Opinion

WashingtOn d.C . When I was Governor, we focused on providing great services to Nebraskans.

W While we have successfully enacted major legislation this year to protect our borders, cut taxes for families, and restore faith in government this year, opportunities abound for further progress to improve the lives of Nebraska families. Nowhere is that more clear than in the House Ways and Means Committee, where I serve.

There’s an old saying about government – “it’s not that ‘what is said isn’t so,’ it’s what is so isn’t said.” So that means that someone – maybe a state auditor, maybe a whistleblower, but often a news reporter – needs to dig in and find out what is really happening with our tax dollars and state policies. That’s why it was so disgusting to read recently about our “Secretary of War’s” crackdown on access by reporters to the Pentagon.

WashingtOn d.C . Next week, Americans across the country will gather around their dining tables with family and loved ones to pause, reflect, and give thanks.

W As we do every November 11, America paused to remember the brave men and women who have put their lives on the line to defend liberty and opportunity for their neighbors at home and friends of freedom around the world. The following day, the House of Representatives approved the Senate-passed agreement which will reopen the federal government through the end of January.

WashingtOn d.C . President John F.

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.