From sunrise to sunset, Nebraska’s ag producers work to feed and fuel our world. With one in four jobs being directly related to agriculture, it is no surprise the industry is the economic engine of our state. Nowhere is this more evident than in Nebraska’s Third District, the nation’s top ag-producing district, a leader in cow-calf, corn, and ethanol production.
As Chair of the Trade Subcommittee on the House Ways and Means Committee, I am focused on giving Nebraska’s number one industry the certainty and support it needs to thrive. With the joint review of the USMCA approaching, we have an important opportunity to strengthen and expand access to two of our most critical export markets. Canada and Mexico buy billions of dollars in Nebraska agricultural products each year. Ensuring strong enforcement and improved market access will help keep our producers competitive in an increasingly challenging global economy.
While this work happens in Washington, it is the conversations I have at home which serve as the guide and catalyst for my efforts.
This includes conversations like the ones Senator Ricketts and I had with biofuel producers and stakeholders at a roundtable discussion in Hastings. As a national leader in ethanol production, I know biofuels are central to Nebraska’s rural economy and agricultural markets. Because of this, I worked to strengthen and extend the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit to ensure that producers can take full advantage of it following the Treasury Department’s recent guidance. I am also continuing to push for nationwide, year-round E15 and pleased to see the traction we have gained on that front.
For the first time, House and Senate leadership, along with President Trump, have publicly supported nationwide access for year-round E15. At a time when energy policy and farm policy are increasingly intertwined, it is critical that we get this right. Rest assured, I am holding my colleagues on the E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council accountable as we work to deliver the certainty our biofuel producers deserve and strengthen all sections of the fuel supply chain.
Another way I am supporting Nebraska’s number one industry is by delivering meaningful tax relief.
Through the Working Families Tax Cuts, Republicans made the 199A deduction permanent, allowing cooperatives and other pass-through businesses to deduct 20 percent of their qualified business income. This means farmer-owned co-ops can return more savings to their members, who can then reinvest directly into their operations. We also secured permanent, immediate expensing for new equipment purchases, giving producers the flexibility they need to modernize and stay competitive.
But none of that matters if families are forced to sell the farm because of excessive taxes. That is why we permanently doubled death tax relief to $15 million per individual and $30 million per couple—protecting family farms and ranches by making it easier to pass them on to the next generation.
At the end of the day, Nebraska’s agriculture and biofuel producers are not asking for handouts. They are asking for fair trade, predictable tax policy, and reliable markets—exactly what I am fighting for. When agriculture succeeds, Nebraska succeeds, and I will keep working to ensure that our producers have the certainty they need to grow, compete, and lead for generations to come.