Opinion

As I sit down to write this column, my tomatoes have finally met with a hard freeze and the cannas we plant in the local park are giving up their red-topped glory. It was one, long fall in my section of southeast Nebraska, with lots of warm days and only recently, a couple of cold snaps.

WashingtOn d.C . After weeks of debate in Washington, the House and Senate finally came together to pass a bipartisan funding package that reopens the federal government.

An important early literacy effort is making progress thanks to Arnold High School senior Eli Rogers. He has devoted his time to expanding the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL), a program that mails free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five. Eli helped establish Nebraska Early Reading Development (NERD) and built a partnership with Link to Literacy, a Lincoln-based nonprofit. Through this model, DPIL now reaches one-third of Nebraska, with a framework designed for long-term, statewide growth.

W On October 15, despite the ongoing federal government shutdown, the Medicare open enrollment window began. This important annual opportunity allows seniors to select their Medicare coverage, including Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, for 2026.

WashingtOn d.C . The Schumer Shutdown continues.

insights frOm d.C . On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, our nation paused to honor the great Americans who answered the call to serve in the U.S.

Growing Nebraska’s economy, including opportunities for family operations, is essential to sustainable tax relief for all Nebraskans, and that was the foundational purpose for the roundtable held last week in Lincoln. On October 30, I partnered with the Platte Institute to host a roundtable discussion on the challenges producers and businesses face when trying to build or expand operations in Nebraska, specifically related to zoning. Participants included individual agricultural producers and representatives from organizations with expertise in zoning and land use.

W As farmers conclude the harvest season, market access for high-quality American products is top of mind for the agriculture industry. Because Third District Nebraskans have an extraordinary ability to meet demand for consumers around the globe, advancing sound trade policy is at the forefront of my work in Congress.

WashingtOn d.C . We’re in week five of the Schumer Shutdown.

Nebraska is cattle country. We used to be known as “The Beef State” – a nickname I always liked.