Nebraska Panhandle News

Senator Pete Ricketts, representing Nebraska in the U.S. Senate, recently used his social media platform to address a series of national and local issues ranging from public safety to health access and government funding.

On September 24, 2025, Senator Ricketts responded to a violent incident in Texas, stating: "My prayers are with the victims of the horrible shooting at the ICE facility in Dallas. I’m thankful for the law enforcement agents, including heroic ICE agents, who keep our communities safe."

The following day, Ricketts highlighted a meeting with Hy-Vee leadership focused on food accessibility. He wrote on September 25: "Great to meet with Hy-Vee's CEO Jeremy Gosch and other Hy-Vee teammates. We discussed Hy-Vee's role in increasing access to healthy foods. This initiative will help deliver personalized health and wellness benefits to Medicaid, Medicare and other health insurance beneficiaries." The mention of increased access aligns with ongoing national efforts to address food insecurity through partnerships between private retailers and public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.

On September 26, Senator Ricketts addressed federal budget negotiations by criticizing Democratic colleagues in the Senate. He posted: ".@SenateDems are once again threatening a Schumer Shutdown. Last week, @SenateGOP voted on a bipartisan clean resolution to fund the government. But Democrats voted against it.

The Democrats are looking to shut down the government." This comment refers to ongoing debates over federal appropriations that frequently result in threats of partial government shutdowns if consensus is not reached.

Senator Pete Ricketts was elected as Nebraska’s junior senator in 2022 after serving as governor of Nebraska from 2015-2023.