President Donald J. Trump alongside U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins&nbsp; announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make $12 billion available in one time bridge payments to American farmers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs still impacting farmers, according to a media release from the USDA.

Of the $12 billion provided, up to $11 billion will be used for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, which provides broad relief to United States row crop farmers who produce Barley, Chickpeas, Corn, Cotton, Lentils, Oats, Peanuts, Peas, Rice, Sorghum, Soybeans, Wheat, Canola, Crambe, Flax, Mustard, Rapeseed, Safflower, Sesame, and Sunflower. 

FBA will help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, persistent inflation, and market losses from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impede exports. The FBA Program applies simple, proportional support to producers using a uniform formula to cover a portion of modeled losses during the 2025 crop year. This national loss average is based on FSA reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates yields and prices and economic modeling.

Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments to be released by February 28, 2026. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 5pm ET on December 19, 2025. Commodity-specific payment rates will be released by the end of the month. Crop insurance linkage will not be required for the FBA Program; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new OBBBA risk management tools to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future.

The remaining $1 billion of the $12 billion in bridge payments will be reserved for commodities not covered in the FBA Program such as specialty crops and sugar, for example, though details including timelines for those payments are still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs.

The $12 billion in farmer bridge payments, including those provided through the FBA Program, are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

To submit questions, justification for USDA farmer bridge aid, or to request a meeting on farmer bridge aid, producers can reach out to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:farmerbridge@usda.gov">farmerbridge@usda.gov</a>.

“Four years under the failed Biden Administration continues to leave the American farm economy reeling from record inflation, a depleted farm safety net, and delayed disaster assistance. 

The lack of new trade deals under the last Administration turned a trade surplus under Trump into a $50 billion trade deficit, causing our farmers to lose markets and feel acute pain from lower commodity prices. President Trump will not let our farmers be left behind, so he directed our team to build a bridge program to see quick relief while the President’s dozens of new trade deals and new market access take effect,”&nbsp;said Secretary Brooke Rollins. 

“The plan we are announcing today ensures American farmers can continue to plan for the next crop year. It is imperative we do what it takes to help our farmers, because if we cannot feed ourselves, we will no longer have a country. With this program serving as a bridge to the improvements President Trump and Republicans in Congress have made, it will allow farmers to leverage strengthened price protection risk management tools and the reliability of fair trade deals so they do not have to depend on large ad hoc assistance packages from the government.”

Additional Farmer First Actions Taken by the Trump Administration

In addition to $12 billion in bridge payments announced today, the Trump Administration has been working around the clock since January 20th to put American farmers first after inheriting one of the worst farm economies the country has experienced in decades. The following actions have been taken to date and together show historic investments and bold and unrelenting dedication to helping our nation’s farmers thrive again.

Over $30 Billion in Ad Hoc Assistance Delivered to Farmers Since January 2025

Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (<a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/emergency-commodity-assistance-program/dashboard">ECAP</a>)&nbsp;is helping farmers recover from the economic hardships of 2024. This program distributed more than $9.3 billion to over 560,000 farmers for soy, corn, sorghum, and other row crops.

Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (<a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/marketing-assistance-specialty-crops-masc">MASC</a>)&nbsp;is helping specialty crop producers recover from rising input costs and other market disruptions stemming from the Biden Administration. This program distributed over 1.8 billion in assistance to over 52,000 producers.

The&nbsp;Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (<a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/supplemental-disaster-relief-program-sdrp/dashboard">SDRP</a>)&nbsp;is helping producers recover from severe weather events in 2023 and 2024. This program has distributed nearly $6 billion to over 388,000 farmers with up to an additional $9 billion to be distributed over the next four months.

Over $2.5 billion via&nbsp;block grants&nbsp;delivered to states and sugar beet and cane processors via block grants to cover losses from 2023 and 2024 that were left uncovered by existing USDA programs.

With the signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill in July, President Trump has made crop insurance more workable and affordable for American farmers and ranchers. Crop insurance is an essential risk management tool that allows American farmers and ranchers endure weather and market volatility. The bill increases crop insurance premium support for beginning farmers and ranchers by expanding the definition from five to 10 years of experience, enabling more producers to qualify for assistance over a longer period. These improvements will result in over $400 million in savings every year for America’s farmers on insurance premiums.

For the first time in over a decade the statutory reference prices for the farm safety net programs, ARC and PLC, were raised by 10-21% for major commodities such as corn, soybeans, and wheat. Thanks to OBBBA USDA is also expanding eligibility for these price support programs by adding more than 30 million new base acres to the program making them eligible for future PLC or ARC payments starting in crop year 2026.

OBBBA extended the marketing assistance loan programs through 2031 and updated loan rates for major commodities beginning in the 2026 crop year, providing stronger loan rates for crops like wheat, corn, cotton and soybeans.

The bill included historic investments to the domestic sugar programs and USDA made them available starting October 1, 2025. The loan rate for raw cane sugar has increased to an average 24 cents per pound for the 2025 - 2031 crop years, with refined beet sugar rates increased to an average of 32.77 cents per pound.

OBBBA invested in USDA’s major conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). These funds will result in over $34B in conservation work on agricultural land over the next 10 years.

OBBBA provides $285 million a year for agricultural trade promotion and facilitation. This is in addition to the existing $234M per year of funding for MAP and FMD. These dollars are key to opening and expanding foreign markets.

OBBBA included many important tax provisions for farmers and ranchers. Some of the most impactful provisions for agriculture are the permanency of the 20% qualified business income deduction, full bonus depreciation and the $15 million per individual estate tax exemption, now also indexed for inflation. With the current land values, equipment costs and input prices, even modest-sized farms can easily exceed that threshold, meaning upon the owner’s death, far more family operations would face massive tax bills than previously estimated. A permanent bonus depreciation means that farmers can continue to write off the entire cost of new equipment, land improvements, new barns and other capital upgrades in the year of purchase, rather than depreciating them over many years.

Oversight on Competition &amp; Farmer Input Costs

On September 26, 2025, the USDA and the Department of Justice signed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09-29-doj-usda-mou-farm-inputs.pdf">Memorandum of Understanding</a>&nbsp;(PDF, 1.3 MB) that represents a joint commitment by both agencies to protect American farmers and ranchers from the burdens imposed by high and volatile input costs—such as feed, fertilizer, fuel, seed, equipment, and other essential goods—while ensuring competitive supply chains, lower consumer prices, and the resilience of U.S. agriculture and the food supply.

On December 6, 2025, President Trump signed an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/addressing-security-risks-from-price-fixing-and-anti-competitive-behavior-in-the-food-supply-chain/" target="_blank">Executive Order</a>&nbsp;to stop price fixing, anti-competitive behavior, and foreign influence that drives up prices and threatens the security of America’s food supply. This EO recognizes that sectors including seed, fertilizer, and farm equipment may be vulnerable to anti-competitive manipulation that result in higher prices for farmers and seeks to take aggressive action in part by the establishment of Task Forces created to investigate price fixing and anti-competitive behavior, especially regarding foreign owned entities.

These actions combined reiterate the Trump Administration’s commitment to scrutinizing competitive conditions in the agricultural marketplace, including antitrust enforcement that promotes free market competition.

Lowering Farm Labor Costs through Deregulatory Actions

Farm labor costs alone increased 47% since 2020 largely due to the high cost of utilizing the H-2A program to secure seasonal labor under the Biden Administration who artificially inflated Adverse Effect Wage Rates set by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) using USDA’s Farm Labor Survey which was never designed to be used for setting government-mandated wage rates and is duplicative of other DOL data sources. As such, USDA discontinued this survey while DOL issued a bold new interim final rule which decreased wage costs for H-2A agricultural employers resulting in initial savings of at least $2 billion. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule, effective October 2, 2025, to streamline the filing process for certain temporary agricultural worker petitions. These actions combined are making farm labor more affordable and more accessible for American agriculture.

USDA is Prioritizing the Purchase of Healthy U.S. Grown Commodities to Feed Those Most in Need through Section 32 Buys

This year alone, USDA has provided nearly $1 billion in Section 32 purchases, all which benefit the charitable feeding network.

On November 24, 2025, Secretary Rollins&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/11/24/secretary-rollins-announces-30-million-food-purchase-back-us-producers-and-strengthen-americas-food">announced a $30 million Section 32 buy</a>&nbsp;of American grown oranges, grapefruit, and mandarins.

On August 6, 2025, Secretary Rollins&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/08/06/secretary-rollins-targets-invasive-species-announces-next-steps-clear-chesapeake-harmful-catfish">announced a $2 million Section 32 buy</a>&nbsp;of invasive Chesapeake Bay blue catfish.

On August 1, 2025, Secretary Rollins&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/08/01/secretary-rollins-announces-local-food-purchases-communities-need">announced up to $230 million Section 32 buy</a>&nbsp;of Alaska pollock, catfish, apples, beans and cranberries.

On May 23, 2025, Secretary Rollins&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/05/23/secretary-rollins-announces-food-purchases-communities-need">announced a $67 million Section 32 buy</a>&nbsp;of American groundfish, pears, cherries, shrimp and beans.

USDA will continue to buy Section 32 commodity purchases to support American seafood, fruit, vegetable, and tree-nut producers for distribution to U.S. food banks, schools, and other outlets serving low-income individuals. These actions support President Trump’s vision to Make America Healthy Again through U.S. local farmer grown, healthy, and nutritious commodities.

This is the most pro-biofuels Administration in history

President Trump recognizes how important the Renewable Fuel Standard is for American corn and soybean farmers. EPA Administrator Zeldin delivered the boldest Renewable Volume Obligations ever and provided much certainty in the market for our producers while delivering lower prices at the pump for consumers. The RVO gives the markets the incentive to invest in American products for American consumers and to export around the world.

EPA’s decision to allow the summer sale of E-15 constituted 2025 year-round E15 and continues to deliver immediate relief to consumers, give more choices at the pump, and drive demand for corn grown, processed, and used right here in America. America’s national security depends on our energy security, and biofuels are a crucial asset that brings more jobs and helps farmers in rural America.

List of Trade &amp; Market Access Wins to Date

USDA announced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/america-first-trade-promotion-program">applications are now open</a>&nbsp;through January 23, 2026, for the $285 million America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP), a key component of the Trump Administration’s work to expand global market access and create new export opportunities for America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers.

Additionally, President Trump and his administration have worked to pen new trade deals and trade frameworks with more than 15 countries.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein&nbsp;will invest at least $200 billion in the United States, remove tariffs on several agricultural products, allow for market access for American beef, bison, and poultry, and remove non-tariff barriers for poultry and dairy.

El Salvador&nbsp;has removed non-tariff barriers including fumigation requirements and arbitrary geographic indicator restrictions on dairy product names.

Argentina&nbsp;will allow access for U.S. poultry and poultry products, within one year, and simplify red tape for U.S. exporters of beef, beef products, pork, and pork products. Argentina also has agreed to protect U.S. exporters’ use of certain meat and cheese terms, preserving market access and creating the potential for new opportunities in the region.

Ecuador&nbsp;has reduced or eliminated tariffs on American nuts, wheat, and wine; and will reduce major non-tariff barriers for many agricultural products regarding import licensing and facility registration requirements.

Guatemala&nbsp;will address and prevent barriers to U.S. agricultural products in its market; maintain science- and risk-based regulatory frameworks; and efficient authorization processes for agricultural products.

China&nbsp;committed to delaying new export controls on rare earth minerals, resume large purchases of U.S. soybeans, sorghum, and more. To date, China is already purchasing additional soybeans, wheat, and sorghum.

Malaysia&nbsp;will provide significant market access for U.S. products like dairy, horticultural products, poultry, pork, rice, and ethanol; recognize the U.S. food safety systems for U.S. meat, poultry, and dairy products; streamline its halal certification of U.S. food and agricultural products; and open market access for U.S. sorghum.

Cambodia&nbsp;will eliminate 100% of its tariffs on U.S. products, while the U.S. maintains a 19% reciprocal tariff rate for imports from Cambodia. It will also recognize the U.S. scientific guidelines for most U.S. agricultural goods and food.

Thailand&nbsp;will eliminate tariffs on 99% of U.S. goods, including most food and agricultural products and expedite access for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service-certified meat and poultry products, giving American producers unprecedented access to the market.

Vietnam&nbsp;will accept preferential access for U.S. agricultural goods, including specialty cheese and meats, and is already improving access for U.S. peaches and nectarines. Vietnam will pay the United States 20% tariffs on all goods and 40% on any transshipped goods

South Korea&nbsp;will pay 15 percent tariff to the United States.

European Union&nbsp;will purchase $750 billion of American energy and addressing non-tariff barriers for farmers and ranchers - pork and dairy products. Market access for U.S. agricultural goods like tree nuts, sorghum, and more will also be provided as we work to commit to a simpler regulatory agenda.

Philippines&nbsp;is opening their market to the United States and charging us zero tariffs while the Philippines will pay 19 percent tariffs to the United States.

Indonesia&nbsp;will&nbsp;eliminate 90 percent of tariffs on American exports including for all agricultural products.

Japan&nbsp;agreed to $8 billion in American agricultural purchases including corn, soybeans, ethanol, fertilizer, and sustainable aviation fuel. Japan will increase US rice imports by 75%.

United Kingdom&nbsp;will create $5 billion in new agricultural export opportunities. $700 million in ethanol and better market access for American beef.

At the same time, President Trump is securing new, unprecedented market access for American agricultural producers around the world. For example, wine exports to Mexico are up 30 percent in 2025, reaching $18 million; South Korea has purchased $1 billion in corn, more than double from 2024; Bangladesh purchased $172 million in soybeans; Costa Rica streamlined its dairy access for U.S. producers; and India cut its bourbon tariff in half.

Nebraska U.S. Senator pleased with assistance package for farmers

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765228441626.jpeg" alt="President Trump with farmers and ranchers in Oval Office Monday-photo by Margo Martin, Assistant to the President" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump with farmers and ranchers in Oval Office Monday-photo by Margo Martin, Assistant to the President</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I&#39;m delighted to announce this afternoon that the United States will be taking a small portion of the hundreds of billions of dollars we receive in tariffs... We&#39;re going to use that money to provide $12B in economic assistance to American farmers.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/upHPD6a9eP">pic.twitter.com/upHPD6a9eP</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998115240983019905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRollins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRollins</a>: As <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> said, we are very pleased to announce that today, we are going to be effectuating a $11B bridge payment to our farmers... by the end of this month, every farmer that is able to apply for it will know exactly what that number looks like. <a href="https://t.co/3cKmFw6OQC">https://t.co/3cKmFw6OQC</a> <a href="https://t.co/hUk5XFmVMd">pic.twitter.com/hUk5XFmVMd</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998118157178069161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a>: &quot;These direct payments will give producers the breathing room they need to market this year’s harvest and plan for next season... thanks to the administration&#39;s pro growth policies, input costs like fuel and fertilizer are easing... Interest rates are coming… <a href="https://t.co/3cKmFw6OQC">https://t.co/3cKmFw6OQC</a> <a href="https://t.co/afbyMM1E89">pic.twitter.com/afbyMM1E89</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998120274764632411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on lowering the cost of farm equipment: &quot;We’re going to take off a lot of the environmental restrictions that they have on machinery... we’re going to take a lot of that nonsense off of the equipment, which is going to reduce [prices].&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bPuKHsgeGA">pic.twitter.com/bPuKHsgeGA</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998119170899136723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> announces 12 billion in economic assistance to farmers: &quot;We&#39;re going to use that money to provide 12 billion dollars in economic assistance to American farmers&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SR3Yti19GA">pic.twitter.com/SR3Yti19GA</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998125773304066198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> announces 12 billion in economic assistance to farmers: &quot;We&#39;re going to use that money to provide 12 billion dollars in economic assistance to American farmers&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SR3Yti19GA">pic.twitter.com/SR3Yti19GA</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998125773304066198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Farmers are an indispensable national asset, part of the backbone of America…I’ve always felt it so strongly. They are so important.” <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/hDv28uOrdM">pic.twitter.com/hDv28uOrdM</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1998122795981541672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Meryl Kennedy, Rice, Corn, and Soybean Farmer from Monroe, LA: &quot;The rice industry thanks you sincerely for what you have done for the California rice market into Japan. It has been monumental for our industry.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4tqdnu25Io">pic.twitter.com/4tqdnu25Io</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998124143968145796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cordt Holub, Corn and Soybean Farmer from Dysart, Iowa: &quot;I think you brought Christmas to farmers with this bridge payment... What you&#39;re doing here in D.C. is working... I&#39;ll be able to potentially pass on a farm to my children because of you.&quot; ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/3cKmFw6h14">https://t.co/3cKmFw6h14</a> <a href="https://t.co/aW1qXFws2Q">pic.twitter.com/aW1qXFws2Q</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998122935828058237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump details the $12B aid package for farmers

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/25-332">Click here for a replay</a> of the Supreme Court oral argument

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672235865420.png" alt="Supreme Court Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States" />
                        <figcaption>Supreme Court Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/25-332">Click here for a replay</a> of the Supreme Court oral argument</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chief Justice Roberts asks whether Humphrey’s Executor is outdated saying it is “vanishingly insignificant has nothing to do with what the FTC looks like today.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YfvDBOdpU0">pic.twitter.com/YfvDBOdpU0</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998111919077478432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justice Jackson argues in favor of giving Congress increased authority in determining an agency&#39;s operations rather than Executive authority. <a href="https://t.co/wj8hNEsnqY">pic.twitter.com/wj8hNEsnqY</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998128563413721422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justice Jackson says that it is the “best interest of the American people to have certain kinds of issues handled by experts” and it is undermined when one person has too much power. Agarwal agrees, saying too much power with one person is problematic. <a href="https://t.co/recl3K6SiV">pic.twitter.com/recl3K6SiV</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998128420396372094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justice Gorsuch asks if Humphrey’s Executor may have been “poorly reasoned.” <a href="https://t.co/N16jL3thL6">pic.twitter.com/N16jL3thL6</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998112641840009570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chief Justice Roberts and other justices asks about Congress’s role in structuring agencies, whether Congress may transform standard executive agencies into independent commissions with removal protections that limit presidential control. <a href="https://t.co/BBJSKwJbq8">pic.twitter.com/BBJSKwJbq8</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998112019354980609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justice Kagan questions the independence of agencies that Congress has given authority w/o control by any single individual.<br><br>Justice Gorsuch asks if Congress has delegated too much legislative authority to agencies. <a href="https://t.co/fn4Oqx6gIM">pic.twitter.com/fn4Oqx6gIM</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998111481217376561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justice Sotomayor asks U.S. Solicitor General for examples of any court cases that have broken a 90 plus year precedent that overturning Humphrey’s Executor, which limits the president&#39;s ability to fire officials in independent agencies, would do. <a href="https://t.co/seX4rP5fxt">pic.twitter.com/seX4rP5fxt</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1998110912784302256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎧 Highlights: Supreme Court on expanding presidential powers

Estefanía Pinto Ruiz | States Newsroom-Nebraska Examiner

As farmers face historic headwinds and market hardships, calls to the national Farm Aid hotline and the Iowa Concern hotline — where farmers can get support in times of mental health crisis or need — are increasing.

This fall, the Iowa Concern hotline saw four to five times the number of calls it had in the same months last year, said Tammy Jacobs, the hotline’s manager.

The Farm Aid hotline is also seeing a change in the urgency of calls.

“We’re seeing more established farmers calling in — people who know how to play the game and how to access programs. They’re calling more often now, because even with all that institutional knowledge, they’re still running into issues for the first time that are more complex and difficult to solve,” said Lori Mercer, a Farm Aid hotline operator. “The system that’s in place is simply letting them down. There’s just no further safety net.”&nbsp;

<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37449301/" target="_blank">Research shows farmers die by suicide at least twice as often as people in the general population</a>, so there’s urgency to address the uptick in need.&nbsp;

“It’s a huge issue. I mean, we’ve known at least three families this year whose loved ones died by suicide,” said Emma Yerkey, who’s part of the Ag Chapter of Gray Matters, a monthly meetup for ag producers around the Quad-Cities to talk about their struggles.

Farmers experience a lot of stressors and uncertainty that they can’t control — isolation, weather changes, and financial pressures — along with low access to mental health care in rural areas and stigma that may make them keep their pain to themselves. Market conditions made worse by a trade war and inflation are adding to the stress. Mental health professionals are thinking outside the box to get producers care.&nbsp;

Yerkey’s family farms corn, soybeans, and hay in Geneseo, Illinois, on land they’ve owned since the Civil War. The farm is filled with memories, especially of her dad, Tim Yerkey.&nbsp;

She played baseball with him in their driveway, the family ate meals together in the home, and, one year, her father helped her raise a ribbon-winning calf.&nbsp;

“That was a really good memory that I have with him,” Yerkey said.

But the farm could be stressful, too. Tim Yerkey worked the land with his family, but at times had to take outside jobs to make ends meet. In 2011, he’d been struggling for about a year when spring floods left fields underwater. He’d reached out to friends and visited the emergency room seeking help, only to be told there were no beds, Yerkey said. He died by suicide in June 2011.&nbsp;

“I miss my dad, and I don’t want anybody else — or any other family — to go through that,” Yerkey said.

But many farming families experience similar pain. Between 2003 and 2017, more than 1600 farmers died by suicide, the majority older white men.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Experts say factors that contribute to stress and higher suicide rates among farmers include isolation, easy access to guns, a cultural expectation of toughness, stigma around seeking mental health care, worries about who will take over the farm, and a lack of recognition for their hard work.

Financial losses and stress are also significant risks for depressive symptoms. And right now, times are tough for farmers.&nbsp;

Producers have endured high inflation and growing input costs on farms since at least 2020. The spread of COVID and, more recently, policy decisions like President Donald Trump’s tariffs and increases in immigration enforcement have all increased operating costs. At the same time, prices for major commodities are low — lower than the cost to grow them. Corn prices are about $0.85 below the break even point and soybeans are about $2 below.&nbsp;

This year, many states are expecting a record corn crop, but farmers aren’t celebrating.

“It’s very discouraging for farmers to think that they’ve done all the things right in their fields and have put innovations in place and made good decisions, but yet, even with strong yields, they’re gonna be facing a loss on what they’re producing,” said Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union.

In 2024, the U.S. exported about 42% of its soybeans, most of it to China. With China not buying in the midst of the trade war, some farmers who usually send their crop abroad have struggled to find new markets. The U.S. in November struck a new deal with China, potentially extending a lifeline to producers still scrambling to move their harvest, but it remains to be seen what China will actually buy.

Some programs that helped connect farmers to domestic markets, like the Local Food Purchase Assistance initiative, have also been cut by the USDA.&nbsp;

“Since the beginning of the year, the farmers have just been thrown into a different level of uncertainty with policy things like losing access to some markets through tariffs, losing access to staff and programming with the government shutdown, and the funding freezes. A big one we’re hearing about is losing access to labor with the ICE raids, etcetera,” said Mercer, with Farm Aid. “I was just speaking to a farmer the other day who was basically watching his crops rot on the vines because his usual labor support was just too afraid to show up this year.”&nbsp;

In addition to all of the financial stress, farmers say they feel the work can be thankless.&nbsp;

“This work is incredibly hard, and nobody understands where their food comes from. Nobody knows that [farmers] work 20 hours a day so that they can have a strawberry,” said Anna Scheyett, a retired professor of social work who studied farmer stress and suicide at the University of Georgia.

Despite the many struggles, some families are finding hope and community in turbulent times. To honor her dad, Yerkey joined the new Ag Chapter of Gray Matters, a Quad-Cities nonprofit that provides mental health resources, education, and safe spaces.

Gray Matters hosts monthly Barn Talks, where participants can share what’s weighing on them, whether it’s stress, depression, anxiety, or other struggles, and receive support from others. The organizers hope to build a sense of community and normalize talking about mental health.&nbsp;

“Feeling comfortable and safe to say that — ‘Hey, I am stressed out, or I am really hurting right now. Maybe I am depressed, maybe I have some anxiety,’ — whatever it might be,” said Heather Gritton, one of the group leaders.

Offering spaces where farmers can meet and take some of that load off their shoulders can help break down the stigma around getting help, said Sara Kohlbeck, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.&nbsp;

It’s key for those spaces to be easily accessible to farmers.&nbsp;

“Bringing that support to the farmers — or to the rural communities — rather than expecting those folks to come and get those resources for themselves is really important,” Kohlbeck said. “Otherwise, you know, we’ve got folks that are kind of suffering in silence because they just don’t have the time. Sometimes there’s stigma, and there’s kind of that pride issue.”&nbsp;

There are also practical barriers. Telehealth isn’t a viable option for many farmers, as cell and internet reception in rural areas are limited. Driving long distances to see a counselor can also be impractical, especially during the busy harvest season.&nbsp;

Another approach to reaching farmers has been to train people who farmers trust and regularly interact with — such as suppliers, lenders, large animal veterinarians, and spouses — to recognize when someone may be dealing with mental health challenges and teach them how to support them and direct them to resources.&nbsp;

For example, Scheyett has trained agricultural lenders to recognize warning signs of suicide ideation and taught them how to respond. She’s also trained extension agents to take a few minutes at the beginning of agricultural production meetings to talk about stress and offer resources, something she says can make a real difference for farmers.

In one&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nacaa.com/file.ashx?id=84add242-bc81-45b1-b2b6-6fc8444e4ee1" target="_blank">study</a>, Scheyett and her co-authors found that farmers who were present at meetings where about 10 minutes were dedicated to talking about stress management walked away with new ideas for managing stress and a higher level of commitment to doing it.&nbsp;

Sometimes, offering practical and logistical solutions to big problems can be a part of mental health services, too.&nbsp;

“If a farmer has not really looked and done a deep dive into their farm financial system, we have a program that’s called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.extension.iastate.edu/farmanalysis/" target="_blank">farm financial associates</a>, and they’ll come out to the farm, do a big evaluation over the farming operation to see where the hard points are and is there a way to switch things around, diversify, in order to help offset some of the farming losses and costs,” Jacobs, with the Iowa Concern hotline, said.

Farmers can reach out to the&nbsp;<a href="https://988lifeline.org/" target="_blank">988 Lifeline</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmaid.org/our-work/resources-for-farmers/" target="_blank">1-800-FARM-AID</a>&nbsp;for help. Help is also available in Spanish.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/iowa-concern" target="_blank">Iowa Concern hotline</a>&nbsp;is available 24/7 via chat, email, call, or text at 800-447-1985.

For farmers facing grain storage challenges, Jacobs suggested partnering with other farmers as an alternative to traditional co-op arrangements.

Scheyett suggests everybody can help by thanking farmers the same way we do with the military.

“Every time I see a farmer, I say thank you — thank you for your service, because what you do keeps us healthy, fed, and clothed,” Scheyett said.

It’s all in the hopes of providing care and saving lives.

“Even if you can save one life, I mean, that’s so worth it,” Yerkey said. “I feel very passionate about it.”&nbsp;

<i>This story is a product of the</i><a href="http://www.agwaterdesk.org/" target="_blank"><i>&nbsp;Mississippi River Basin Ag &amp; Water Desk</i></a><i>, an independent reporting network based at the</i><a href="https://journalism.missouri.edu/2023/07/mississippi-river-basin-ag-water-desk-expands-coverage-of-local-environment-and-agriculture-news-with-new-grant/" target="_blank"><i>&nbsp;University of Missouri</i></a><i>&nbsp;in partnership with</i><a href="http://www.reportforamerica.org/" target="_blank"><i>&nbsp;Report for America</i></a><i>, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.</i>

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/12/07/as-farmers-face-trade-wars-and-inflation-calls-to-mental-health-hotlines-rise/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

<p>Estefanía Pinto Ruiz | States Newsroom-Nebraska Examiner</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/with-calf-1024x678-1.jpg" alt="&nbsp;Emma Yerkey and her dad, Tim Yerkey, with the ribbon-winning calf they raised together. (Photo courtesy of Emma Yerkey)" />
                        <figcaption>&nbsp;Emma Yerkey and her dad, Tim Yerkey, with the ribbon-winning calf they raised together. (Photo courtesy of Emma Yerkey)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>As farmers face historic headwinds and market hardships, calls to the national Farm Aid hotline and the Iowa Concern hotline — where farmers can get support in times of mental health crisis or need — are increasing.</p><p>This fall, the Iowa Concern hotline saw four to five times the number of calls it had in the same months last year, said Tammy Jacobs, the hotline’s manager.</p><p>The Farm Aid hotline is also seeing a change in the urgency of calls.</p><p>“We’re seeing more established farmers calling in — people who know how to play the game and how to access programs. They’re calling more often now, because even with all that institutional knowledge, they’re still running into issues for the first time that are more complex and difficult to solve,” said Lori Mercer, a Farm Aid hotline operator. “The system that’s in place is simply letting them down. There’s just no further safety net.”&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37449301/" target="_blank">Research shows farmers die by suicide at least twice as often as people in the general population</a>, so there’s urgency to address the uptick in need.&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s a huge issue. I mean, we’ve known at least three families this year whose loved ones died by suicide,” said Emma Yerkey, who’s part of the Ag Chapter of Gray Matters, a monthly meetup for ag producers around the Quad-Cities to talk about their struggles.</p><p>Farmers experience a lot of stressors and uncertainty that they can’t control — isolation, weather changes, and financial pressures — along with low access to mental health care in rural areas and stigma that may make them keep their pain to themselves. Market conditions made worse by a trade war and inflation are adding to the stress. Mental health professionals are thinking outside the box to get producers care.&nbsp;</p><h2>Understanding the stress</h2><p>Yerkey’s family farms corn, soybeans, and hay in Geneseo, Illinois, on land they’ve owned since the Civil War. The farm is filled with memories, especially of her dad, Tim Yerkey.&nbsp;</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/with-daughters.jpeg" alt="Tim Yerkey with his daughters Emma (baby), Claire (on top step), and Allison Yerkey (on bottom step) at their family farm. (Photo courtesy of Emma Yerkey)" />
                        <figcaption>Tim Yerkey with his daughters Emma (baby), Claire (on top step), and Allison Yerkey (on bottom step) at their family farm. (Photo courtesy of Emma Yerkey)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>She played baseball with him in their driveway, the family ate meals together in the home, and, one year, her father helped her raise a ribbon-winning calf.&nbsp;</p><p>“That was a really good memory that I have with him,” Yerkey said.</p><p>But the farm could be stressful, too. Tim Yerkey worked the land with his family, but at times had to take outside jobs to make ends meet. In 2011, he’d been struggling for about a year when spring floods left fields underwater. He’d reached out to friends and visited the emergency room seeking help, only to be told there were no beds, Yerkey said. He died by suicide in June 2011.&nbsp;</p><p>“I miss my dad, and I don’t want anybody else — or any other family — to go through that,” Yerkey said.</p><p>But many farming families experience similar pain. Between 2003 and 2017, more than 1600 farmers died by suicide, the majority older white men.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Experts say factors that contribute to stress and higher suicide rates among farmers include isolation, easy access to guns, a cultural expectation of toughness, stigma around seeking mental health care, worries about who will take over the farm, and a lack of recognition for their hard work.</p><p>Financial losses and stress are also significant risks for depressive symptoms. And right now, times are tough for farmers.&nbsp;</p><p>Producers have endured high inflation and growing input costs on farms since at least 2020. The spread of COVID and, more recently, policy decisions like President Donald Trump’s tariffs and increases in immigration enforcement have all increased operating costs. At the same time, prices for major commodities are low — lower than the cost to grow them. Corn prices are about $0.85 below the break even point and soybeans are about $2 below.&nbsp;</p><p>This year, many states are expecting a record corn crop, but farmers aren’t celebrating.</p><p>“It’s very discouraging for farmers to think that they’ve done all the things right in their fields and have put innovations in place and made good decisions, but yet, even with strong yields, they’re gonna be facing a loss on what they’re producing,” said Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union.</p><p>In 2024, the U.S. exported about 42% of its soybeans, most of it to China. With China not buying in the midst of the trade war, some farmers who usually send their crop abroad have struggled to find new markets. The U.S. in November struck a new deal with China, potentially extending a lifeline to producers still scrambling to move their harvest, but it remains to be seen what China will actually buy.</p><p>Some programs that helped connect farmers to domestic markets, like the Local Food Purchase Assistance initiative, have also been cut by the USDA.&nbsp;</p><p>“Since the beginning of the year, the farmers have just been thrown into a different level of uncertainty with policy things like losing access to some markets through tariffs, losing access to staff and programming with the government shutdown, and the funding freezes. A big one we’re hearing about is losing access to labor with the ICE raids, etcetera,” said Mercer, with Farm Aid. “I was just speaking to a farmer the other day who was basically watching his crops rot on the vines because his usual labor support was just too afraid to show up this year.”&nbsp;</p><p>In addition to all of the financial stress, farmers say they feel the work can be thankless.&nbsp;</p><p>“This work is incredibly hard, and nobody understands where their food comes from. Nobody knows that [farmers] work 20 hours a day so that they can have a strawberry,” said Anna Scheyett, a retired professor of social work who studied farmer stress and suicide at the University of Georgia.</p><h2>Meeting farmers where they are</h2><p>Despite the many struggles, some families are finding hope and community in turbulent times. To honor her dad, Yerkey joined the new Ag Chapter of Gray Matters, a Quad-Cities nonprofit that provides mental health resources, education, and safe spaces.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tim-and-clifford.jpg" alt="Tim Yerkey and his grandfather, Clifford Rahn, who farmed the family land starting in the 1940s. (Photo courtesy of Emma Yerkey)" />
                        <figcaption>Tim Yerkey and his grandfather, Clifford Rahn, who farmed the family land starting in the 1940s. (Photo courtesy of Emma Yerkey)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Gray Matters hosts monthly Barn Talks, where participants can share what’s weighing on them, whether it’s stress, depression, anxiety, or other struggles, and receive support from others. The organizers hope to build a sense of community and normalize talking about mental health.&nbsp;</p><p>“Feeling comfortable and safe to say that — ‘Hey, I am stressed out, or I am really hurting right now. Maybe I am depressed, maybe I have some anxiety,’ — whatever it might be,” said Heather Gritton, one of the group leaders.</p><p>Offering spaces where farmers can meet and take some of that load off their shoulders can help break down the stigma around getting help, said Sara Kohlbeck, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.&nbsp;</p><p>It’s key for those spaces to be easily accessible to farmers.&nbsp;</p><p>“Bringing that support to the farmers — or to the rural communities — rather than expecting those folks to come and get those resources for themselves is really important,” Kohlbeck said. “Otherwise, you know, we’ve got folks that are kind of suffering in silence because they just don’t have the time. Sometimes there’s stigma, and there’s kind of that pride issue.”&nbsp;</p><p>There are also practical barriers. Telehealth isn’t a viable option for many farmers, as cell and internet reception in rural areas are limited. Driving long distances to see a counselor can also be impractical, especially during the busy harvest season.&nbsp;</p><p>Another approach to reaching farmers has been to train people who farmers trust and regularly interact with — such as suppliers, lenders, large animal veterinarians, and spouses — to recognize when someone may be dealing with mental health challenges and teach them how to support them and direct them to resources.&nbsp;</p><p>For example, Scheyett has trained agricultural lenders to recognize warning signs of suicide ideation and taught them how to respond. She’s also trained extension agents to take a few minutes at the beginning of agricultural production meetings to talk about stress and offer resources, something she says can make a real difference for farmers.</p><p>In one&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nacaa.com/file.ashx?id=84add242-bc81-45b1-b2b6-6fc8444e4ee1" target="_blank">study</a>, Scheyett and her co-authors found that farmers who were present at meetings where about 10 minutes were dedicated to talking about stress management walked away with new ideas for managing stress and a higher level of commitment to doing it.&nbsp;</p><p>Sometimes, offering practical and logistical solutions to big problems can be a part of mental health services, too.&nbsp;</p><p>“If a farmer has not really looked and done a deep dive into their farm financial system, we have a program that’s called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.extension.iastate.edu/farmanalysis/" target="_blank">farm financial associates</a>, and they’ll come out to the farm, do a big evaluation over the farming operation to see where the hard points are and is there a way to switch things around, diversify, in order to help offset some of the farming losses and costs,” Jacobs, with the Iowa Concern hotline, said.</p><p>Where to call</p><p>Farmers can reach out to the&nbsp;<a href="https://988lifeline.org/" target="_blank">988 Lifeline</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmaid.org/our-work/resources-for-farmers/" target="_blank">1-800-FARM-AID</a>&nbsp;for help. Help is also available in Spanish.</p><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/iowa-concern" target="_blank">Iowa Concern hotline</a>&nbsp;is available 24/7 via chat, email, call, or text at 800-447-1985.</p><p>For farmers facing grain storage challenges, Jacobs suggested partnering with other farmers as an alternative to traditional co-op arrangements.</p><p>Scheyett suggests everybody can help by thanking farmers the same way we do with the military.</p><p>“Every time I see a farmer, I say thank you — thank you for your service, because what you do keeps us healthy, fed, and clothed,” Scheyett said.</p><p>It’s all in the hopes of providing care and saving lives.</p><p>“Even if you can save one life, I mean, that’s so worth it,” Yerkey said. “I feel very passionate about it.”&nbsp;</p><p><i>This story is a product of the</i><a href="http://www.agwaterdesk.org/" target="_blank"><i>&nbsp;Mississippi River Basin Ag &amp; Water Desk</i></a><i>, an independent reporting network based at the</i><a href="https://journalism.missouri.edu/2023/07/mississippi-river-basin-ag-water-desk-expands-coverage-of-local-environment-and-agriculture-news-with-new-grant/" target="_blank"><i>&nbsp;University of Missouri</i></a><i>&nbsp;in partnership with</i><a href="http://www.reportforamerica.org/" target="_blank"><i>&nbsp;Report for America</i></a><i>, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.</i></p><p>This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/12/07/as-farmers-face-trade-wars-and-inflation-calls-to-mental-health-hotlines-rise/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.</p>

As farmers face trade wars and inflation, calls to mental health hotlines rise

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha seeks action from legislative leaders

LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker two times was denied entry to the controversial state-run federal immigration detention facility that federal officials dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink” —&nbsp; and now is calling on the Legislature’s Executive Board to step in.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha said Monday that she made the four-hour trip to McCook in mid-November to check out the conditions of the place where migrant detainees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are held pending deportation.

She argues that the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services violated state law by not allowing her into the converted Work Ethic Camp, and cites a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=83-186" target="_blank">state statute</a>&nbsp;that says Nebraska legislators are entitled to visit any state correctional facility “at any time.”

When Gov. Jim Pillen and Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys announced the agreement with the federal government, Cavanaugh said, they stated that the department would manage the property and it would continue to be considered a state facility.

“The denial of physical entry to a sitting senator is not only unprecedented —&nbsp;it is the latest escalation in a broader pattern of obstruction that undermines the Legislature’s statutory and constitutional oversight obligations,” Cavanaugh said.

The Omaha senator said she routinely conducts unannounced visits to state-run 24-hour facilities “because direct oversight is not optional — it is a core responsibility of my job.”

She said she specifically wanted to visit the McCook ICE detention center, because it involved “people being held in Nebraska without criminal charges and, in many cases, without clear legal recourse.” The immigration court and deportation process is separate from state courts, and immigrants held by ICE often face civil versus criminal charges.

“When the state deprives someone of their liberty, the conditions of that confinement must be subject to full public and legislative scrutiny,” she told the Nebraska Examiner. “There is no scrutiny. There is no carve-out in Nebraska law for secrecy just because ICE is involved.”

Neither the Corrections Department nor the Governor’s Office had immediate comment.&nbsp;

Cavanaugh documented her efforts to gain entry to the former WEC in a letter to State Sen. Ben Hansen, chair of the Legislature’s&nbsp;<a href="https://news.legislature.ne.gov/exe/" target="_blank">Executive Board</a>, and Sen. Myron Dorn, chair of the Legislative Oversight Committee.&nbsp;

She also chronicled five prior legislative attempts to obtain information about the project, describing a pattern of “limited transparency and restricted information.”

Email between Cavanaugh and Jeffreys and a person she described as a warden at the McCook facility offers details of the rejected visits on Nov. 12-13.

Cavanaugh arrived at the facility around 4:20 p.m. Nov. 12, and apparently spoke to Jeffreys via the warden’s cell phone around 4:30 p.m., who told her she had failed to provide notice of her visit.&nbsp;

Said Jeffreys: “You were instructed that no person could arrive unannounced and be given immediate entry to a Nebraska correctional facility or a federal detention center.”

Cavanaugh, in an email around 10 p.m. that night of Nov. 12, emailed the warden and Jeffreys that she would be returning to the facility the next morning.

“Though&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=83-186" target="_blank">statute 83-186 (attached)</a>&nbsp;does not require me to provide notice, I am giving you this notice per my conversation with Director Jeffreys on Warden Sommer’s cell phone at approximately 4:30 p.m. today, when Director Jeffreys informed me that I had failed to provide notice of my visit.”

Jeffreys later wrote to Cavanaugh to “clarify the legal position” of the department as to why she was not allowed to enter.&nbsp;

“It is the fundamental nature of corrections, safety protocols and operations, and consistent with Nebraska law, that unannounced visitors of any type cannot be accommodated.”

He said her communication alerting them that she’d be there again Nov. 13 was “short notice” and “again a problem.”

Of Cavanaugh’s legal justification for her visit, Jeffreys said in email that his team “worked to analyze your request, get legal advice and collaborate with our federal partners.”

“We have come to the determination that you will not be allowed to enter the WEC until you have complied with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protocols related to detention center visits and provided sufficient notice to allow for the safe conduct of a visit.”

He also said that statute 83-186 “does not displace protocols for the security and safety of corrections facilities.” He said his team read that statute “in harmony with the statutory scheme of which it is a part.”

Cavanaugh, in the letter to Hansen and Dorn, said she reviewed the state’s contract with ICE and believes it provides that any “provision of this agreement contrary to applicable statutes … is null and void and shall not necessarily affect the balance of the agreement.”

“This means that the right of access provided in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=83-186" target="_blank">83-186</a>&nbsp;invalidates any interpretation that members of the Legislature may be prohibited from accessing the facility.”

Cavanaugh said the documented history demonstrates that legislative leaders “have repeatedly sought access to accurate, timely information” on the project and its implications.&nbsp;

She said the&nbsp;<a href="https://news.legislature.ne.gov/exe/" target="_blank">Executive Board</a>&nbsp;oversees all legislative services and employees and hears matters of “general import to the Legislature and its operations as a whole.”&nbsp;She said Jeffreys actions were a “direct disregard” of the Legislature and its constitutional authority.

“I urge you … to act to defend the authority of the legislative branch. Such action is necessary to ensure we can effectively represent our constituents and the people of Nebraska.”

<h2>State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha seeks action from legislative leaders</h2><p>By Cindy Gonzalez | Nebraska Examiner</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_3755-1536x1152.jpg" alt="&nbsp;The state’s Work Ethic Camp in McCook, Neb., has become a detention center for migrants facing deportation proceedings. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>&nbsp;The state’s Work Ethic Camp in McCook, Neb., has become a detention center for migrants facing deportation proceedings. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker two times was denied entry to the controversial state-run federal immigration detention facility that federal officials dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink” —&nbsp; and now is calling on the Legislature’s Executive Board to step in.</p><p>State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha said Monday that she made the four-hour trip to McCook in mid-November to check out the conditions of the place where migrant detainees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are held pending deportation.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cav-m_ZJW_072224-01-300x200.jpg" alt="State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha as she lead a listening session for Lincoln residents on property taxes. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha as she lead a listening session for Lincoln residents on property taxes. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>She argues that the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services violated state law by not allowing her into the converted Work Ethic Camp, and cites a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=83-186" target="_blank">state statute</a>&nbsp;that says Nebraska legislators are entitled to visit any state correctional facility “at any time.”</p><p>When Gov. Jim Pillen and Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys announced the agreement with the federal government, Cavanaugh said, they stated that the department would manage the property and it would continue to be considered a state facility.</p><p>“The denial of physical entry to a sitting senator is not only unprecedented —&nbsp;it is the latest escalation in a broader pattern of obstruction that undermines the Legislature’s statutory and constitutional oversight obligations,” Cavanaugh said.</p><p>The Omaha senator said she routinely conducts unannounced visits to state-run 24-hour facilities “because direct oversight is not optional — it is a core responsibility of my job.”</p><p>She said she specifically wanted to visit the McCook ICE detention center, because it involved “people being held in Nebraska without criminal charges and, in many cases, without clear legal recourse.” The immigration court and deportation process is separate from state courts, and immigrants held by ICE often face civil versus criminal charges.</p><p>“When the state deprives someone of their liberty, the conditions of that confinement must be subject to full public and legislative scrutiny,” she told the Nebraska Examiner. “There is no scrutiny. There is no carve-out in Nebraska law for secrecy just because ICE is involved.”</p><p>Neither the Corrections Department nor the Governor’s Office had immediate comment.&nbsp;</p><p>Cavanaugh documented her efforts to gain entry to the former WEC in a letter to State Sen. Ben Hansen, chair of the Legislature’s&nbsp;<a href="https://news.legislature.ne.gov/exe/" target="_blank">Executive Board</a>, and Sen. Myron Dorn, chair of the Legislative Oversight Committee.&nbsp;</p><p>She also chronicled five prior legislative attempts to obtain information about the project, describing a pattern of “limited transparency and restricted information.”</p><p>Email between Cavanaugh and Jeffreys and a person she described as a warden at the McCook facility offers details of the rejected visits on Nov. 12-13.</p><p>According to the email exchange:&nbsp;</p><p>Cavanaugh arrived at the facility around 4:20 p.m. Nov. 12, and apparently spoke to Jeffreys via the warden’s cell phone around 4:30 p.m., who told her she had failed to provide notice of her visit.&nbsp;</p><p>Said Jeffreys: “You were instructed that no person could arrive unannounced and be given immediate entry to a Nebraska correctional facility or a federal detention center.”</p><p>Cavanaugh, in an email around 10 p.m. that night of Nov. 12, emailed the warden and Jeffreys that she would be returning to the facility the next morning.</p><p>“Though&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=83-186" target="_blank">statute 83-186 (attached)</a>&nbsp;does not require me to provide notice, I am giving you this notice per my conversation with Director Jeffreys on Warden Sommer’s cell phone at approximately 4:30 p.m. today, when Director Jeffreys informed me that I had failed to provide notice of my visit.”</p><p>Jeffreys later wrote to Cavanaugh to “clarify the legal position” of the department as to why she was not allowed to enter.&nbsp;</p><p>“It is the fundamental nature of corrections, safety protocols and operations, and consistent with Nebraska law, that unannounced visitors of any type cannot be accommodated.”</p><p>He said her communication alerting them that she’d be there again Nov. 13 was “short notice” and “again a problem.”</p><p>Of Cavanaugh’s legal justification for her visit, Jeffreys said in email that his team “worked to analyze your request, get legal advice and collaborate with our federal partners.”</p><p>“We have come to the determination that you will not be allowed to enter the WEC until you have complied with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protocols related to detention center visits and provided sufficient notice to allow for the safe conduct of a visit.”</p><p>He also said that statute 83-186 “does not displace protocols for the security and safety of corrections facilities.” He said his team read that statute “in harmony with the statutory scheme of which it is a part.”</p><p>Cavanaugh, in the letter to Hansen and Dorn, said she reviewed the state’s contract with ICE and believes it provides that any “provision of this agreement contrary to applicable statutes … is null and void and shall not necessarily affect the balance of the agreement.”</p><p>“This means that the right of access provided in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=83-186" target="_blank">83-186</a>&nbsp;invalidates any interpretation that members of the Legislature may be prohibited from accessing the facility.”</p><p>Cavanaugh said the documented history demonstrates that legislative leaders “have repeatedly sought access to accurate, timely information” on the project and its implications.&nbsp;</p><p>She said the&nbsp;<a href="https://news.legislature.ne.gov/exe/" target="_blank">Executive Board</a>&nbsp;oversees all legislative services and employees and hears matters of “general import to the Legislature and its operations as a whole.”&nbsp;She said Jeffreys actions were a “direct disregard” of the Legislature and its constitutional authority.</p><p>“I urge you … to act to defend the authority of the legislative branch. Such action is necessary to ensure we can effectively represent our constituents and the people of Nebraska.”</p>

Nebraska lawmaker was twice denied entry to McCook ICE jail, calls it law violation

‘I think this is a full-out five-alarm fire as to the state of higher education in Nebraska,’ says Regent Elizabeth O’Connor

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted Friday to eliminate four academic programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, three of them unanimously.

The eight-member board approved eliminating the departments of statistics, earth and atmospheric sciences, educational administration and textiles, merchandising and fashion design. Together, the cuts total $6.74 million; 51.5 positions will be cut, most of them faculty.

There are 541 current students in the four cut departments, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn.nebraska.edu/docs/board/agendas/agenda-with-materials-12-5-25.pdf" target="_blank">board materials</a>.

The eliminated programs will be phased out over the next couple of years, with some additional department funds retained to support any remaining students who stay after the cuts. NU has a policy to help students who choose to stay after their programs are eliminated.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett has said the programs that will now be eliminated fell below standards for granting degrees, in addition to falling low on a new metrics-based, targeted budget reductions plan that Bennett implemented to avoid across-the-board cuts.

“Positioning ourselves in a place of financial stability will ensure we can continue delivering excellence and student success, research and service to communities throughout our state,” Bennett said.

Of the student representatives on the regents, whose votes are nonbinding, one student regent supported all four program eliminations: UNL Student Regent Libby Wilkins.

“Nobody thinks this is good for our university. This hurts. This hurts every single one of us,” Wilkins said. “But I cannot vote ‘no’ when I understand that this would impact more of our students, our enrollment and the entire student experience at the University of Nebraska.”

Regents also unanimously approved merging four departments into two combined areas. The mergers will be finalized in 2026. Each is estimated to save $1 million. The departments to be merged are plant pathology and entomology as well as agricultural economics and agricultural leadership, education and communication.

Of more than 100 speakers over five hours Friday, a vast majority of them students and faculty in affected programs, many said any students who remain won’t receive the same quality education, yet they will pay the same cost to attend. No speakers favored the cuts.

“A few faculty cannot provide the comprehensive curriculum, field work and experiential learning required for industry and government jobs,” said Dawn Kopacz, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “Our students won’t be marketable.”

Many speakers urged regents to delay and find alternatives. An advisory group of faculty, staff and students told Bennett that his tight budget window didn’t allow time to solidify alternatives.&nbsp;

The cuts were announced Sept. 12. Bennett forwarded them to the regents Nov. 10.

Bhaskar Bhattacharya, head of the Department of Statistics, offered a proposal Friday to merge his department with the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Biostatistics. He also proposed stepping back from his leadership role if needed. Many educational administration faculty proposed a more cohesive administrative structure with UNMC and the central NU system office for administrative cuts, a plan they said has been years in the making.

At a special Nov. 21 meeting, regents unanimously authorized President Jeffrey Gold to merge UNL and UNMC as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unmc.edu/newsroom/2025/11/14/hlc-approves-joint-accreditation-for-unl-and-unmc/" target="_blank">joint accreditation unit</a>, largely for research reporting and college rankings.

Susan VanderPlas, an associate professor of statistics, again called out the new Bennett-led metrics-based approach. VanderPlas and other statisticians at UNL said they reviewed the approach and found various flaws. They said they’d grade the data analysis an “F.”

VanderPlas said statisticians are usually “pretty quiet people,” but she said she saw this semester what it takes to get statisticians “pissed off”: “You really just have to come for the data.” She said statistics faculty found savings, but “no one in administration had ears to hear.”

“Eliminating statistics will cripple this university,” VanderPlas said. “It will damage its reputation, and it will make reentry into the AAU [Association of American Universities] a laughable goal.”

VanderPlas’ 9-year-old son, Alex, also pleaded to the board. He said he wants to stay in Nebraska and one day become a paleoartist or paleontologist. Alex told regents their job is to protect the university and ensure it helps Nebraskans, as well as Nebraskans like Alex who want to “study rocks and numbers and books and weather and other things.”

“Preserve them for the future and so more Nebraskans can be Huskers,” Alex said.

The AAU goal that VanderPlas mentioned has been a longstanding aim for the regents and Gold. In 2011, AAU members voted to boot UNL from the organization for failing to meet membership criteria. UNL had been a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2023/08/15/cast-out-12-years-ago-nebraska-seeks-return-aau" target="_blank">member since 1909.</a>

Many faculty said these now-approved cuts put the AAU dream even more out of reach and will make it an outlier without critical departments. Many said the cuts also don’t consider net revenues for the departments and that UNL might be hurt more in the long run.

Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha, during the meeting, opposed all but the educational administration cut and suggested a two-month delay. In response, Bennett stood by his budget plan and told Weitz, to laughs from faculty and students: “We considered every alternative that we could think of.”

“We had to make our budget numbers,” Bennett said. “So, the absence of any alternative plan that was feasible, I came forward with a final recommendation that’s been presented.”

After the meeting, Weitz confirmed by text her opposition to the cuts to statistics and earth and atmospheric sciences. She also said she intended to oppose the cut to educational administration. She said she had intended to support the cut to the textiles, merchandising and fashion design program.

The UNL Faculty Senate voted 60-14 last month to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/18/unl-faculty-overwhelmingly-pass-historic-no-confidence-vote-against-chancellor/">express “no confidence” in Bennett</a>. Just a handful of testifiers cited that action Friday. Bennett has not formally responded to the Faculty Senate decision but has continually said he adhered to all applicable budget policies.

Bennett again declined to directly address the Faculty Senate action Friday but told the Examiner that budget and academic reductions are never what a chancellor wants. He previously served for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/priority-candidate-for-unl-chancellor-is-30-year-veteran-of-higher-ed-and-would-be-first-person-of-color-in-the-role/">almost a decade as president of the University of Southern Mississippi</a>, which faced&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/05/unl-chancellor-candidate-previews-research-economic-development-vision-for-nebraska/">almost annual budget cuts</a>&nbsp;while he was there.

“I have a lot of empathy and sensitivity for all the individuals that will be impacted directly and certainly for our campus community,” Bennett said. “We have a lot of work to do ahead of us in terms of implementation. We’re going to do that with a lot of care and concern for everybody who’s impacted.”

Bennett’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraska.edu/-/media/projects/unca/docs/transparency/contracts/rodney-bennett-contract-of-employment.pdf" target="_blank">contract</a>&nbsp;ends June 30. It has not yet been extended, and Bennett repeated Friday he does not know if or when that might happen.Regents have scheduled meetings in February, April and June. In October, Bennett told the Examiner he desired a contract extension.

“You got to talk to the boss about that,” Bennett said when asked again if his contract would come up for a vote soon. Gold was not immediately available for comment.

Regent Kathy Wilmot of Beaver City again&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nu-regent-defends-unl-chancellor-bennett-after-faculty-no-confidence-vote/">publicly thanked and defended Bennett’s work</a>.

Regent Paul Kenney of Amherst, board chair, read a resolution in support of Gold that he said had unanimous board support. While the resolution was not included in board materials, according to Kenney, regents commended “all the leaders from across our campuses who have stepped up in [these] difficult budget decisions at this time.”

UNL’s cuts and mergers are part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/17/breaking-down-unls-final-27-5-million-budget-cut-proposal/">total $27.5 million budget plan</a>&nbsp;put forth by Bennett.&nbsp;

The remaining parts of his plan do not require Board of Regents approval, such as $2 million in private philanthropy to cover mandated tuition waivers and an early retirement plan for long-time tenured faculty, which 69 faculty have been approved to accept by Jan. 5.

Of reductions, $21 million is a structural deficit as UNL expenses continue to outpace revenues. The rest is “proactive” and meant to “help safeguard against repetitive budget reduction cycles.”&nbsp;

Bennett told the Examiner that of the cuts that did not require regents’ approval: “Everything is moving along at sort of the pace that we expected it to move along. Nothing is complete yet, but we were sort of in line with the deadlines.”

Regents largely cited the need to act now to mitigate future cuts and said that part of the reason UNL is in its current predicament is a decade of relying on cash reserves.

“We cannot continue to kick the can,” said Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, the longest current serving regent now in his 17th year.

Regent Jim Scheer, a state senator between 2013 and 2021, including serving his last four years as speaker of the Legislature, said he was empathetic with every single person who spoke. He said he would be advocating the same had he been in their shoes.&nbsp;

“But from my perspective, I’ve got to make sure that there is a university for people to go to, not just next year, but 10 years from now,” Scheer said. “Shake your heads, but it’s true.”

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Scheer to succeed him on the board after Pillen became governor in 2023, after 10 years as a regent. Scheer ran unopposed for election to a six-year term in 2024. Pillen, in January, proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/19/regents-approve-5-tuition-increase-20-million-in-cuts-for-university-of-nebraska/">2% cut to NU’s budget</a>. After months of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/02/appropriations-committee-considers-reversing-cuts-to-nu-budget/">negotiation</a>, NU secured a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/08/legislative-committee-reverses-cuts-to-university-of-nebraska-budget/">0.625% increase in state dollars</a>. Regents last year requested a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/01/nebraska-regents-to-consider-multimillion-dollar-health-project-programs-for-ai-and-esports/">3.5% increase</a>.

Scheer placed blame for many NU budget problems on slowing legislative investments over the last decade. He and many others have said those investments have not kept up with inflation and NU has run at more than a $100 million loss each year, which isn’t “chump change.”

To those who attended Friday’s meeting, Scheer said maybe five of them raised their hands and said they went to the Legislature. Scheer told those in attendance: “We got to the game late.”

“Without those extra dollars, we run into a problem where we’re just like everybody else,” Scheer said. “The university has got a checking account, and it’s got to balance.”

Many faculty and students and some regents predicted there might be more cuts to come in the future. Kevin Hanrahan, a professor of voice and voice pedagogy and new chair of UNL’s advisory Academic Planning Committee, said there is no more “fat” to trim, which UNMC Student Regent Brock Calamari echoed.

Regent Rob Schafer of Beatrice said he listened to the speakers and that, of all cuts, the earth and atmospheric sciences cut was the one he thought could use more time to reconsider.

Robert Szot, originally from Texas, said he specifically came to Nebraska for graduate studies in meteorology. He was among the earth and atmospheric sciences students to uplift the life-saving nature of meteorology and geology work. He and another student noted Nebraskans depend on the life-saving data, which includes storm chasing research teams.

Szot said Friday’s action might be remembered similarly to the 2003 “hasty” decision to fire Husker head football coach Frank Solich after a 9-3 winning season.&nbsp;

“Nebraskans will either remember December 5, 2025, as the day the Board of Regents voted ‘no,’ stood up for the state, chose to be visionary, or the day that sent this university to a spiral for which it never recovered,” Szot said.

Deborah Bathke, the state climatologist, said cuts at the federal level make it even more important to maintain state expertise. She said cutting programs doesn’t make weather and climate challenges disappear, just harder to address.

Schafer’s motion failed 4-4. It required 5 votes. Schafer, Weitz and Omaha Regents Jack Stark and Elizabeth O’Connor supported a delay. Clare, Kenney, Scheer and Wilmot opposed it.

Scheer said he didn’t want to give “false hope” that something “miraculously” would change by the regents’ next meeting in February.&nbsp;

O’Connor said regents have been warning people for years that regents would soon be cutting at the “heart” of NU. She said Friday reached that point.

“We’re past the time now of the university warning people,” O’Connor said. “I think this is a full-out five-alarm fire as to the state of higher education in Nebraska. I’m sitting on this board, and I’m telling you, we’re scared.”

Scheer and Stark said the cuts could one day be reversed, with Stark offering a “big ask” to those impacted.

“Stick with us,” Stark said. “We’ll get through this, somehow.”