Charles Herbster, who lost to Gov. Jim Pillen in 2022, says Pillen’s ‘shortcomings make it hard to say no,’ will decide closer to new year

By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — The Republican primary race for Nebraska governor is already heating up, and it might soon get serious.&nbsp;

Trump donor and multi-state agribusinessman Charles Herbster has made more pointed statements about Gov. Jim Pillen in recent weeks on social media.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Herbster’s posts have shifted in tone from talking about national politics and President Donald Trump, with some references to state politics, to more direct criticism of Pillen as he continues mulling a 2026 rematch bid for governor.

Starting this month, Herbster has criticized Pillen for not listening to the business community, for not selling the state aggressively enough to business leaders elsewhere and for resisting voter-approved medical cannabis, the legalization of which Herbster now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/video/2025/11/12/herbster-reverses-position-medical-cannabis/" target="_blank">says should be respected</a>.&nbsp;

“Our governor should be the state’s leading salesman,” Herbster wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1985424695341301966?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">one post</a>. “To say we should not focus on attracting new businesses is beyond reckless — it is not leadership.”

In another&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1988321270757241199?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">social media post</a>, Herbster said, “Governor Jim Pillen has done everything he can to delay and dismantle the voter-enacted medical cannabis statutes.”

Herbster also has started reviving his 2022 campaign staple of saying he wants to “Make Nebraska Great Again” and sounds more and more like someone running for governor.&nbsp;

Asked this week whether his statements should be read as telegraphing a 2026 bid, he told the Examiner, “Governor Pillen’s shortcomings make it hard to say no.” Herbster said his decision on whether to run would come closer to the new year.&nbsp;

“We are not on a path to success,” Herbster said. “Our governor seems stubbornly convinced he alone has all the answers and continues to double down on failure. He can tout some social-issue wins — which I wholeheartedly support — but Nebraskans are worried about the economy.”

If Herbster gets in, 2026 would be a rematch between the two candidates who received the most votes in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. That race included former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who is now running for the open seat in Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. Lindstrom finished third in that 2022 GOP primary.&nbsp;

Pillen cruised to general election victory against then-Democratic State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue.&nbsp;

That 2022 contest was one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in Nebraska history,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/06/nebraskas-costliest-governors-race-left-wild-numbers-in-its-wake/">with&nbsp;$29 million flowing into it</a>. Herbster largely self-funded his campaign, while Pillen raised large sums and also benefitted from outside help by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Herbster during that 2022 primary earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, while Pillen was backed by Ricketts. Pillen appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate shortly after becoming governor. Ricketts, R-Neb., won a special election in November to serve out the final two years of former GOP U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s term. Ricketts is currently in a heated race against former Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan.&nbsp;

Herbster spent weeks of that campaign denying the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/14/gop-state-senator-seven-other-women-say-charles-herbster-groped-them-he-denies-allegations/">allegations of eight women</a>&nbsp;who alleged in a 2022 Nebraska Examiner article that Herbster had groped them. All eight accounts were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/19/three-people-speak-on-the-record-to-confirm-allegations-of-groping-by-charles-herbster/">corroborated either by witnesses</a>&nbsp;or people the women told what happened immediately afterward. But the reasons for his loss were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/13/where-herbster-stumbled-and-how-pillen-won-nebraskas-gop-gubernatorial-primary/">more complex than the national political narrative</a>.

Several GOP operatives have expected Pillen to draw at least one primary challenger, partly because of national and local polling numbers that indicate he could be vulnerable. Among the criticisms they and others have said he is likely to face are about increased state spending, the effectiveness of state investments in property tax relief and his tax and budget proposals.

But Pillen is an incumbent, and Nebraska rarely changes horses midstream. The last incumbent Republican to lose the Governor’s Mansion was Gov. Kay Orr, who lost to Democrat Ben Nelson in 1990. Pillen had more than $3 million in cash on hand last year, state campaign finance reports show. Many expect him to raise more than $10 million.&nbsp;

The governor&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/29/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-announces-reelection-bid-amid-herbster-speculation/">announced his reelection bid in May</a>. His campaign video focused on controversies familiar to those who followed his 2022 campaign, including support for tougher immigration enforcement and other culture-war issues. Pillen, in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/02/nebraska-governor-brags-about-historically-conservative-budget-wins/">his end of session speech to state lawmakers</a>, touted the passage of bills that limit high school and college sports participation to students’ sex at birth, banning lab-grown meat and lowering income tax rates.

Herbster said Nebraskans are with Pillen on some of those issues, but he said more needs to be done about core issues that have long been central for statewide campaigns — particularly job creation and reducing property taxes.&nbsp;

People, Herbster said, are “worried about property taxes.” He said “they’re worried about making ends meet.”

Pillen’s campaign declined to comment Friday on Herbster’s potential bid.

Pillen, whose family owns a major hog operation based in Columbus, has prioritized property tax relief, including investing $1 billion into a state effort to fund more of special education costs and a baseline amount of state aid to K-12 schools.

The governor said last week that he wants to address property taxes again soon. But state lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-471-million-ahead-of-2026-legislative-session/">face a larger projected deficit</a>&nbsp;this upcoming session than the one senators just filled this spring.

Nebraska Democrats have hinted at an announcement of a gubernatorial candidate as early as this week.&nbsp;Some Democratic political observers have speculated that a state senator might run.&nbsp;Others have made noise about a possible third-party or nonpartisan candidate.

Republicans outnumber Democrats in Nebraska by roughly 2-to-1, with about 22% registered either nonpartisan or with a third party. The GOP primary for governor is May 12. The general election is&nbsp;Nov. 3.

<h2>Charles Herbster, who lost to Gov. Jim Pillen in 2022, says Pillen’s ‘shortcomings make it hard to say no,’ will decide closer to new year</h2>By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner <figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_4142-1536x1024.jpg" alt="&nbsp;Nebraska reporters cover Gov. Jim Pillen’s press conference at the Governor’s Mansion on April 28, 2025. Pillen is running for reelection. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Nebraska reporters cover Gov. Jim Pillen’s press conference at the Governor’s Mansion on April 28, 2025. Pillen is running for reelection. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN — The Republican primary race for Nebraska governor is already heating up, and it might soon get serious.&nbsp;Trump donor and multi-state agribusinessman Charles Herbster has made more pointed statements about Gov. Jim Pillen in recent weeks on social media.&nbsp;&nbsp;Herbster’s posts have shifted in tone from talking about national politics and President Donald Trump, with some references to state politics, to more direct criticism of Pillen as he continues mulling a 2026 rematch bid for governor.Starting this month, Herbster has criticized Pillen for not listening to the business community, for not selling the state aggressively enough to business leaders elsewhere and for resisting voter-approved medical cannabis, the legalization of which Herbster now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/video/2025/11/12/herbster-reverses-position-medical-cannabis/" target="_blank">says should be respected</a>.&nbsp;“Our governor should be the state’s leading salesman,” Herbster wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1985424695341301966?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">one post</a>. “To say we should not focus on attracting new businesses is beyond reckless — it is not leadership.”<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IMG_2249-300x225.jpg" alt="Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster greets people who were leaving after his weather-cancelled rally with former President Donald Trump in Greenwood, Nebraska. It was delayed until Sunday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster greets people who were leaving after his weather-cancelled rally with former President Donald Trump in Greenwood, Nebraska. It was delayed until Sunday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>In another&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1988321270757241199?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">social media post</a>, Herbster said, “Governor Jim Pillen has done everything he can to delay and dismantle the voter-enacted medical cannabis statutes.”Herbster also has started reviving his 2022 campaign staple of saying he wants to “Make Nebraska Great Again” and sounds more and more like someone running for governor.&nbsp;Asked this week whether his statements should be read as telegraphing a 2026 bid, he told the Examiner, “Governor Pillen’s shortcomings make it hard to say no.” Herbster said his decision on whether to run would come closer to the new year.&nbsp;“We are not on a path to success,” Herbster said. “Our governor seems stubbornly convinced he alone has all the answers and continues to double down on failure. He can tout some social-issue wins — which I wholeheartedly support — but Nebraskans are worried about the economy.”If Herbster gets in, 2026 would be a rematch between the two candidates who received the most votes in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. That race included former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who is now running for the open seat in Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. Lindstrom finished third in that 2022 GOP primary.&nbsp;Pillen cruised to general election victory against then-Democratic State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue.&nbsp;That 2022 contest was one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in Nebraska history,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/06/nebraskas-costliest-governors-race-left-wild-numbers-in-its-wake/">with&nbsp;$29 million flowing into it</a>. Herbster largely self-funded his campaign, while Pillen raised large sums and also benefitted from outside help by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.Herbster during that 2022 primary earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, while Pillen was backed by Ricketts. Pillen appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate shortly after becoming governor. Ricketts, R-Neb., won a special election in November to serve out the final two years of former GOP U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s term. Ricketts is currently in a heated race against former Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan.&nbsp;Herbster spent weeks of that campaign denying the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/14/gop-state-senator-seven-other-women-say-charles-herbster-groped-them-he-denies-allegations/">allegations of eight women</a>&nbsp;who alleged in a 2022 Nebraska Examiner article that Herbster had groped them. All eight accounts were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/19/three-people-speak-on-the-record-to-confirm-allegations-of-groping-by-charles-herbster/">corroborated either by witnesses</a>&nbsp;or people the women told what happened immediately afterward. But the reasons for his loss were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/13/where-herbster-stumbled-and-how-pillen-won-nebraskas-gop-gubernatorial-primary/">more complex than the national political narrative</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_1430-300x200.jpg" alt="Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen at a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 4, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen at a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 4, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Several GOP operatives have expected Pillen to draw at least one primary challenger, partly because of national and local polling numbers that indicate he could be vulnerable. Among the criticisms they and others have said he is likely to face are about increased state spending, the effectiveness of state investments in property tax relief and his tax and budget proposals.But Pillen is an incumbent, and Nebraska rarely changes horses midstream. The last incumbent Republican to lose the Governor’s Mansion was Gov. Kay Orr, who lost to Democrat Ben Nelson in 1990. Pillen had more than $3 million in cash on hand last year, state campaign finance reports show. Many expect him to raise more than $10 million.&nbsp;The governor&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/29/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-announces-reelection-bid-amid-herbster-speculation/">announced his reelection bid in May</a>. His campaign video focused on controversies familiar to those who followed his 2022 campaign, including support for tougher immigration enforcement and other culture-war issues. Pillen, in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/02/nebraska-governor-brags-about-historically-conservative-budget-wins/">his end of session speech to state lawmakers</a>, touted the passage of bills that limit high school and college sports participation to students’ sex at birth, banning lab-grown meat and lowering income tax rates.Herbster said Nebraskans are with Pillen on some of those issues, but he said more needs to be done about core issues that have long been central for statewide campaigns — particularly job creation and reducing property taxes.&nbsp;People, Herbster said, are “worried about property taxes.” He said “they’re worried about making ends meet.”Pillen’s campaign declined to comment Friday on Herbster’s potential bid.Pillen, whose family owns a major hog operation based in Columbus, has prioritized property tax relief, including investing $1 billion into a state effort to fund more of special education costs and a baseline amount of state aid to K-12 schools.The governor said last week that he wants to address property taxes again soon. But state lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-471-million-ahead-of-2026-legislative-session/">face a larger projected deficit</a>&nbsp;this upcoming session than the one senators just filled this spring.Nebraska Democrats have hinted at an announcement of a gubernatorial candidate as early as this week.&nbsp;Some Democratic political observers have speculated that a state senator might run.&nbsp;Others have made noise about a possible third-party or nonpartisan candidate.Republicans outnumber Democrats in Nebraska by roughly 2-to-1, with about 22% registered either nonpartisan or with a third party. The GOP primary for governor is May 12. The general election is&nbsp;Nov. 3.

Has 2026 GOP primary for Nebraska governor already started?

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ call for a close reexamination of the 42 million people who receive federal food aid has befuddled advocates and lawmakers, coming mere days after recipients began to see benefits that had been stalled during the government shutdown.

Details remain scant a week after Rollins during an interview on the right-wing Newsmax network first publicly broached the startling idea that every beneficiary would have to reapply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, often called food stamps.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, asked for an explanation, referenced existing requirements and suggested more changes in SNAP rules could be in store.

“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a USDA spokesperson wrote Wednesday. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of state data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with states.”

The 2008 law governing SNAP leaves states responsible for administration. Part of that role includes periodically making sure that the low-income people in the program meet the qualifications for inclusion, but the law allows states to determine how often that occurs.

“It’s not clear what she would be proposing that is different from what is already happening,” said Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst for food assistance at the left-leaning think tank Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

One interpretation of Rollins’ comments is that she would remove all 42 million individuals from SNAP’s rolls and ask them to resubmit applications. Bergh said that would lead to people losing money they need for groceries. About 40% of those enrolled in SNAP are children.

“If she’s suggesting that they’re going to somehow redo that process for more than 40 million people who already demonstrated their eligibility and who already have to periodically recertify their eligibility, that would be pretty duplicative and would likely create pretty significant paperwork backlogs that would cause people who are eligible to lose the food assistance that they need,” Bergh said.

Administration critics have suggested that, while the comments are unlikely to lead to policy changes, they introduce even more confusion for a program that was used as a political token during the record government shutdown that ended this month.&nbsp;

Making people reapply would underscore the Trump administration’s opposition to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/key-statistics-and-research" target="_blank">nearly $100 billion program</a>, which accounts for 70% of federal nutrition assistance.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/snap/characteristics-fy23" target="_blank">USDA says</a>&nbsp;the average SNAP household in fiscal 2023 received a monthly benefit of $332, or $177 a person based on the average SNAP household size of 1.9 people.

“Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration have cut food assistance for 42 million Americans multiple times this year,” U.S. House Agriculture ranking member Angie Craig said in a Wednesday statement to States Newsroom. “Now, they’ve once again shown that they do not understand the program.”

In the Nov. 13 interview on Newsmax, Rollins said SNAP was beset by widespread fraud, citing data that 29 mostly Republican-run states submitted to the department. Acquiring data from the 21 other states would give the department a way to wholly remake the program, she said.

“Can you imagine when we get our hands on the blue state data, what we’re going to find?” she said. “It’s going to give us a platform and a trajectory to fundamentally rebuild this program, have everyone reapply for their benefit, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through SNAP or food stamps that they literally are vulnerable, and they can’t survive without it. And that’s the next step here.”

In an interview Monday on Fox News, host Maria Bartiromo asked Rollins about the move to have recipients “reapply.”

“Business as usual is over,” Rollins answered in part. “The status quo is no more. We know that the SNAP program is rife with fraud.”

She added that guarding against fraud would help those the program is meant to serve.

The comments touched off widespread confusion about what specifically Rollins meant.&nbsp;

Asked about the initiative during a Thursday press conference, Craig, a Minnesota Democrat, said she was unclear about how it would work and predicted that Rollins would take credit in the future for the existing low rate of fraud.

“We’re hearing off the record that, you know, maybe people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about,” she said. “In fact, I think they’re trying to take credit for the already very strict standards and the actual low fraud rate in the SNAP program … So we can find no real plan there. Not even sure there’s concepts of a plan there.”

In response to a States Newsroom request this week for details about the initiative, USDA provided the statement that did not answer how the department would proceed or under what authority, but said Rollins was seeking to reduce fraud in the program.

Spokespeople did not respond to follow-up questions, or a request to respond to Craig’s remarks Thursday.

Program experts say fraud is not a widespread problem for SNAP.

An April&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10860#_Ref509241731" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service found that retailers illegally trafficked about 1.6% of SNAP benefits from fiscal 2015 to 2017.

Fraud by households applying for SNAP, which appear to be the main target of Rollins’ proposal, is even lower.&nbsp;

According to a USDA&nbsp;<a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-sar-fy23.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>, about 26,000 applications were referred for an administrative review or prosecution on suspicion of fraud. That number accounts for about 0.1% of the 22.7 million households enrolled in the program, according to the Pew Research Center.

“Long-standing data sources indicate that intentional fraud by participants is rare,” Bergh said.

At Thursday’s press conference, Craig called Rollins’ comments “bullsh*t” and “propaganda.”

“Secretary Rollins goes on TV and talks about all the fraud,” she said. “This most effective anti-hunger program in our history has a fraud rate of 1.6%. It’s actually one of the most effective, well-run programs in the country … The bullsh*t this administration is peddling is egregious.”

Even experts who advocate for reforms to SNAP say eligibility fraud is not a major issue.

Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said high-net-worth individuals can receive SNAP benefits, but aren’t committing fraud by doing so.

“Some of the issues with SNAP … aren’t because of fraud or abuse, but they are because of bad program rules,” said Boccia.

Boccia also cited an “incentive misalignment” inherent in the state-federal program. States have little incentive to control payments because the federal government funds the program, she said.

Forcing all beneficiaries to reapply would likely reduce the cost of the program by reducing the number of its beneficiaries, including by forcing out higher earners who may not consider the benefits they don’t actually need to be worth the onerous reapplication process, Boccia said.&nbsp;

But it would also result in a percentage of low earners dropping off the program, as well as many who would be affected by the administrative backlog that would come with processing tens of millions of new applications, she said.&nbsp;

Shutdown, the big beautiful bill, and confusion

Bergh said Rollins’ comments “add insult to injury” because they come after congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump signed a major tax cuts and spending law that is expected to shrink federal SNAP spending by $187 billion over 10 years. The law added work requirements for many SNAP recipients and shifted some costs to states.

That was followed by the six-week shutdown that saw&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/shutdown-tug-war-over-snap-benefits-timeline" target="_blank">a dizzying back-and-forth</a>&nbsp;over whether November SNAP benefits would be paid.

“There has been huge amounts of chaos and confusion and disruption for both states and participants in recent weeks, largely due to the shutdown, but also because simultaneously, the administration has required states to implement many of the reconciliation bill’s SNAP cuts,” Bergh said.

Craig, in her statement, also said Rollins’ comments would hurt the people who need the program.

“I am astounded by the secretary’s careless disregard for the hungry seniors and children who can afford to eat because of this program,” she said.

Sara Naomi Bleich, a public health policy professor at Harvard University, said in a phone interview the confusion from Rollins’ comments compounded hardships produced by the Republican reconciliation law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Big picture with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is that there’s basically this tidal wave coming to families that have low income,” Bleich, who worked at USDA during the Obama and Biden administrations, said. “They’re going to lose Medicaid. They’re going to lose SNAP. There could be collateral impacts on the school meals. This is going to be a really hard time for families to navigate.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761944916334.png" alt="Post photo" />
 <figcaption>Post photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ call for a close reexamination of the 42 million people who receive federal food aid has befuddled advocates and lawmakers, coming mere days after recipients began to see benefits that had been stalled during the government shutdown.Details remain scant a week after Rollins during an interview on the right-wing Newsmax network first publicly broached the startling idea that every beneficiary would have to reapply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, often called food stamps.The U.S. Department of Agriculture, asked for an explanation, referenced existing requirements and suggested more changes in SNAP rules could be in store.“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a USDA spokesperson wrote Wednesday. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of state data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with states.”The 2008 law governing SNAP leaves states responsible for administration. Part of that role includes periodically making sure that the low-income people in the program meet the qualifications for inclusion, but the law allows states to determine how often that occurs.“It’s not clear what she would be proposing that is different from what is already happening,” said Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst for food assistance at the left-leaning think tank Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.One interpretation of Rollins’ comments is that she would remove all 42 million individuals from SNAP’s rolls and ask them to resubmit applications. Bergh said that would lead to people losing money they need for groceries. About 40% of those enrolled in SNAP are children.“If she’s suggesting that they’re going to somehow redo that process for more than 40 million people who already demonstrated their eligibility and who already have to periodically recertify their eligibility, that would be pretty duplicative and would likely create pretty significant paperwork backlogs that would cause people who are eligible to lose the food assistance that they need,” Bergh said.Administration critics have suggested that, while the comments are unlikely to lead to policy changes, they introduce even more confusion for a program that was used as a political token during the record government shutdown that ended this month.&nbsp;Making people reapply would underscore the Trump administration’s opposition to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/key-statistics-and-research" target="_blank">nearly $100 billion program</a>, which accounts for 70% of federal nutrition assistance.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/snap/characteristics-fy23" target="_blank">USDA says</a>&nbsp;the average SNAP household in fiscal 2023 received a monthly benefit of $332, or $177 a person based on the average SNAP household size of 1.9 people.“Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration have cut food assistance for 42 million Americans multiple times this year,” U.S. House Agriculture ranking member Angie Craig said in a Wednesday statement to States Newsroom. “Now, they’ve once again shown that they do not understand the program.”<h2>What did Rollins say?</h2>In the Nov. 13 interview on Newsmax, Rollins said SNAP was beset by widespread fraud, citing data that 29 mostly Republican-run states submitted to the department. Acquiring data from the 21 other states would give the department a way to wholly remake the program, she said.“Can you imagine when we get our hands on the blue state data, what we’re going to find?” she said. “It’s going to give us a platform and a trajectory to fundamentally rebuild this program, have everyone reapply for their benefit, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through SNAP or food stamps that they literally are vulnerable, and they can’t survive without it. And that’s the next step here.”In an interview Monday on Fox News, host Maria Bartiromo asked Rollins about the move to have recipients “reapply.”“Business as usual is over,” Rollins answered in part. “The status quo is no more. We know that the SNAP program is rife with fraud.”She added that guarding against fraud would help those the program is meant to serve.The comments touched off widespread confusion about what specifically Rollins meant.&nbsp;Asked about the initiative during a Thursday press conference, Craig, a Minnesota Democrat, said she was unclear about how it would work and predicted that Rollins would take credit in the future for the existing low rate of fraud.“We’re hearing off the record that, you know, maybe people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about,” she said. “In fact, I think they’re trying to take credit for the already very strict standards and the actual low fraud rate in the SNAP program … So we can find no real plan there. Not even sure there’s concepts of a plan there.”In response to a States Newsroom request this week for details about the initiative, USDA provided the statement that did not answer how the department would proceed or under what authority, but said Rollins was seeking to reduce fraud in the program.Spokespeople did not respond to follow-up questions, or a request to respond to Craig’s remarks Thursday.<h2>Low fraud rate</h2>Program experts say fraud is not a widespread problem for SNAP.An April&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10860#_Ref509241731" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service found that retailers illegally trafficked about 1.6% of SNAP benefits from fiscal 2015 to 2017.Fraud by households applying for SNAP, which appear to be the main target of Rollins’ proposal, is even lower.&nbsp;According to a USDA&nbsp;<a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-sar-fy23.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>, about 26,000 applications were referred for an administrative review or prosecution on suspicion of fraud. That number accounts for about 0.1% of the 22.7 million households enrolled in the program, according to the Pew Research Center.“Long-standing data sources indicate that intentional fraud by participants is rare,” Bergh said.At Thursday’s press conference, Craig called Rollins’ comments “bullsh*t” and “propaganda.”“Secretary Rollins goes on TV and talks about all the fraud,” she said. “This most effective anti-hunger program in our history has a fraud rate of 1.6%. It’s actually one of the most effective, well-run programs in the country … The bullsh*t this administration is peddling is egregious.”<h2>More targeted reforms</h2>Even experts who advocate for reforms to SNAP say eligibility fraud is not a major issue.Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said high-net-worth individuals can receive SNAP benefits, but aren’t committing fraud by doing so.“Some of the issues with SNAP … aren’t because of fraud or abuse, but they are because of bad program rules,” said Boccia.Boccia also cited an “incentive misalignment” inherent in the state-federal program. States have little incentive to control payments because the federal government funds the program, she said.Forcing all beneficiaries to reapply would likely reduce the cost of the program by reducing the number of its beneficiaries, including by forcing out higher earners who may not consider the benefits they don’t actually need to be worth the onerous reapplication process, Boccia said.&nbsp;But it would also result in a percentage of low earners dropping off the program, as well as many who would be affected by the administrative backlog that would come with processing tens of millions of new applications, she said.&nbsp;<h2>Shutdown, the big beautiful bill, and confusion</h2>Bergh said Rollins’ comments “add insult to injury” because they come after congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump signed a major tax cuts and spending law that is expected to shrink federal SNAP spending by $187 billion over 10 years. The law added work requirements for many SNAP recipients and shifted some costs to states.That was followed by the six-week shutdown that saw&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/shutdown-tug-war-over-snap-benefits-timeline" target="_blank">a dizzying back-and-forth</a>&nbsp;over whether November SNAP benefits would be paid.“There has been huge amounts of chaos and confusion and disruption for both states and participants in recent weeks, largely due to the shutdown, but also because simultaneously, the administration has required states to implement many of the reconciliation bill’s SNAP cuts,” Bergh said.Craig, in her statement, also said Rollins’ comments would hurt the people who need the program.“I am astounded by the secretary’s careless disregard for the hungry seniors and children who can afford to eat because of this program,” she said.Sara Naomi Bleich, a public health policy professor at Harvard University, said in a phone interview the confusion from Rollins’ comments compounded hardships produced by the Republican reconciliation law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.“Big picture with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is that there’s basically this tidal wave coming to families that have low income,” Bleich, who worked at USDA during the Obama and Biden administrations, said. “They’re going to lose Medicaid. They’re going to lose SNAP. There could be collateral impacts on the school meals. This is going to be a really hard time for families to navigate.”

USDA wants everyone to reapply for food stamps. What does that mean?

WASHINGTON—&nbsp; President Donald Trump met with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday.&nbsp; The Oval Office meeting&nbsp; went well despite what many thought would happen.

WASHINGTON—&nbsp; President Donald Trump met with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday.&nbsp; The Oval Office meeting&nbsp; went well despite what many thought would happen.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani: &quot;He&#39;s got views that are a little out there, but who knows. We&#39;re going to see what works.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/5qBVFKDLxm">pic.twitter.com/5qBVFKDLxm</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1991971007012499913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;We had a meeting today that actually surprised me... We may disagree how we get there [on policy],&quot; says <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his meeting with Mayor-elect Mamdani. &quot;I expect to be helping him, not hurting him... because I want NYC to be great. Look, I love NYC. That&#39;s where I come from.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/lHlT4jRP0q">pic.twitter.com/lHlT4jRP0q</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1991975583707025732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;That&#39;s okay. You can just say yes. It&#39;s easier than explaining it. I don&#39;t mind.&quot; 🤣🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/5NpLP6v3gZ">pic.twitter.com/5NpLP6v3gZ</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1991973604305916370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> says he and Mayor-elect Mamdani discussed illegal immigration &quot;at great length&quot;: &quot;He wants to have a safe New York. Ultimately, a safe New York is going to be a great New York... if you don&#39;t have safe streets, it&#39;s not going to be a success.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/yjd1KhLOUA">pic.twitter.com/yjd1KhLOUA</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1991972232373936541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 Trump and NY Mayor-elect Mamdani's friendly Oval Office meeting

By:<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/alander-rocha/">Alander Rocha</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/ross-williams/">Ross Williams</a> <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/">Georgia Recorder</a>

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, a Rome Republican, announced her plans to resign from Congress Friday evening in an unexpected video message.

Greene, who was first elected in Georgia’s 14th congressional district in 2020, said in a lengthy and pointed video statement posted on social media that her last day in Congress will be Jan. 5, 2026.

Once a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, Trump publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/17/congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-is-charting-a-path-for-a-post-trump-era-gop-observers-say/">broke ties</a>&nbsp;with Greene after she expressed disagreement with him on a number of issues, the biggest of which was the release of the Epstein files.

Greene expressed disillusionment with the political system and Trump, predicting that if she were to stay in office, she would face and defeat a Trump-funded opponent while Republicans lose the midterms nationwide.

“It’s all so absurd and completely unserious,” she said in the video. “I refuse to be a battered wife hoping it all goes away and gets better. If I’m cast aside by the president and the MAGA political machine and replaced by neocons, big pharma, big tech, military industrial war complex, foreign leaders and the elite donor class that can never, ever relate to real Americans then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well.”

“There is no plan to save the world or a 4-D chess game being played,” she added. “When common American people realize and understand that the political industrial complex of both parties is ripping this country apart, that not one elected leader like me is able to stop Washington’s machine from gradually destroying our country and instead the reality is that they, common Americans, the people, possess the real power over Washington, then I’ll be here by their side to rebuild it.”

Trump taunted Greene in a social media post early Saturday morning, rolling out nicknames he developed for her after the start of their feud.

“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown, because of PLUMMETING Poll Numbers, and not wanting to face a Primary Challenger with a strong Trump Endorsement (where she would have no chance of winning!), has decided to call it ‘quits,’” he wrote.

Greene has said she found Trump’s “traitor” moniker for her especially galling because she has worked hard to support him for years. Trump says he now calls Greene Brown because green grass turns brown when it begins to rot.

“For some reason, primarily that I refused to return her never ending barrage of phone calls, Marjorie went BAD. Nevertheless, I will always appreciate Marjorie, and thank her for her service to our Country!” Trump added.

Greene has said she has received a spike in death threats that she attributes to the president’s rhetoric.

The Constitution calls on a state’s governor to declare a special election when a vacancy happens in the House of Representatives.&nbsp;

Greene was reportedly considering a run for higher office, including as Georgia governor or for Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat, both of which are up next year, but&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/u-s-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-says-shell-skip-georgias-2026-race-for-governor/">bowed out</a>&nbsp;of consideration after being discouraged by Trump.&nbsp;

Republican strategist Brian Robinson said that it’s unclear what Greene will do next, but that “she has the profile and the talent to make a splash whatever she does.”

“Her video message laid out a clear and detailed vision that could serve as a roadmap to a political future,” he said in a statement.

Greene said in her speech that her goal was to hold the Republican party accountable and put “America first.”

“I look forward to seeing many of you again sometime in the future,” she said and signed off with a smile.&nbsp;

Josh McKoon, chair of the Georgia Republican Party, called the announcement a “surprise.” He thanked Greene for her “fierce and unwavering service” and said in a statement that the congresswoman “has been a tireless fighter” for conservatives.

“She entered Congress as a political outsider and never backed down from defending the forgotten men and women of our state,” McKoon said.

McKoon said the party will work to elect another conservative to the district. The 14th congressional district is deeply red, and Greene was reelected to her third term in 2024 with 64.4% of the vote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714577209426.png" alt="File image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/alander-rocha/">Alander Rocha</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/ross-williams/">Ross Williams</a> <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/">Georgia Recorder</a>U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, a Rome Republican, announced her plans to resign from Congress Friday evening in an unexpected video message.Greene, who was first elected in Georgia’s 14th congressional district in 2020, said in a lengthy and pointed video statement posted on social media that her last day in Congress will be Jan. 5, 2026.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My official statement. <a href="https://t.co/x48zEugmPV">pic.twitter.com/x48zEugmPV</a>&mdash; Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) <a href="https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1992037226415554642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Once a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, Trump publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/17/congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-is-charting-a-path-for-a-post-trump-era-gop-observers-say/">broke ties</a>&nbsp;with Greene after she expressed disagreement with him on a number of issues, the biggest of which was the release of the Epstein files.Greene expressed disillusionment with the political system and Trump, predicting that if she were to stay in office, she would face and defeat a Trump-funded opponent while Republicans lose the midterms nationwide.“It’s all so absurd and completely unserious,” she said in the video. “I refuse to be a battered wife hoping it all goes away and gets better. If I’m cast aside by the president and the MAGA political machine and replaced by neocons, big pharma, big tech, military industrial war complex, foreign leaders and the elite donor class that can never, ever relate to real Americans then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well.”“There is no plan to save the world or a 4-D chess game being played,” she added. “When common American people realize and understand that the political industrial complex of both parties is ripping this country apart, that not one elected leader like me is able to stop Washington’s machine from gradually destroying our country and instead the reality is that they, common Americans, the people, possess the real power over Washington, then I’ll be here by their side to rebuild it.”Trump taunted Greene in a social media post early Saturday morning, rolling out nicknames he developed for her after the start of their feud.“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown, because of PLUMMETING Poll Numbers, and not wanting to face a Primary Challenger with a strong Trump Endorsement (where she would have no chance of winning!), has decided to call it ‘quits,’” he wrote.Greene has said she found Trump’s “traitor” moniker for her especially galling because she has worked hard to support him for years. Trump says he now calls Greene Brown because green grass turns brown when it begins to rot.“For some reason, primarily that I refused to return her never ending barrage of phone calls, Marjorie went BAD. Nevertheless, I will always appreciate Marjorie, and thank her for her service to our Country!” Trump added.Greene has said she has received a spike in death threats that she attributes to the president’s rhetoric.The Constitution calls on a state’s governor to declare a special election when a vacancy happens in the House of Representatives.&nbsp;Greene was reportedly considering a run for higher office, including as Georgia governor or for Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat, both of which are up next year, but&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/u-s-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-says-shell-skip-georgias-2026-race-for-governor/">bowed out</a>&nbsp;of consideration after being discouraged by Trump.&nbsp;Republican strategist Brian Robinson said that it’s unclear what Greene will do next, but that “she has the profile and the talent to make a splash whatever she does.”“Her video message laid out a clear and detailed vision that could serve as a roadmap to a political future,” he said in a statement.Greene said in her speech that her goal was to hold the Republican party accountable and put “America first.”“I look forward to seeing many of you again sometime in the future,” she said and signed off with a smile.&nbsp;Josh McKoon, chair of the Georgia Republican Party, called the announcement a “surprise.” He thanked Greene for her “fierce and unwavering service” and said in a statement that the congresswoman “has been a tireless fighter” for conservatives.“She entered Congress as a political outsider and never backed down from defending the forgotten men and women of our state,” McKoon said.McKoon said the party will work to elect another conservative to the district. The 14th congressional district is deeply red, and Greene was reelected to her third term in 2024 with 64.4% of the vote.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will resign in January

Springdale, Ark. — Tyson Foods announced today that it will end operations at its Lexington, Nebraska beef facility as part of network changes designed to “right size” its beef business and position it for long-term success.

The company also plans to convert its Amarillo, Texas beef facility to a single, full-capacity shift while increasing production at other Tyson beef facilities to meet customer demand.

In its statement, Tyson Foods acknowledged the impact these decisions will have on team members and local communities. The company said it is committed to supporting affected employees through the transition, including helping them apply for positions at other facilities and providing relocation benefits.

Tyson Foods emphasized that these changes are intended to ensure the company continues delivering “high-quality, affordable, and nutritious protein for generations to come.”

Tyson Foods, founded in 1935 and headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, employs approximately 133,000 team members worldwide and owns a portfolio of well-known brands including Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, and Ball Park®.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763763763794.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Springdale, Ark. — Tyson Foods announced today that it will end operations at its Lexington, Nebraska beef facility as part of network changes designed to “right size” its beef business and position it for long-term success.The company also plans to convert its Amarillo, Texas beef facility to a single, full-capacity shift while increasing production at other Tyson beef facilities to meet customer demand.In its statement, Tyson Foods acknowledged the impact these decisions will have on team members and local communities. The company said it is committed to supporting affected employees through the transition, including helping them apply for positions at other facilities and providing relocation benefits.Tyson Foods emphasized that these changes are intended to ensure the company continues delivering “high-quality, affordable, and nutritious protein for generations to come.”Tyson Foods, founded in 1935 and headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, employs approximately 133,000 team members worldwide and owns a portfolio of well-known brands including Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, and Ball Park®.

Tyson Foods to Close Lexington, Nebraska Beef Plant

WASHINGTON–&nbsp;On Thursday,&nbsp; Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall released the following statement after the Senate passed his legislation to restore whole milk in schools.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act&nbsp;expands healthy milk options in schools by reversing the Obama-era law that took whole milk out of school cafeterias.

“Whole milk is the most nutritious drink known to mankind, and for whatever reason, the federal government took it out of our schools over a decade ago – robbing an entire generation of essential dairy intake. As an obstetrician, I cannot stress the extensive list of benefits that comes from drinking whole – and most of all, it just tastes better,”&nbsp;said Senator Marshall.&nbsp;“I’m proud to see another win on the MAHA agenda cross the finish line in the Senate and am looking forward to seeing it signed into law.”

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf">Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a>&nbsp;(DGA) reports that nearly 90% of Americans do not meet their daily dairy intake recommendations. Specifically, Americans are lacking enough Calcium and Vitamin D, and whole milk is an excellent source of both vitamins. Leading nutritionists&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522012898?via%3Dihub">have found</a>&nbsp;that whole dairy fats have no negative effect on a diet, and may even reduce the risk of heart disease.

The legislation was first&nbsp;introduced&nbsp;by Senator Marshall in June of 2023. It was reintroduced in April of 2025 with numerous bipartisan sponsors and co-sponsors and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-marshalls-legislation-to-restore-whole-milk-in-schools-passes-senate-agriculture-committee/">passed</a>&nbsp;the Senate Agriculture Committee in June of 2025.

WASHINGTON–&nbsp;On Thursday,&nbsp; Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall released the following statement after the Senate passed his legislation to restore whole milk in schools.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act&nbsp;expands healthy milk options in schools by reversing the Obama-era law that took whole milk out of school cafeterias.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><a href="https://t.co/UTi7tRhtMD">https://t.co/UTi7tRhtMD</a> <a href="https://t.co/W7QVf5dxvQ">pic.twitter.com/W7QVf5dxvQ</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1991605244988461489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Whole milk is the most nutritious drink known to mankind, and for whatever reason, the federal government took it out of our schools over a decade ago – robbing an entire generation of essential dairy intake. As an obstetrician, I cannot stress the extensive list of benefits that comes from drinking whole – and most of all, it just tastes better,”&nbsp;said Senator Marshall.&nbsp;“I’m proud to see another win on the MAHA agenda cross the finish line in the Senate and am looking forward to seeing it signed into law.”The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf">Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a>&nbsp;(DGA) reports that nearly 90% of Americans do not meet their daily dairy intake recommendations. Specifically, Americans are lacking enough Calcium and Vitamin D, and whole milk is an excellent source of both vitamins. Leading nutritionists&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522012898?via%3Dihub">have found</a>&nbsp;that whole dairy fats have no negative effect on a diet, and may even reduce the risk of heart disease.The legislation was first&nbsp;introduced&nbsp;by Senator Marshall in June of 2023. It was reintroduced in April of 2025 with numerous bipartisan sponsors and co-sponsors and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-marshalls-legislation-to-restore-whole-milk-in-schools-passes-senate-agriculture-committee/">passed</a>&nbsp;the Senate Agriculture Committee in June of 2025.

Kan. U.S. Senator's bill to restore whole milk in schools passes the Senate

President Trump is accusing six Democratic lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after the lawmakers, all veterans, called on U.S. military members to uphold the Constitution and defy “illegal orders” in a video posted to X.

This is the original video that prompted President Trump to respond.

President Trump is accusing six Democratic lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after the lawmakers, all veterans, called on U.S. military members to uphold the Constitution and defy “illegal orders” in a video posted to X.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763674382514.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>This is the original video that prompted President Trump to respond.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship. <a href="https://t.co/N8lW0EpQ7r">pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r</a>&mdash; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763731398462.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) goes on a ridiculous rant where she doubles down on her treason where she told US Military to disobey orders. She’s telling servicemembers to commit sedition. Her doing that is clear treason. Try her. Sentence her to life.<a href="https://t.co/YyXpGhfgdf">pic.twitter.com/YyXpGhfgdf</a>&mdash; Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bubblebathgirl/status/1991643812389638283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Earlier this morning, President Trump threatened me and a group of service and veteran Members of Congress with arrest, trial, and death by hanging. Here’s my response: <a href="https://t.co/jIZYrQTlP7">pic.twitter.com/jIZYrQTlP7</a>&mdash; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1991571957494448420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/rGyeeyOEXf">pic.twitter.com/rGyeeyOEXf</a>&mdash; Chrissy Houlahan (@RepHoulahan) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepHoulahan/status/1991636065774628945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The President of the United States just called for my arrest and execution. In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage: <a href="https://t.co/QMkRRoUxEn">pic.twitter.com/QMkRRoUxEn</a>&mdash; Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJasonCrow/status/1991584226907681097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Don&#39;t give up the ship. <a href="https://t.co/T4EiN521iY">pic.twitter.com/T4EiN521iY</a>&mdash; Chrissy Houlahan (@RepHoulahan) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepHoulahan/status/1991572053825093961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a> should agree to testify on domestic deployments. It is a fundamental issue to who we are as Americans. No matter where you land on the issue, transparency shouldn’t be seen as a threat. <a href="https://t.co/H3SrQ31RlX">pic.twitter.com/H3SrQ31RlX</a>&mdash; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1991325305101832674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donald Trump is calling for my death and others, and every political leader should condemn the President&#39;s violent threats. <a href="https://t.co/Cgtmoujsba">pic.twitter.com/Cgtmoujsba</a>&mdash; Congressman Chris Deluzio (@RepDeluzio) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDeluzio/status/1991611011942724004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> Karoline Leavitt: &quot;No. Let&#39;s be clear about what the president is responding to...you have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message… <a href="https://t.co/pPCLJ4LqCD">pic.twitter.com/pPCLJ4LqCD</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1991596354767057136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Dem lawmakers respond to President Trump's accusation of sedition

Measure comes after legislative session in which lawmakers prodded for changes to weaken or reverse ballot-passed laws

&nbsp; By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jsalinas/">Juan Salinas II</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/30/nebraska-dhhs-website-blames-dems-for-federal-government-shutdown-as-snap-shutoff-looms/">Nebraska Examiner&nbsp;</a>

LINCOLN — A group of voting advocates filed a ballot measure to make it harder for Nebraska lawmakers to override or alter voter-passed laws.&nbsp;

The group, Respect Nebraska Voters, announced its push to gather signatures on Thursday. The initiative is a state constitutional amendment that would require bigger majorities to repeal or change any law passed by voters.

The measure also would require larger majorities to make changes to the requirements or processes for a citizen-led initiative to reach the ballot.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Currently the Legislature needs two-thirds of lawmakers, or 33 senators, to vote to make those kinds of changes. The ballot measure would increase the required vote to four-fifths, or 40 senators.

Dawn Essink, a sponsor of the&nbsp;new ballot measure, said what prompted the proposed constitutional amendment is seeing the “anger from a lot of Nebraskans who had worked very hard on that paid sick leave initiative, among other initiatives.”

The new push comes after this year’s legislative session, in which the officially nonpartisan but Republican-led Nebraska Legislature, often with gubernatorial support and the support of at least one Democrat, prodded for changes that would have weakened or reversed some ballot measures.&nbsp;

Essink said the ballot initiative process was designed so that the voice of Nebraska voters is heard, but lawmakers are disrespecting voters.&nbsp;

“The Legislature is taking that vote and watering it down … diluting it … call it whatever you want, but they’re changing it to their will, not the will of the people,”&nbsp;Essink said.

For example, advocates said, the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/06/pillen-hilgers-address-omaha-tribe-of-nebraska-marijuana-law-and-tobacco-tax-compact/">state is currently slowrolling</a>&nbsp;two voter-approved laws legalizing and regulating medical cannabis. Nebraska’s GOP lawmakers and Democratic State Sen. Jane Raybold of Lincoln successfully pushed to weaken the voter-approved law’s blanket requirements for paid sick leave by adding new restrictions and exceptions. Legislative majorities tried — and failed for now — to slow down voter-approved minimum wage increases. That proposal is already scheduled to be reconsidered in the upcoming session.

Some conservative lawmakers have considered making the petition process harder because of the recent passage of more progressive measures have been passed in recent years.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Jo Giles, executive director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha and a ballot measure sponsor, said the group wants to add “protections for the ballot initiative” and hopes Gov. Jim Pillen and conservative lawmakers support it.&nbsp;

The ballot initiative process “is direct democracy,” she said. “It is letting Nebraskans vote for issues that come up, and we want them to respect the will of the people,” Giles said.&nbsp;

The group organizing the new petition drive would need to gather the signatures of 10 percent of the state’s registered voters since the initiative seeks to change the state constitution.&nbsp;

Respect Nebraska Voters has until July to get on the November 2026 ballot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763734074431.png" alt="Volunteer Chelle Jones, right, collects signatures from Jeff and Marge Everman of La Vista, left, for a ballot initiative in support of medical cannabis during the Omaha Farmers Market at the Old Market on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Volunteer Chelle Jones, right, collects signatures from Jeff and Marge Everman of La Vista, left, for a ballot initiative in support of medical cannabis during the Omaha Farmers Market at the Old Market on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Measure comes after legislative session in which lawmakers prodded for changes to weaken or reverse ballot-passed laws</h2>&nbsp; By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jsalinas/">Juan Salinas II</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/30/nebraska-dhhs-website-blames-dems-for-federal-government-shutdown-as-snap-shutoff-looms/">Nebraska Examiner&nbsp;</a>LINCOLN — A group of voting advocates filed a ballot measure to make it harder for Nebraska lawmakers to override or alter voter-passed laws.&nbsp;The group, Respect Nebraska Voters, announced its push to gather signatures on Thursday. The initiative is a state constitutional amendment that would require bigger majorities to repeal or change any law passed by voters.The measure also would require larger majorities to make changes to the requirements or processes for a citizen-led initiative to reach the ballot.&nbsp;&nbsp;Currently the Legislature needs two-thirds of lawmakers, or 33 senators, to vote to make those kinds of changes. The ballot measure would increase the required vote to four-fifths, or 40 senators.Dawn Essink, a sponsor of the&nbsp;new ballot measure, said what prompted the proposed constitutional amendment is seeing the “anger from a lot of Nebraskans who had worked very hard on that paid sick leave initiative, among other initiatives.”The new push comes after this year’s legislative session, in which the officially nonpartisan but Republican-led Nebraska Legislature, often with gubernatorial support and the support of at least one Democrat, prodded for changes that would have weakened or reversed some ballot measures.&nbsp;Essink said the ballot initiative process was designed so that the voice of Nebraska voters is heard, but lawmakers are disrespecting voters.&nbsp;“The Legislature is taking that vote and watering it down … diluting it … call it whatever you want, but they’re changing it to their will, not the will of the people,”&nbsp;Essink said.For example, advocates said, the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/06/pillen-hilgers-address-omaha-tribe-of-nebraska-marijuana-law-and-tobacco-tax-compact/">state is currently slowrolling</a>&nbsp;two voter-approved laws legalizing and regulating medical cannabis. Nebraska’s GOP lawmakers and Democratic State Sen. Jane Raybold of Lincoln successfully pushed to weaken the voter-approved law’s blanket requirements for paid sick leave by adding new restrictions and exceptions. Legislative majorities tried — and failed for now — to slow down voter-approved minimum wage increases. That proposal is already scheduled to be reconsidered in the upcoming session.Some conservative lawmakers have considered making the petition process harder because of the recent passage of more progressive measures have been passed in recent years.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jo Giles, executive director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha and a ballot measure sponsor, said the group wants to add “protections for the ballot initiative” and hopes Gov. Jim Pillen and conservative lawmakers support it.&nbsp;The ballot initiative process “is direct democracy,” she said. “It is letting Nebraskans vote for issues that come up, and we want them to respect the will of the people,” Giles said.&nbsp;The group organizing the new petition drive would need to gather the signatures of 10 percent of the state’s registered voters since the initiative seeks to change the state constitution.&nbsp;Respect Nebraska Voters has until July to get on the November 2026 ballot.

Nebraska group pushes to ‘protect’ voter-passed laws via ballot initiative

By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of sedition on social media Thursday and threatened them with punishment as severe as death, after they appeared in a video message encouraging U.S. armed forces to refuse “illegal orders.”

Trump also shared another social media post that said the Democrats should be hanged.

The video’s distribution online by Democrats comes as the Trump administration is mired in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/19/nx-s1-5612793/national-guard-tennessee-trump-court-lawsuit" target="_blank">multiple legal cases</a>&nbsp;objecting to the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to cities across the country, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/trump-v-illinois/" target="_blank">challenge</a>&nbsp;to Guard troops in Chicago which is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In several morning posts on his own social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP??? President DJT”&nbsp;

“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!,” he added a couple of hours later.

Prior to writing and publishing his own, the president reposted several messages from users on Truth Social, including one by a user with the handle @P78 who wrote, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”&nbsp;

Trump and his social media supporters were referring to&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948" target="_blank">the video</a>, which featured Democratic U.S. lawmakers who served in the military telling current members of the military and the intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”

Each line in the video is alternately delivered by Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Jason Crow of Colorado.

“We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now. Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home. Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders,” the lawmakers said.

The video was titled “Don’t give up the ship.”

Does Trump want to ‘execute’ Democrats?

When asked by a CBS News reporter during the daily press briefing Thursday whether the president wants to “execute” members of Congress, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt answered, “No.”

Leavitt said Trump was reacting to sitting members of Congress who “conspired” on the video message to encourage active duty service members and national security officials to “defy the president’s lawful orders.”

Leavitt singled out the participation of Slotkin and Kelly, who respectively served as a CIA intelligence officer and a Navy captain. Leavitt also highlighted&nbsp; Goodlander’s marriage to former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who served under President Joe Biden.

“They were leaning into their credentials as former members of our military, as veterans, as former members of the national security apparatus, to signal to people serving under this commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, that you can defy him, and you can betray your oath of office. That is a very, very dangerous message, and it perhaps is punishable by law,” Leavitt said.

During the ongoing exchange, CBS’s Nancy Cordes pressed back, saying the lawmakers specifically say “illegal order” in the video.

“They’re suggesting, Nancy, that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not. Every single order that is given to this United States military by this commander in chief and through this chain of command, through the secretary of War, is lawful,” Leavitt responded.

Democratic lawmakers sounded the alarm Thursday over Trump’s social media posts, accusing him of encouraging political violence.

“Let’s be crystal clear: the president of the United States is calling for the execution of elected officials. This is an outright threat, and it’s deadly serious. We have already seen what happens when Donald Trump tells his followers that his political opponents are enemies of the state,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Thursday.

“Every time Donald Trump posts things like this, he makes political violence more likely. None of us should tolerate this kind of behavior,” Schumer said, highlighting political violence in recent years, including the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and political assassinations just this past year.

House Committee on the Judiciary Chair Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called on Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to “immediately denounce these reckless statements.”

The six Democratic lawmakers featured in the video issued a joint statement, saying they “love this country and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

“That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation. What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law,” the lawmakers said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763664714769.png" alt="Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan image from the controversial video" />
 <figcaption>Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan image from the controversial video</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of sedition on social media Thursday and threatened them with punishment as severe as death, after they appeared in a video message encouraging U.S. armed forces to refuse “illegal orders.”Trump also shared another social media post that said the Democrats should be hanged.The video’s distribution online by Democrats comes as the Trump administration is mired in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/19/nx-s1-5612793/national-guard-tennessee-trump-court-lawsuit" target="_blank">multiple legal cases</a>&nbsp;objecting to the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to cities across the country, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/trump-v-illinois/" target="_blank">challenge</a>&nbsp;to Guard troops in Chicago which is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763674382514.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>In several morning posts on his own social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP??? President DJT”&nbsp;“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!,” he added a couple of hours later.Prior to writing and publishing his own, the president reposted several messages from users on Truth Social, including one by a user with the handle @P78 who wrote, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”&nbsp;Trump and his social media supporters were referring to&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948" target="_blank">the video</a>, which featured Democratic U.S. lawmakers who served in the military telling current members of the military and the intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship. <a href="https://t.co/N8lW0EpQ7r">pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r</a>&mdash; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Each line in the video is alternately delivered by Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Jason Crow of Colorado.“We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now. Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home. Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders,” the lawmakers said.The video was titled “Don’t give up the ship.”<h2>Does Trump want to ‘execute’ Democrats?</h2><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> Karoline Leavitt: &quot;No. Let&#39;s be clear about what the president is responding to...you have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message… <a href="https://t.co/pPCLJ4LqCD">pic.twitter.com/pPCLJ4LqCD</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1991596354767057136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>When asked by a CBS News reporter during the daily press briefing Thursday whether the president wants to “execute” members of Congress, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt answered, “No.”Leavitt said Trump was reacting to sitting members of Congress who “conspired” on the video message to encourage active duty service members and national security officials to “defy the president’s lawful orders.”Leavitt singled out the participation of Slotkin and Kelly, who respectively served as a CIA intelligence officer and a Navy captain. Leavitt also highlighted&nbsp; Goodlander’s marriage to former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who served under President Joe Biden.“They were leaning into their credentials as former members of our military, as veterans, as former members of the national security apparatus, to signal to people serving under this commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, that you can defy him, and you can betray your oath of office. That is a very, very dangerous message, and it perhaps is punishable by law,” Leavitt said.During the ongoing exchange, CBS’s Nancy Cordes pressed back, saying the lawmakers specifically say “illegal order” in the video.“They’re suggesting, Nancy, that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not. Every single order that is given to this United States military by this commander in chief and through this chain of command, through the secretary of War, is lawful,” Leavitt responded.<h2>Democrats decry political violence&nbsp;</h2>Democratic lawmakers sounded the alarm Thursday over Trump’s social media posts, accusing him of encouraging political violence.“Let’s be crystal clear: the president of the United States is calling for the execution of elected officials. This is an outright threat, and it’s deadly serious. We have already seen what happens when Donald Trump tells his followers that his political opponents are enemies of the state,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Thursday.“Every time Donald Trump posts things like this, he makes political violence more likely. None of us should tolerate this kind of behavior,” Schumer said, highlighting political violence in recent years, including the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and political assassinations just this past year.House Committee on the Judiciary Chair Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called on Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to “immediately denounce these reckless statements.”The six Democratic lawmakers featured in the video issued a joint statement, saying they “love this country and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”“That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation. What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law,” the lawmakers said.

Trump accuses Democratic lawmakers of ‘seditious behavior, punishable by death’

By Clark Kauffman | <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/20/lawsuit-claims-farm-bureau-hid-fraudulent-activity-from-insurance-regulators/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

DES MOINES — Two alleged whistleblowers are suing Farm Bureau Property &amp; Casualty Insurance Co. and its affiliates for alleged racketeering, wrongful termination and concealment of information from state regulators.

The lawsuit alleges Farm Bureau officials repeatedly concealed from regulators in Iowa and other states instances of fraudulent activity committed by company agents or employees. The defendants’ conduct in the matter amounts to racketeering, obstruction of justice, and mail fraud or wire fraud, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit was filed by James Newton and Brent Meskimen, former police officers who later became special investigators for Farm Bureau. They are suing Farm Bureau Property &amp; Casualty Insurance Co., FBL Financial Group, Farm Bureau Financial Services, and the West Des Moines law firm of Wickham &amp; Geadelmann in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Also named as defendants in the case are several Farm Bureau executives and attorneys.

The lawsuit claims Farm Bureau officials “engaged in a scheme to defraud insurance policyholders, insurance and other governmental regulatory authorities, and other participants in the insurance industry who are complying with their mandatory duty of reporting fraud and other fraudulent or other illegal acts.”

It also claims the defendants violated Iowa’s law on the wrongful discharge of employees in violation of public policy. That law prohibits the termination of employees for refusing to participate in illegal conduct or for acting as whistleblowers by reporting or objecting to illegal conduct.

The defendants in the case have yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Calls to Farm Bureau, Farm Bureau Financial Services and the law firm of Wickham &amp; Geadelmann were not immediately returned Wednesday.

The lawsuit claims that as far back as 2011, Farm Bureau officials failed to report to state regulators evidence of fraudulent activity within the company, but the “straw that broke the camel’s back” was an insurance adjuster’s alleged break-in on a policyholder’s property.

According to the lawsuit, a residential fire occurred at the policyholder’s Nebraska residence on May 5, 2023, and the policyholder immediately filed a claim for losses.

In the course of investigating the claim, Farm Bureau’s Special Investigation Unit learned that an adjuster working for the company had used a credit card to pick the lock of the policyholder’s garage near the scene of the fire to determine whether it contained items the insured claimed as being lost in the fire, the lawsuit alleges.

Newton and Meskimen allegedly met with Farm Bureau’s general counsel, Wickham, and advised him Farm Bureau had an obligation to inform the policyholder of the illegal access to their garage.

According to the lawsuit, the company’s assistant general counsel, Karl Olson, “eventually agreed” to allow Meskimen and Newton to meet with the policyholder and inform them of the illegal garage entry by the adjuster, but barred Meskimen and Newton from disclosing that two third-party vendors hired to investigate the claim had also been inside the garage.

The lawsuit claims Olson and Property Casualty Claims Vice President Anthony Kimmi then agreed that all “poisonous” documentation pertaining to the illegal entry, including photographs, should be placed in a separate file using a canceled insurance policy associated with a Minnesota policyholder who had no association at all with Nebraska fire.

After the new file was created for information about the garage, efforts were made to “lock down” the file to ensure limited access to its contents, and Kimmi directed the staff to suppress all printout capabilities from the file, the lawsuit alleges.

On June 9, 2023, Newton and Meskimen allegedly met with Wickham, the general counsel, at the Farm Bureau home office in West Des Moines and reported that they “could no longer in good conscience be associated with this file,” the lawsuit claims, telling Wickham “it was wrong ethically and that it violated state statutes, claims best practices, Farm Bureau core values, doing what’s right, and that it could very well be criminal and could potentially violate privacy rights.”

According to the lawsuit, Wickham responded by saying he’d speak to Farm Bureau leadership “to make sure this never happens again,” to which Meskimen allegedly said the directive to create the file “came straight from General Counsel Wickham’s own assistant general counsel, Olson.”

After Newton, Meskimen and the Special Investigations Unit concluded fraud had been committed by the company, the findings were allegedly relayed to Paul Swinton, a vice president and assistant general counsel of property and casualty at FBL Financial Group, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims Swinton refused to forward “the significant majority of the findings” to regulators in Iowa and Nebraska for their review and investigation, despite mandatory-reporting requirements.

Lawsuit: State regulators kept in the dark

According to the lawsuit, the 2023 incident was not the first time Swinton and Newton clashed over information that wasn’t being shared with state regulators.

“Newton and Meskimen were often and continually directed not to make mandatory referrals to the appropriate Departments of Insurance for review and investigation by the appropriate insurance regulators in states where FBL Financial Group was operating and conducting business, including Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico,” the lawsuit alleges.

Among the alleged examples cited in the lawsuit:

The lawsuit alleges that while the unreported instances of fraudulent activity date back to 2011, it was the May 2023 garage break-in that “the tipping point for Newton and Meskimen.”

The lawsuit alleges that on Aug. 30, 2023, Newton had an in-person meeting with Wickham and insisted the information related to that case needed to be referred to the Nebraska Department of Insurance. “Wickham responded by telling Newton that if he made that referral his career would be over,” the lawsuit claims.

On Nov. 9, 2023, Newton and Meskimen allegedly met with Karen Rieck, the vice president of human resources for Farm Bureau Financial Services, and voiced their concerns about the lack of referrals to state regulators.

A week later, Newton received a phone call from Wickham and Rieck, in which Wickham said Newton had “essentially resigned” by refusing to report directly to Swinton. The lawsuit alleges Newton indicated he had no problem reporting to Swinton but that if Swinton was not going to make the mandatory referrals related to fraud, he would do so himself.

“As a result, Newton was fired,” the lawsuit claims. Meskimen was allegedly fired five days later after telling his superiors that he, too, would make such referrals if they were required by law.

The lawsuit claims that shortly before the two men were fired they each were given positive performance reviews, with Newton described by his superiors as “one of the most well-respected employees in the organization” and Meskimen described as a trusted leader whose “integrity is beyond reproach.”

In addition to Swinton, Olson, Kimmi and Wickham, the named defendants in the lawsuit include Daniel Pitcher, chief executive officer of FBL Financial Group and Farm Bureau Financial Services, and Ronald Mead Jr., the chief operating officer for property casualty of FBL Financial Group and Farm Bureau Financial Services.

By Clark Kauffman | <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/20/lawsuit-claims-farm-bureau-hid-fraudulent-activity-from-insurance-regulators/">Nebraska Examiner</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763666192734.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES — Two alleged whistleblowers are suing Farm Bureau Property &amp; Casualty Insurance Co. and its affiliates for alleged racketeering, wrongful termination and concealment of information from state regulators.The lawsuit alleges Farm Bureau officials repeatedly concealed from regulators in Iowa and other states instances of fraudulent activity committed by company agents or employees. The defendants’ conduct in the matter amounts to racketeering, obstruction of justice, and mail fraud or wire fraud, the lawsuit claims.The lawsuit was filed by James Newton and Brent Meskimen, former police officers who later became special investigators for Farm Bureau. They are suing Farm Bureau Property &amp; Casualty Insurance Co., FBL Financial Group, Farm Bureau Financial Services, and the West Des Moines law firm of Wickham &amp; Geadelmann in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Also named as defendants in the case are several Farm Bureau executives and attorneys.The lawsuit claims Farm Bureau officials “engaged in a scheme to defraud insurance policyholders, insurance and other governmental regulatory authorities, and other participants in the insurance industry who are complying with their mandatory duty of reporting fraud and other fraudulent or other illegal acts.”It also claims the defendants violated Iowa’s law on the wrongful discharge of employees in violation of public policy. That law prohibits the termination of employees for refusing to participate in illegal conduct or for acting as whistleblowers by reporting or objecting to illegal conduct.The defendants in the case have yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Calls to Farm Bureau, Farm Bureau Financial Services and the law firm of Wickham &amp; Geadelmann were not immediately returned Wednesday.<h2>Break-in at policyholder’s residence</h2>The lawsuit claims that as far back as 2011, Farm Bureau officials failed to report to state regulators evidence of fraudulent activity within the company, but the “straw that broke the camel’s back” was an insurance adjuster’s alleged break-in on a policyholder’s property.According to the lawsuit, a residential fire occurred at the policyholder’s Nebraska residence on May 5, 2023, and the policyholder immediately filed a claim for losses.In the course of investigating the claim, Farm Bureau’s Special Investigation Unit learned that an adjuster working for the company had used a credit card to pick the lock of the policyholder’s garage near the scene of the fire to determine whether it contained items the insured claimed as being lost in the fire, the lawsuit alleges.Newton and Meskimen allegedly met with Farm Bureau’s general counsel, Wickham, and advised him Farm Bureau had an obligation to inform the policyholder of the illegal access to their garage.According to the lawsuit, the company’s assistant general counsel, Karl Olson, “eventually agreed” to allow Meskimen and Newton to meet with the policyholder and inform them of the illegal garage entry by the adjuster, but barred Meskimen and Newton from disclosing that two third-party vendors hired to investigate the claim had also been inside the garage.The lawsuit claims Olson and Property Casualty Claims Vice President Anthony Kimmi then agreed that all “poisonous” documentation pertaining to the illegal entry, including photographs, should be placed in a separate file using a canceled insurance policy associated with a Minnesota policyholder who had no association at all with Nebraska fire.After the new file was created for information about the garage, efforts were made to “lock down” the file to ensure limited access to its contents, and Kimmi directed the staff to suppress all printout capabilities from the file, the lawsuit alleges.On June 9, 2023, Newton and Meskimen allegedly met with Wickham, the general counsel, at the Farm Bureau home office in West Des Moines and reported that they “could no longer in good conscience be associated with this file,” the lawsuit claims, telling Wickham “it was wrong ethically and that it violated state statutes, claims best practices, Farm Bureau core values, doing what’s right, and that it could very well be criminal and could potentially violate privacy rights.”According to the lawsuit, Wickham responded by saying he’d speak to Farm Bureau leadership “to make sure this never happens again,” to which Meskimen allegedly said the directive to create the file “came straight from General Counsel Wickham’s own assistant general counsel, Olson.”After Newton, Meskimen and the Special Investigations Unit concluded fraud had been committed by the company, the findings were allegedly relayed to Paul Swinton, a vice president and assistant general counsel of property and casualty at FBL Financial Group, according to the lawsuit.The lawsuit claims Swinton refused to forward “the significant majority of the findings” to regulators in Iowa and Nebraska for their review and investigation, despite mandatory-reporting requirements.<h2>Lawsuit: State regulators kept in the dark</h2>According to the lawsuit, the 2023 incident was not the first time Swinton and Newton clashed over information that wasn’t being shared with state regulators.“Newton and Meskimen were often and continually directed not to make mandatory referrals to the appropriate Departments of Insurance for review and investigation by the appropriate insurance regulators in states where FBL Financial Group was operating and conducting business, including Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico,” the lawsuit alleges.Among the alleged examples cited in the lawsuit:<ul>
 <li>Forged signatures:&nbsp;In the spring of 2023, a Farm Bureau agent in Kansas admitted he had forged the signatures of approximately 50 of his policyholders, without their permission, over a period of three to four years, and that the forms contained false and misleading information to support of the clients’ insurance policy applications. Farm Bureau “refused to allow Newton and/or Meskimen to submit this admitted fraudulent conduct to the Kansas Department of Insurance,” the lawsuit alleges, despite a state law requiring such reporting.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Two fired agents:&nbsp;In 2022, Swinton refused to share information with regulators about two fired Farm Bureau agents. In one of the two cases, a Kansas agent admitted to having forged at least 900 various documents with clients’ signatures, allegedly with the clients’ consent, and another 100 documents without the clients’ consent. Swinton allegedly refused to share information with regulators about the two firings. The lawsuit claims that after Newton wrote in an annual report that he had concerns with such matters going unreported, Wickham “was furious” and instructed him to never put anything in writing like that again.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Fraudulent claim:&nbsp;In 2023, after a Farm Bureau agent was fired for filing a fraudulent claim on his own home in Utah, Swinton or others within the company refused to allow Newton and Meskimen to submit information on the agent’s conduct to the Utah Department of Insurance, despite a state law requiring such a referral.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Father’s altered policy:&nbsp;In 2018, the company’s Special Investigations Unit determined an Iowa agent had altered a customer’s policy after a fire so that the policy included a Ford Mustang that was consumed in the blaze. The customer was the agent’s father and a retired Farm Bureau agent. The lawsuit claims Swinton barred the unit from referring the incident to the Iowa Department of Insurance.</li>
 </ul><h2>Newton and Meskimen are fired</h2>The lawsuit alleges that while the unreported instances of fraudulent activity date back to 2011, it was the May 2023 garage break-in that “the tipping point for Newton and Meskimen.”The lawsuit alleges that on Aug. 30, 2023, Newton had an in-person meeting with Wickham and insisted the information related to that case needed to be referred to the Nebraska Department of Insurance. “Wickham responded by telling Newton that if he made that referral his career would be over,” the lawsuit claims.On Nov. 9, 2023, Newton and Meskimen allegedly met with Karen Rieck, the vice president of human resources for Farm Bureau Financial Services, and voiced their concerns about the lack of referrals to state regulators.A week later, Newton received a phone call from Wickham and Rieck, in which Wickham said Newton had “essentially resigned” by refusing to report directly to Swinton. The lawsuit alleges Newton indicated he had no problem reporting to Swinton but that if Swinton was not going to make the mandatory referrals related to fraud, he would do so himself.“As a result, Newton was fired,” the lawsuit claims. Meskimen was allegedly fired five days later after telling his superiors that he, too, would make such referrals if they were required by law.The lawsuit claims that shortly before the two men were fired they each were given positive performance reviews, with Newton described by his superiors as “one of the most well-respected employees in the organization” and Meskimen described as a trusted leader whose “integrity is beyond reproach.”In addition to Swinton, Olson, Kimmi and Wickham, the named defendants in the lawsuit include Daniel Pitcher, chief executive officer of FBL Financial Group and Farm Bureau Financial Services, and Ronald Mead Jr., the chief operating officer for property casualty of FBL Financial Group and Farm Bureau Financial Services.

Lawsuit claims Farm Bureau hid fraudulent activity from insurance regulators

State lawmakers now tasked with filling larger shortfall than they just filled earlier this year

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers will begin their 60-day legislative session in January with a larger projected deficit than the hole they just filled during the 90-day session this year.

The new projected deficit stands at roughly $471 million, as confirmed by Legislative Fiscal Analyst Keisha Patent during a meeting Thursday of the Nebraska Legislature’s Tax Rate Review Committee.

“I wish it was rosier, but we’ll figure it out,” said State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, the committee’s chair, at the end of the meeting.

Lawmakers this spring grappled with a fluctuating deficit that at one point grew to $432 million. After some cuts, they ended the session with a projected surplus of about $4 million by the end of the biennium in 2027.

However, state senators left a structural deficit that would have grown to about $129 million by the end of the following biennium in 2029.

Shortly after the session ended, new estimates and revenue numbers pushed the current two-year budget back into a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/07/24/nebraska-is-back-in-a-projected-deficit-of-95-million-due-to-lower-tax-revenues/">projected shortfall of about $95 million</a>&nbsp;at the previous Tax Rate Review Committee meeting in July. That meeting also grew the next biennium’s projected deficit to $218 million.

Then,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/31/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-451-million-after-new-forecasts/">at Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board’s latest meeting Oct. 31</a>, board members lowered predictions for expected state revenues by roughly $367 million over the next two fiscal years.

Those adjustments alone grew the shortfall to about $451 million. In addition, higher-than-expected obligations for community college aid and special education reimbursements brought the projected deficit to $471 million.

The next biennium’s projected deficit grew to at least $690 million, but Patent said it could be up to $1 billion more based on the forecasting board’s latest projections. She said she calculated the out-year deficit based on Nebraska’s historical revenue growth, which typically ebbs and flows every few years.

<h2>State lawmakers now tasked with filling larger shortfall than they just filled earlier this year</h2>By Erin Bamer | Nebraska Examiner<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/arch_ZJW_103025-04-1536x1024.jpg" alt="&nbsp;State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. Oct. 30, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. Oct. 30, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers will begin their 60-day legislative session in January with a larger projected deficit than the hole they just filled during the 90-day session this year.The new projected deficit stands at roughly $471 million, as confirmed by Legislative Fiscal Analyst Keisha Patent during a meeting Thursday of the Nebraska Legislature’s Tax Rate Review Committee.“I wish it was rosier, but we’ll figure it out,” said State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, the committee’s chair, at the end of the meeting.Lawmakers this spring grappled with a fluctuating deficit that at one point grew to $432 million. After some cuts, they ended the session with a projected surplus of about $4 million by the end of the biennium in 2027.However, state senators left a structural deficit that would have grown to about $129 million by the end of the following biennium in 2029.Shortly after the session ended, new estimates and revenue numbers pushed the current two-year budget back into a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/07/24/nebraska-is-back-in-a-projected-deficit-of-95-million-due-to-lower-tax-revenues/">projected shortfall of about $95 million</a>&nbsp;at the previous Tax Rate Review Committee meeting in July. That meeting also grew the next biennium’s projected deficit to $218 million.Then,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/31/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-451-million-after-new-forecasts/">at Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board’s latest meeting Oct. 31</a>, board members lowered predictions for expected state revenues by roughly $367 million over the next two fiscal years.Those adjustments alone grew the shortfall to about $451 million. In addition, higher-than-expected obligations for community college aid and special education reimbursements brought the projected deficit to $471 million.The next biennium’s projected deficit grew to at least $690 million, but Patent said it could be up to $1 billion more based on the forecasting board’s latest projections. She said she calculated the out-year deficit based on Nebraska’s historical revenue growth, which typically ebbs and flows every few years.The state’s monthly tax receipts for 2025 have been a mixed bag, but overall monthly revenues have fallen below past forecasts. The latest receipts for October show a net gain of $311 million, which Patent said was modestly above the projections for that month.Speaker of the Legislature John Arch of La Vista, who serves on the committee, noted that the state’s current trend of lower revenues can be explained in part by the Legislature’s decision in 2023 to gradually lower individual and corporate income tax rates, which subsequently lowered the state’s annual revenues. These reductions are slated to halt at 3.99% in 2027, at which point Arch said he expects to see more growth in Nebraska’s economy.“It’s kind of a reset over a period of years as you lower the rates,” Patent said. “So that’s anticipated that we’d get back on trend with the economy.”Another contributor to the deficit is the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Congress passed this summer. Nebraska’s Department of Revenue released a report in September estimating that the bill would cost Nebraska’s state government about $216 million over the next two fiscal years, which was factored into the latest forecast.Patent’s report outlined an avenue for lawmakers to potentially lower the projected shortfall to about $311 million, based on state agencies’ mid-biennium budget requests. A majority of agencies requested budget reductions, which would total roughly $160 million in additional general fund dollars over both years, if lawmakers approve the requests as written.Typically, Patent said she calculates for an extra $5 million in general fund spending through mid-biennium adjustments.Appropriations Committee Chair State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, said he was surprised by a few of the budget requests asking for higher appropriations. The largest of these would cover the state’s Medicaid shortfall, with the Department of Health and Human Services requesting an extra $56.5 million for the current fiscal year, and $77.1 million for fiscal year 2026-27. Patent said the increase is linked to higher-than-expected utilization of the service.