Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Unlocking the President’s Priorities

Last week, I voted to pass a budget resolution that helps fulfill President Trump’s promise to deliver prosperity and security. This resolution unlocks the reconciliation process. It’s another step forward in helping the President secure the border, lower taxes, rebuild our military, and unleash American energy. 

First and foremost, this resolution provides $175 billion over four years to secure the border. This money will help us finish the border wall, upgrade border technology and hire more Border Patrol agents. It will help ensure criminal illegal aliens are not released into our communities. Right now, over 350,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records are in the United States. More than 35,000 of them committed murder or sexual assault. That is unacceptable. Our resolution provides a framework to deliver more judges and prosecutors to speed up deportations and crack down on the drug cartels. 

Second, this resolution protects taxpayers. The framework will help prevent a $4 trillion tax increase. That would hurt families across Nebraska. If the Trump tax cuts are allowed to expire, the child tax credit would drop by $1,000 per child. The standard deduction would be cut in half. A family of four making $80,000 would pay $1,700 more in taxes each year. I’m fighting to avoid that. Our resolution keeps these tax cuts in place. It keeps more money in Americans’ pockets. 

Third, this resolution rebuilds our military. It adds $150 billion in defense funding to strengthen our forces. This will lead to more Navy ships, stronger nuclear defenses, and improved readiness for our warfighters. It also calls for a full audit of the Pentagon to make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely. Our country faces threats from Communist China, Putin’s Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Biden’s weakness increased those threats. By restoring American strength, we will keep Americans safe. 

Fourth, the resolution unleashes American energy. Biden’s overregulation increased energy prices and hurt our economy. Our resolution ends Biden’s Green New Deal policies. It reverses the natural gas tax and requires new oil and gas lease sales. It helps cut red tape so American workers can get back to doing what they do best. It also means more revenue for the government without raising taxes. By unleashing American energy, we will lower prices for families. 

Don’t believe the lies about this resolution from some of the media and the left. It cuts wasteful spending without harming Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. Social Security, for example, by law cannot be changed in reconciliation. In reality, I want to preserve and protect these programs for those who need them. That’s why I introduced legislation to eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits. 

This budget resolution unlocks the reconciliation process. It sets top-line funding levels. It instructs the committees of jurisdiction to allocate funds and find savings to support this agenda. It creates a savings floor, not a ceiling. That maximizes our ability to cut wasteful spending. Some of the procedure may seem complicated, but the bottom line is clear. We’re taking steps to advance President Trump’s agenda. 

Americans elected President Trump to secure the border, restore American strength, and unleash American energy. This resolution is the blueprint to deliver on those priorities. It provides a framework to secure the border. It puts us on the path to avoid a tax increase. It lays the groundwork for critical new funding for our warfighters to improve readiness. It also will help unleash American energy production. This is how we will help President Trump deliver prosperity and keep Americans safe.