Recently, devastating wildfires swept Southern California. And flash flooding swamped parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. Some areas of North Carolina, Florida, and other southern states are still rebuilding from the overwhelming damage of Hurricane Helene. Nebraska is no stranger to natural disasters either. From the devastating flooding that caused so much damage in 2019, to the tornadoes that ripped through Omaha area last year, to wildfires that scourge our farmland and ranchland, our state has endured the worst that weather could throw at us.

There is an inscription above an entrance to the Nebraska State Capitol. It reads: “the salvation of the state is watchfulness in the citizen.” Transparency is essential to watchfulness. Our $36 trillion national debt is our greatest domestic threat. We must do all we can to eliminate waste and restore fiscal sanity. This week, I introduced the Improper Payments Transparency Act. My bipartisan bill will require more transparent and more accurate data about the scope of improper payments made by the federal government.

The last four years of the Biden administration failed the American people. Under Biden’s watch, millions of illegal aliens flooded our border. His appeasement-first foreign policy emboldened our adversaries. Biden made our country less safe. Reckless spending and burdensome regulations caused a 20% increase in consumer prices. Americans elected President Trump to secure the border, restore American strength, and unleash American energy.

Across America, 1.3 million people live in nursing homes— including almost 10,000 of our fellow Nebraskans. Many of us have parents, grandparents, or other loved ones who rely on these homes for care and community in their golden years. We understand just how vital nursing homes are, in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike, to help seniors around our country thrive.

Last week was a hurried and long week on the road, much of it spent at the CHI Health Center in Omaha covering the State Wrestling Tournaments. Yes, for the first time, that was plural. The Nebraska School Activities Association typically does a tremendous job hosting its championship events. What we often take for granted is that in Nebraska, we bring athletes from all school sizes together for one championship event. They’re not all competing against each other, but they’re all competing in the same place. That is not the norm in other states, but I cherish that it’s the way we do things in the Cornhusker State. First, bravo to the NSAA for how they’ve handled the girls wrestling championships, not just this year, but over these first four years. Was squeezing it in with the boys always convenient? No. But I do believe it fasttracked the growth the sport made in just a few years. The wrestling championships was a five-day event this year and girls received their own standalone event over two days on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Atrial fibrillation is probably a diagnosis you have heard of, if not because a friend or family member has it, because it has been mentioned in a public advertisement or pharmaceutical commercial. Atrial fibrillation (or “A-fib”) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, a condition estimated by the American Heart Association to be present in more than five million Americans.

Recently, I had a gentleman come for an annual wellness visit. He hadn’t had one for quite some time, and I could tell he was a little uncertain about what to expect. He was patient while we reviewed his family history, and tolerant while we talked about diet and exercise, but he’d had enough when I asked about the last time he’d been to the dentist and the eye doctor. “What is this about?” he asked me, somewhat exasperated.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism. They’ve spent decades funding terror attacks all over the world. Iranian proxies have launched thousands of missiles at Israel. In fact, Iran itself launched the largest ballistic missile attack in history against Israel last year.

As part of its relentless climate agenda, the Biden administration imposed rules and regulations that would force Americans to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) at a breakneck pace. Today, we’re left with more electric cars on the roads, and more problems we must address.

We can reduce food waste and be more environmentally friendly by shopping smart at the grocery store. For example, attractive store promotions might tempt us into purchasing more food than we can actually use, resulting in both wasted food and money.