Columns
As the strongest democracy in the Middle East, Israel is a special partner and crucial ally to the United States. Together we collaborate on defense, intelligence, and trade. In fact, President Reagan signed our country's first trade agreement with Israel in 1985.
One of my top priorities is improving health care for rural Americans. Access to high quality, affordable, and available heath care is increasingly lacking in many areas. Empowering providers to better meet the needs of patients and reducing costly and burdensome regulations can go a long way to streamline and strengthen our health care system.
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.
As recent trends demonstrate, we must take border security seriously. In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped 144,000 people from illegally entering the United States – the most in one month since 2006. This incredible number of people is almost three times the population of Grand Island.
On July 4, 1776, our founders introduced to the world a new idea of government. In this government, citizens would not look to a tyrant, monarch, or group of powerful people to provide for them, but would be free to provide for themselves and determine their own destinies.
Trade agreements reduce trade barriers, which promotes economic growth and cooperative relationships between nations. Because 95 percent of consumers reside outside U.S. borders, we must constantly be looking for ways to increase access to foreign markets and ensure America's competitiveness in an increasingly global marketplace.
Federal revenue continued at near-record highs in 2018, at $3.33 trillion. Unfortunately, this amount was not enough to cover the $4.2 trillion in spending last year, further exacerbating our $22 trillion in national debt. As President Ronald Reagan said, "The problem is not that the people are taxed too little. The problem is that government spends too much."
There is no place like Nebraska, and my family has been fortunate to call it home for six generations. The experience of living in a rural area is something not found anywhere else. The wide open spaces, unmatched work ethic, and life-long friendships make our small towns unique. This isn't to say we do not face struggles living in a rural area.
In 2018, Nebraska reached its all-time high in ethanol–blended fuel consumption. Since the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was enacted in 2005, Nebraska has broken its record for ethanol–blended fuel consumption nine times.