Read Senator Fischer’s full piece on omaha.com.
*Editor’s note: The Omaha World-Herald invited Nebraska candidates for the U.S. Senate and the 2nd Congressional District as well as the Donald Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns to submit guest opinions pieces explaining why voters should support them. We hope reading these pieces, which will run in successive Sundays in print and online, will help you make your decisions. Please vote!
Actions speak louder than words. Nebraskans are honest, hardworking, and resilient, and we should demand the same from our elected officials. When I first ran for the United States Senate in 2012, I made a commitment to you: I would tell the truth. I would work hard for all Nebraskans. And I would protect the values that make our state the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family. And in my time as your U.S. Senator, I’ve had one mission: delivering real results for working families across all 93 Nebraska counties.
Bruce and I raised our sons on our family ranch south of Valentine. It was hard work, but we did it to build a better life for the next generation.
Before I ask for your vote once again, I need to prove to you that I’ve done the same in the U.S. Senate — that I have delivered results that will make Nebraska better for the next generation.
Let’s start where most families are suffering right now: soaring prices. Last year, I led legislation to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from making our gas and groceries even more expensive. Working with independent Sen. Angus King, I also passed the first ever national paid family and medical leave legislation. I’ve also secured $2 million to expand early childcare in rural and urban Nebraska.
But families also can’t thrive unless their communities are safe as well as affordable. Throughout my time in the Senate, I’ve been focused on keeping our communities safe and advocating for our first responders. I supported the Back the Blue Act, and I’ve always defended qualified immunity. I also supported the Social Security Fairness Act and introduced legislation to reauthorize the Firefighter Cancer Registry. And just this year, I worked with Nebraska’s law enforcement to pass a new law that makes it easier to recruit and retain new police officers.
Protecting our communities also means securing our borders. I’ve been to the border, so I know for a fact that the open-border policies of this administration have brought in crime and drugs, not to mention added stress to our social services. I’ve opposed every border security half-measure—we shouldn’t settle for anything less than a fully secure border.
But we must also protect the American way of life from rising threats, like communist China. That’s why I’ve voted for pay raises for our troops and helped pass bills that make major investments in our national defense, including a strategic hub right here in our own backyard: Offutt Air Force Base.
After the devastating floods of 2019, which damaged a third of the base, I wanted Offutt rebuilt stronger than ever. Working closely with local, state, and federal officials, I secured hundreds of millions of dollars to repair and modernize Offutt, including a full runway replacement. This wasn’t just to rebuild what was lost, but to make Offutt more resilient for the future.
Working with former Congressman Brad Ashford, I also helped pass the 2016 CHIP IN for Vets Act. This bill created public-private partnerships to build new facilities at the Omaha and Lincoln V.A.’s to ensure better care and support for our veterans.
Another issue near and dear to my heart is agriculture. With nearly one in four jobs in Nebraska tied directly to this critical industry, it’s important to have an ag producer representing us in the United States Senate. I worked with President Donald Trump to pass the 2018 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), so our farmers and ranchers have better opportunities. I also helped write and pass a Farm Bill that ensures the best deal for Nebraska. And I’ve pushed back on out-of-control regulations like Waters of the U.S. and emissions rules from the EPA.
But perhaps more than anything else, I have championed the need for investing in modernized and robust infrastructure. It’s personal to me. My dad was a former Director of the Nebraska Department of Roads, and he instilled in me a passion for infrastructure and transportation from a young age.
Without reliable infrastructure, industries small and large across Nebraska would be unable to transport their goods to market. Without reliable broadband, many businesses would be unable to efficiently operate and expand, community growth would be stunted, and our ag producers wouldn’t have the necessary precision ag technology to feed the world. And without clean drinking water, families across our state couldn’t live healthy lives.
Years ago in the Nebraska Legislature, I wrote and passed the Build Nebraska Act. And in the United States Senate, I helped craft and pass the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure law. Together, both pieces of legislation invested nearly $4 billion in Nebraska to repair highways and local roads including the Lincoln South Beltway, rebuild bridges, expand broadband access and reliability, ensure safe drinking water, and modernize airports across Nebraska, including Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and the Lincoln Airport.
Whether you’re raising a family in Omaha, running a small business in Lincoln, or ranching in the sandhills of Cherry County, I’ve kept my promise to never stop fighting for you and your community. I am asking for your support in this election so that together, we can continue to build a better future for all Nebraskans.
Thank you, and may God bless the great state of Nebraska.
