Sen. Deb Fischer, Courtesy
KEARNEY — When the United States Senate is on their summer recess Senator Deb Fischer makes a point to travel across Nebraska visiting with her constituents.
Fischer made a visit to Kearney on Wednesday, Aug. 21 and appeared on KGFW’s Talk of the Town.
While the political rancor regularly makes the headlines, Fischer said work continues to get done within the sub-committees. She is a member of six committees including Armed Forces, Appropriations, Commerce, Agriculture, etc.
Last month, the Armed Services Committee voted to approve the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NDAA, which included several key provisions from Senator Fischer’s Restoring American Deterrence Act.
Fischer noted that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not yet brought the legislation to the floor for a vote of the full Senate. She continues to urge for the act’s passage before the end of the year.
“I’m hopeful that the full Senate will recognize the bipartisan importance of passing the NDAA, just as we did on the Armed Services Committee,” Fischer said in a speech on the Senate floor.
The contents of the act are based on briefings brought by the Joint Chiefs, military commanders to the Armed Forces committee.
Fischer said that our nuclear triad, ICBMs (land-based nuclear missiles), SSBNs (nuclear-missile-armed submarines), and Strategic Bombers (strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles), needs to be modernized.
She noted that Russia and China are peer nuclear powers with their own triads and that the United States needs to work to update our nuclear forces to continue to provide deterrence.
Most Nebraskans may be unaware, but a piece of nuclear triad is located in the western area of the state.
Fischer said she met with the mayor, county commissioners and residents in Kimball, many who have lived next to these weapons for years and are supportive of their presence as a part of the United States nuclear deterrence.
The United States Air Force has been working to purchase land in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado as part of a plan to modernize its land-based nuclear missile force.
The 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base will replace Minuteman III missiles, in service since the early 1970s, with a new class of Sentinel nuclear weapons, according to Nebraska Public Media.
This multi-billion-dollar project is the first structural overall of land based nuclear launch facilities since the 1960s and Fischer said when completed will be a larger project that the building of the Interstate system under President Dwight Eisenhower.
Outside of nuclear weapons, Fischer has secured $4 million for Nebraska water resource improvement projects and $4 million for state law enforcement projects.
Fischer said that wastewater treatment and its infrastructure are among the higher costs to small and large municipalities alike. She said bringing tax dollars back to Nebraska is highly important.
She added that the money going to law enforcement will help to purchase radios, body cameras, emergency communications equipment and drug and violent crime task forces.
Locally, the Minden Police Department received $292,000 for upgrades to radio communications equipment due to Fischer’s work on the Appropriations Committee.
When asked about the global hotspots of Ukraine and Israel, Fischer said that the United States needs to continue sending munitions to Ukraine but wants them to be accountable for when and how they are being used.
To date, Fischer said she has felt that Biden administration has been too slow in sending munitions and equipment to Ukraine.
For instance, President Joe Biden first authorized willing European allies to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in Aug. 2023 but the first jets just arrived in the country this month.
Fischer said she was supportive when former President Donald Trump demanded that NATO allies begin spending more of their GPD on the alliance, which has seen an increase following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In 2023, we saw a real increase of 11% in defense spending across European Allies and Canada, which the Secretary General called an “unprecedented rise”. He added that he expects 18 Allies to spend 2% of GDP on defense in 2024 – a six-fold increase since 2014, when only three Allies met the target,” a NATO report stated in February 2024.
As for Israel, Fischer said the United States continues to provide the country with intelligence and munitions. She said she supports the country after Hamas’ murder of their civilians and their breaking of the cease fire.
In conclusion, Fischer said she has been enjoying her travels across the state during the summer recess and has been to 21 communities so far with plans to see more in the coming weeks.
She said it is positive and uplifting to see the work that is being done in the state. Fischer added that she is keen on hearing the needs of the people, rather than telling them what they need.
