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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.