
But today, those headlines no longer reflect reality, a sentiment President Trump made clear during his State of the Union address.
During the Democratic response, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger asked Americans three questions: Is the president making life more affordable? Is he keeping Americans safe? Is he working for you?
Rhetorical as they were, for families across Nebraska—from Falls City to Scottsbluff and Valentine to Superior—the answers are increasingly clear: yes, yes, and yes.
It starts with affordability. Republican policies are delivering meaningful relief for working families. Measures like the Working Families Tax Cuts are helping Nebraskans keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. This tax season, Americans will see an average refund of nearly $4,000 and avoid a projected $1,700 tax hike, while a family of four will see nearly $11,000 added to its annual take-home pay. That is real, tangible relief at a time when every dollar counts.
And the progress does not stop there. Inflation has fallen to 2.4 percent, gas prices are under $3, and mortgage rates have reached a three-year low. In January alone, 172,000 new private-sector jobs were created nationwide, bringing unemployment down to 4.3 percent. Unlike the previous administration, job growth under President Trump has occurred entirely in the private sector, strengthening the industries that power Nebraska’s economy, from agriculture and manufacturing to transportation and small business.
Economic security, however, is only part of the equation. Nebraskans also expect safe communities and secure borders. Under President Biden, millions crossed the southern border illegally, straining law enforcement resources nationwide.
That approach is producing different results today. For nine consecutive months, no migrants have been released at the border. Federal authorities are coordinating with state and local law enforcement to remove dangerous criminals from our streets, including a violent MS-13 gang member arrested in Grand Island.
President Trump is also focused on restoring American strength abroad. Ensuring that peace through strength is not just a slogan, but a strategy that deters adversaries and protects American interests. Taken together, the results are tangible: more take-home pay, lower costs, safer communities, and renewed economic strength.
Still, there is more work to be done, especially when it comes to supporting agriculture, Nebraska’s number one industry. In Congress, I will keep working to deliver certainty in trade policy, lower input costs, and strengthen markets so our agricultural producers can continue to feed and fuel the world.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance policies in Washington that make a positive difference around kitchen tables and on Main Streets across our state.
At the end of the day, President Trump’s State of the Union address delivered a simple but powerful message: America is back on track, and our best days are still ahead.