Columns
This week is National FFA Week, our annual opportunity to commemorate the important role this organization plays in building future leaders for rural America. As we celebrate, it’s encouraging to see an increasing number of young people taking advantage of career and character-building opportunities. Across the nation, FFA participation levels are up 11 percent from last year. In Nebraska, student involvement in FFA has never been greater.
Americans are rightfully concerned about the direction of our economy. While inflation is no longer at nine percent, prices remain high, and the inflation rate remains double where it was when President Biden took office. According to Consumer Price Index analysis by the Joint Economic Committee, American families are facing an average of $11,400 more in annual expenses compared to prices when Joe Biden took office.
The crisis at our Southern Border is enormous, unprecedented, and is putting Americans at risk. According to United States Customs and Border Protection, more than 1 million migrant encounters have been recorded at the border since October 1, 2024—a mark reached faster than any previous fiscal year on record. To this point in Fiscal Year 2024, 50 individuals whose names appear in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Screening Database have been stopped trying to enter the United States illegally.
Economic growth and opportunity in Nebraska’s Third District is powered by agricultural trade. While the United States makes up approximately 5 percent of the world’s population, America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers create enough surplus to export $200 billon in food, fuel, and fiber annually while utilizing fewer and fewer acres each year.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Adrian Smith (R-NE), Jim Costa (D-CA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) announced the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Agricultural Trade Caucus to advance and promote policies vital to U.S. agriculture, including boosting agricultural exports, facilitating food and agriculture trade, and knocking down unnecessary trade barriers.
Investing in the growth of a child as a parent, teacher, or mentor, and then seeing the child flourish to their fullest potential is both rewarding and inspiring. In schools and homes across the Third District, Nebraskans work tirelessly to create opportunities for students to learn and thrive. As a lawmaker, my mission is to support this work by maximizing the opportunities available to each and every student.
This week, thousands came to Washington to participate in the 51st annual March for Life and celebrate Sanctity of Human Life Day. Sanctity of Human Life Day was first recognized in 1984 by President Reagan, marking the 11th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision and commemorating the right to life for the unborn. When handed down in January of 1973, Roe v Wade assigned federal protection for abortion access to an arbitrary point in pregnancy and unjustly struck down state laws which protected unborn children.
As recent events have demonstrated, the readiness and modernization of the United States’ defense capabilities are as important as ever. Keeping Americans safe and prioritizing American interests must always be a leading goal. Our open borders – paired with ongoing global unrest – not only threaten national security for the United States and our allies, they have serious implications for economic security around the world.
In life and legislative work, a new year brings new opportunities and new undertakings. As we enter 2024 and the second session of the 118th United States Congress, there is much work to do, and I’m optimistic we can achieve results for the American people. Commonsense policies promoting economic growth and productivity in our communities can benefit our country as a whole. With no shortage of obstacles to overcome to curb wasteful spending, deliver tax relief, and manage federal programs, it is time to get to work for the American people.
2023 has been a year with its full share of joys, challenges, demands, and rewarding experiences. Taking time to hold kith and kin close during a special time to reflect and celebrate makes this time of year unique and cherished. The blessings we have as Americans mean so much more when we’re able to enjoy them with those we love.
This year, as I do each year, I am sharing an address from President Ronald Reagan. Many years later, his message continues to shed light on the meaning of the holiday season and the gift of Christmas.