Opinion

. Islamic terrorists from Hamas pushed into Israel in a surprise attack from land, sea, and air.

There are plenty of distractions. Ukraine vs Russia, Israel vs the Palestinians, Republicans vs Other Republicans.

 

Tragedy struck in Israel. The Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas brutally attacked men, women, and children in a hateful act of war. The butchering of babies, the burning of human bodies, the kidnapping, rape, beating, and murder of Israelis is despicable and shocking to the core.

WRecent world events have highlighted the need to ensure America is secure and stands ready to respond to aggression from rogue actors that threaten Americans. Along with reinforcing the readiness of our military and standing firmly with allies like Israel, a significant aspect of safeguarding the American homeland is securing our borders.

Between eight and ten million people have broken the laws and entered our country illegally in the last two years. People from almost every country on Earth have come into the United States. Several countries have emptied their mental hospitals and jails, and sent those people to the U.S.A. The drug cartels have seized operational control of our national border. Everyone who sneaks into the United States must pay them, or risk being murdered if they try to cross on their own.

Terror attacks by Hamas against Israel, massacring civilians, have shocked the world. As Israel conducts rescue efforts and takes action to defend itself, an immediate concern is for the Americans who have died and those still missing who were potentially taken hostage. As the world watches, we must demonstrate decisive leadership in this moment on behalf of victimized and endangered Americans.

Attorney General Mike Hilgers is now fighting prison reform measures he supported not too long ago as a state senator. That’s politics.

A lot of Nebraskans have contacted in the last year growing ever-more concerned with the behavior of the federal government. Fellow state senators, and family and friends all ask the same basic question; how did our country become such a mess?

Earlier this year, the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued extreme new regulations cracking down on vehicle emissions. This administration wants the majority — 67 percent — of the cars in this country to be electric by the end of the decade. But instead of incentivizing the use of electric vehicles (EVs), the administration is choosing to disincentivize the use of gas-powered vehicles. To accomplish its goals, the EPA is burdening millions of families, business owners, and regular Americans.

Massive and reckless spending to fund big government programs has given us a national debt of over $33 trillion. That’s over $251,000 per household. This debt has real consequences. High debt leads to higher consumer costs and interest rates. It slows economic growth. It stifles opportunities for American families. With stubbornly high inflation, families across the country are tightening their belts to stretch their budgets. This includes families on fixed incomes. Congress has a duty to do the same with federal spending.