Third District Travels

There is nothing I enjoy more than returning home to Nebraska, traveling across the Third District and meeting with constituents in their communities. While my work in Washington is important, nothing can replace hearing directly from Nebraskans and seeing firsthand the opportunities and challenges they face. 

This week, my district travels took me across Central Nebraska, where I met with small business owners, manufacturers, and community leaders, to hear firsthand about the issues impacting them and discuss how we can continue working together to keep Nebraska strong. 

I started this week at a small business roundtable with Citizens for Free Enterprise Nebraska. Nebraska’s small businesses are the backbone of our communities, creating jobs, supporting families, and helping our local economies thrive. That is why I worked to craft and pass the Working Families Tax Cuts, which provide important certainty for small businesses competing in today’s economy. 

We made the 199A Small Business Deduction permanent, allowing eligible small businesses to deduct 20 percent of qualified income and giving owners more resources to reinvest in their operations, grow their businesses, and create new opportunities for their employees. For small business owners like Amara Block, owner of Frontier Frau in Cozad, these policies are making a real difference, while the law’s no-tax-on-tips provision is helping her hardworking employees keep more of what they earn. 

From there, I visited BluePrint Engines in Kearney to tour their manufacturing facility. For more than 40 years, BluePrint Engines has been building crate engines for automotive enthusiasts and others around the world. Founder Norris Marshall shared how the immediate expensing provision for new equipment, included in the Working Families Tax Cuts, has helped his company invest in new technology and remain competitive in the global marketplace. 

I then traveled to Broken Bow to meet with local business leaders about how we can continue working together to keep rural communities like theirs strong. 

These conversations are exactly why I look forward to the August work period every year. Throughout my travels, I am always listening and learning. I take what I hear from Nebraskans back with me to Washington and use those lessons to help shape stronger policies that will enable our families, businesses, and communities to thrive.I am grateful for every conversation, every handshake, and every opportunity to hear directly from the people I have the privilege of representing.