<i>By Cindy Gonzalez | Nebraska Examiner</i><br>

OMAHA — Nebraska officials seek to sweeten corporate tax incentives that spur job growth in the state, targeting Union Pacific Railroad in particular as it merges with another railroad giant that just five years ago opened a new headquarters in Atlanta.

Gov. Jim Pillen, Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., and the heads of the Omaha and Nebraska business chambers of commerce held a news conference in Omaha Friday touting&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Intro/LB1165.pdf" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 1165</a>, newly introduced by State Sen. Brad von Gillern on behalf of the Pillen administration.

Dubbed the “Grow the Good Life Act,” the proposal modifies three existing business incentive laws. Key changes ensure that a large employer undergoing a merger or acquisition gains benefits that might encourage them to stay and grow in Nebraska, said von Gillern, chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee.

While U.P. is not identified by name, portions of the bill appear tailor-made for the Omaha-based railroad company as it seeks federal approval of an $85 billion merger with Georgia-based Norfolk Southern to create the nation’s first single-line coast-to-coast rail system. The merged systems would create a combined enterprise of more than $250 billion.

The union of two Fortune 500 transportation companies faces opponents and saw a setback recently when the Surface Transportation Board rejected an initial application as incomplete. U.P. said it will provide the necessary information.&nbsp;

On Friday, Pillen proclaimed as “groundbreaking” the initiative that addresses&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/08/brain-drain-alarm-escalates-omaha-and-business-leaders-flag-job-lag/">pressure business groups</a>&nbsp;have put on his administration to focus more on economic development, as he has concentrated on property tax relief measures.

“This is more aggressive and assertive than anything we’ve ever done before,” Pillen said at the event, which used vintage U.P. railcars as a backdrop at Omaha’s Durham Museum.

An estimated cost has yet to be attached to the new incentives, said von Gillern, who emphasized that provisions were sure to change as the measure advances through the law-making process.&nbsp;

He called it a pay-for-performance plan — “not welfare, not a give-away.”

Ewing said he hopes for a “Super Bowl” business climate.&nbsp;

“We have to run new plays. We have to expect to win companies, jobs and people,” the mayor said. “We’ve got to be willing to have the courage to go for it on fourth down.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Pillen said the state had not negotiated an incentive package with U.P. He said other businesses could benefit from the legislation as well, and mentioned HDR and Kiewit Corp. as among growing companies that could perhaps tap revamped incentives.

U.P., in a statement to the Examiner, said the railroad was “excited to grow with Nebraska.”&nbsp;

“We support Governor Pillen and the Legislature’s goals of attracting and retaining high-paying jobs in the state.”

Upon announcing the acquisition plan last July, U.P. leaders said the combined company would be headquartered in Omaha and that Atlanta will remain a “core location” with a focus on technology, operations and innovation.&nbsp;

U.P. employs more than 5,500 people in Nebraska (about 33,000 nationwide) and operates more than 1,000 miles of track in the state. The railroad has maintained operational headquarters in Omaha for more than 160 years, and moved into a then-new downtown Omaha headquarters in 2004.

Nationally, Norfolk Southern has more than 20,000 employees, with more than 3,000 at its Atlanta headquarters that the company opened in 2021.

Von Gillern said possible relocation should be a concern, noting that Georgia has been “very aggressive “with incentive offerings. He said the Norfolk Southern Atlanta campus is “pretty stunning.”

“We have to be ahead of our competition,” von Gillern said. “This bill will benefit the employees of Union Pacific and Nebraska taxpayers by ensuring that a high-caliber, high-paying great corporate citizen stays here in our home state.”&nbsp;

Incentives laid out in LB 1165 include sales and use tax credits and grants, and modify the Key Employer and Jobs Retention Act, the ImagiNE Act, and Site Building Development Act.

Key provisions apply to private employers in the state that have more than 3,000 full-time workers and an enterprise value of more than $25 billion after a merger. As currently written, von Gillern said, those employers could be eligible for a 10% tax credit for bringing to the state 1,000 full-time jobs with $90,000 salaries over a seven year period.&nbsp;

Another change, not to exceed $5 million in 2026-27 fiscal year, would provide capital improvement grants to employers following a change of ownership.&nbsp;

The Department of Labor also would establish a grant program, not to exceed $300,000 annually for any employer, to provide workforce retention and recruitment support to businesses undergoing an ownership change.

LB 1165 responds to pressure from Nebraska business leaders who have been releasing studies showing the state falling behind some of its peers in job growth and economic development.

Heath Mello, a former senator who had led the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee and is now CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, said the legislation reflects months of discussion with the Pillen team to retain and expand jobs and talent.

Tax incentives, Mello said, are usually the first thing companies look for in deciding where to build a workforce and commercial enterprise.&nbsp;

He noted that “some of Nebraska’s most iconic employers” currently are navigating major ownership changes, and mentioned U.P.&nbsp;

“This legislation sends a very clear message: Nebraska is prepared to meet change with confidence,” Mello said.

<p><i>By Cindy Gonzalez | Nebraska Examiner</i><br></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769395723758.jpeg" alt=" Gov. Jim Pillen speaks at a news conference at the Durham Museum in Omaha, with Union Pacific vintage railroad cars as a backdrop. Those attending included State Sen. Brad von Gillern, chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, who introduced an incentives-focused bill on Pillen’s behalf. Shown on far right is Heath Mello, CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and left of von Gillern is Todd Bingham, CEO of Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Also speaking was Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption> Gov. Jim Pillen speaks at a news conference at the Durham Museum in Omaha, with Union Pacific vintage railroad cars as a backdrop. Those attending included State Sen. Brad von Gillern, chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, who introduced an incentives-focused bill on Pillen’s behalf. Shown on far right is Heath Mello, CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and left of von Gillern is Todd Bingham, CEO of Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Also speaking was Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>OMAHA — Nebraska officials seek to sweeten corporate tax incentives that spur job growth in the state, targeting Union Pacific Railroad in particular as it merges with another railroad giant that just five years ago opened a new headquarters in Atlanta.</p><p>Gov. Jim Pillen, Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., and the heads of the Omaha and Nebraska business chambers of commerce held a news conference in Omaha Friday touting&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Intro/LB1165.pdf" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 1165</a>, newly introduced by State Sen. Brad von Gillern on behalf of the Pillen administration.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769395692968.jpeg" alt="The Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railroads announce plans in July 2025 to create the first transcontinental railroad. (Courtesy of Norfolk Southern)" />
                        <figcaption>The Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railroads announce plans in July 2025 to create the first transcontinental railroad. (Courtesy of Norfolk Southern)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Dubbed the “Grow the Good Life Act,” the proposal modifies three existing business incentive laws. Key changes ensure that a large employer undergoing a merger or acquisition gains benefits that might encourage them to stay and grow in Nebraska, said von Gillern, chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee.</p><p>While U.P. is not identified by name, portions of the bill appear tailor-made for the Omaha-based railroad company as it seeks federal approval of an $85 billion merger with Georgia-based Norfolk Southern to create the nation’s first single-line coast-to-coast rail system. The merged systems would create a combined enterprise of more than $250 billion.</p><p>The union of two Fortune 500 transportation companies faces opponents and saw a setback recently when the Surface Transportation Board rejected an initial application as incomplete. U.P. said it will provide the necessary information.&nbsp;</p><h2>‘Aggressive, assertive’</h2><p>On Friday, Pillen proclaimed as “groundbreaking” the initiative that addresses&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/08/brain-drain-alarm-escalates-omaha-and-business-leaders-flag-job-lag/">pressure business groups</a>&nbsp;have put on his administration to focus more on economic development, as he has concentrated on property tax relief measures.</p><p>“This is more aggressive and assertive than anything we’ve ever done before,” Pillen said at the event, which used vintage U.P. railcars as a backdrop at Omaha’s Durham Museum.</p><p>An estimated cost has yet to be attached to the new incentives, said von Gillern, who emphasized that provisions were sure to change as the measure advances through the law-making process.&nbsp;</p><p>He called it a pay-for-performance plan — “not welfare, not a give-away.”</p><p>Ewing said he hopes for a “Super Bowl” business climate.&nbsp;</p><p>“We have to run new plays. We have to expect to win companies, jobs and people,” the mayor said. “We’ve got to be willing to have the courage to go for it on fourth down.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769395667137.jpeg" alt="The Union Pacific glassy corporate headquarters in downtown Omaha is left of the white building labeled the Omaha World-Herald. The 19-story U.P. downtown facility opened in 2004, though U.P. has had its operational base in Omaha for more than 160 years. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>The Union Pacific glassy corporate headquarters in downtown Omaha is left of the white building labeled the Omaha World-Herald. The 19-story U.P. downtown facility opened in 2004, though U.P. has had its operational base in Omaha for more than 160 years. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In response to a reporter’s question, Pillen said the state had not negotiated an incentive package with U.P. He said other businesses could benefit from the legislation as well, and mentioned HDR and Kiewit Corp. as among growing companies that could perhaps tap revamped incentives.</p><p>U.P., in a statement to the Examiner, said the railroad was “excited to grow with Nebraska.”&nbsp;</p><p>“We support Governor Pillen and the Legislature’s goals of attracting and retaining high-paying jobs in the state.”</p><p>Upon announcing the acquisition plan last July, U.P. leaders said the combined company would be headquartered in Omaha and that Atlanta will remain a “core location” with a focus on technology, operations and innovation.&nbsp;</p><p>U.P. employs more than 5,500 people in Nebraska (about 33,000 nationwide) and operates more than 1,000 miles of track in the state. The railroad has maintained operational headquarters in Omaha for more than 160 years, and moved into a then-new downtown Omaha headquarters in 2004.</p><p>Nationally, Norfolk Southern has more than 20,000 employees, with more than 3,000 at its Atlanta headquarters that the company opened in 2021.</p><h2>Staying ahead of competition</h2><p>Von Gillern said possible relocation should be a concern, noting that Georgia has been “very aggressive “with incentive offerings. He said the Norfolk Southern Atlanta campus is “pretty stunning.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769395640797.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn. Aug. 8, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn. Aug. 8, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>“We have to be ahead of our competition,” von Gillern said. “This bill will benefit the employees of Union Pacific and Nebraska taxpayers by ensuring that a high-caliber, high-paying great corporate citizen stays here in our home state.”&nbsp;</p><p>Incentives laid out in LB 1165 include sales and use tax credits and grants, and modify the Key Employer and Jobs Retention Act, the ImagiNE Act, and Site Building Development Act.</p><p>Key provisions apply to private employers in the state that have more than 3,000 full-time workers and an enterprise value of more than $25 billion after a merger. As currently written, von Gillern said, those employers could be eligible for a 10% tax credit for bringing to the state 1,000 full-time jobs with $90,000 salaries over a seven year period.&nbsp;</p><p>Another change, not to exceed $5 million in 2026-27 fiscal year, would provide capital improvement grants to employers following a change of ownership.&nbsp;</p><p>The Department of Labor also would establish a grant program, not to exceed $300,000 annually for any employer, to provide workforce retention and recruitment support to businesses undergoing an ownership change.</p><p>LB 1165 responds to pressure from Nebraska business leaders who have been releasing studies showing the state falling behind some of its peers in job growth and economic development.</p><h2>Clear message</h2><p>Heath Mello, a former senator who had led the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee and is now CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, said the legislation reflects months of discussion with the Pillen team to retain and expand jobs and talent.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769395615511.jpeg" alt="Heath Mello, CEO and president of the Greater Omaha Chamber. (Courtesy of Greater Omaha Chamber)" />
                        <figcaption>Heath Mello, CEO and president of the Greater Omaha Chamber. (Courtesy of Greater Omaha Chamber)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Tax incentives, Mello said, are usually the first thing companies look for in deciding where to build a workforce and commercial enterprise.&nbsp;</p><p>He noted that “some of Nebraska’s most iconic employers” currently are navigating major ownership changes, and mentioned U.P.&nbsp;</p><p>“This legislation sends a very clear message: Nebraska is prepared to meet change with confidence,” Mello said.</p>

Nebraska Seeks to Sweeten Corporate Incentives, Partly to Ensure Union Pacific Stays and Grows

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

A partial federal government shutdown appeared Sunday to unexpectedly be on the horizon, after another fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis led key U.S. Senate Democrats to say they will oppose a spending package that includes immigration enforcement funds.

Senators have until a Friday deadline to clear a package of six House-passed funding measures, including the $64.4 billion Homeland Security appropriations bill that includes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.

Republicans hold a majority in the chamber but would need at least seven Democrats to join them in voting for the package in order to clear the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to advance legislation.&nbsp;

The agreement had appeared to be on track for easy passage by the Senate by Friday, when a stopgap spending law expires.&nbsp;

But after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-agents-shoot-and-kill-man-minneapolis-rousing-more-demonstrations" target="_blank">Saturday’s killing of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti,</a>&nbsp;the second by Homeland Security Department officers in Minneapolis this month, key moderate Democrats, appropriators and leaders said they would not support the package if it includes the Homeland Security legislation in its current form.&nbsp;

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also said his caucus would not provide the votes needed, citing the killings of Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, and called for the DHS bill to be split from the five spending bills with broad bipartisan support.

“Senate Democrats will not allow the current DHS funding bill to move forward,” Schumer said in a Sunday statement. “The appalling murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis must lead Republicans to join Democrats in overhauling ICE and CBP to protect the public. People should be safe from abuse by their own government.

“Senate Republicans must work with Democrats to advance the other five funding bills while we work to rewrite the DHS bill,” he added. “This is (the) best course of action, and the American people are on our side.”

A complicating factor is the DHS bill also includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, even as a major winter storm swept through a large swath of the nation Saturday and Sunday, triggering disaster declarations in multiple states.

President Donald Trump and key administration officials committed to a robust media strategy over the weekend, defending the officers involved and smearing Pretti, despite contradictory evidence in available video.

Some elected Republicans backed the administration’s account, but an unusual number of GOP members of Congress and at least one governor called for accountability.

Five of the eight Democrats and independents who voted with Republicans to end a shutdown in November have said they will not support the package if it includes DHS funding.

Maine independent Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats, said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that he would vote against the package.

“I hate shutdowns,” King said in a video interview on the Sunday morning show. “I’m one of the people that helped negotiate the solution to the end of the last shutdown, but I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances.”

Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, a former federal prosecutor, criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and called for blocking the funding package.

“The Trump administration and Kristi Noem are putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability,” she said. “They are oppressing Americans and are at odds with local law enforcement. This is clearly not about keeping Americans safe, it’s brutalizing U.S. citizens and law-abiding immigrants. I will not support the current Homeland Security funding bill.”

Cortez Masto called for the DHS bill to be split off from the rest of the package.&nbsp;

“We have bipartisan agreement on 96% of the budget. We’ve already passed six funding bills,” she said. “Let’s pass the remaining five bipartisan bills and fund essential agencies while we continue to fight for a Department of Homeland Security that respects Americans’ constitutional rights and preserves federal law enforcement’s essential role to keep us safe.”&nbsp;

Fellow Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen, who also voted to end the shutdown in November, said “enough is enough” and that she would oppose a funding package that did not “rein in ICE’s out-of-control conduct.”

“As a member of the U.S. Senate, I have the responsibility to hold the Trump Administration accountable when I see abuses of power — like we are seeing from ICE right now,” she said. “That is why I’ll be voting against any government funding package that contains the bill that funds this agency, until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency.

“My personal guiding principle has always been ‘agree where you can and fight where you must,’” she added. “And I believe this is a time when we must fight back.”

Virginia’s Tim Kaine said in a Friday statement — before Pretti’s killing — that he would oppose the package for several reasons, including as a check on ICE.

“We are not living in normal times,” he said. “The President is acting chaotically and unlawfully and we shouldn’t give his deranged decisions the imprimatur of congressional approval by passing this legislation without significant amendment.”

Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois also said after Pretti’s killing early Saturday — the third shooting by immigration officers in Minneapolis in three weeks — that he would vote against the package. Durbin is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

The House last week&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/many-dems-refuse-vote-fund-ice-us-house-passes-4-spending-bills" target="_blank">passed the DHS funding bill</a>, with seven Democrats voting to approve it, and a separate package of three other appropriations bills that passed with broad bipartisan support. House members passed two other funding bills the week before.

The fiscal 2026 Homeland Security spending bill cuts funding for Customs and Border Protection by $1.3 billion, and maintains flat funding for ICE at $10 billion.

The bill attempts to put guardrails around immigration enforcement by allocating $20 million for body cameras for ICE and CBP officers.&nbsp;

But even if the funding bill doesn’t pass or gets held up, the immigration enforcement agencies are still flush with cash after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Republicans passed last year allocated $190 billion for DHS. ICE is slated to receive about $75 billion over four years, or $18.7 billion a year.

Any Senate amendment to the House-passed package would require another House vote. The House is scheduled to be out this week and the chamber, narrowly controlled by Republicans, may be unwilling to cooperate with Senate changes.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican up for reelection this year in one of the nation’s most closely watched races, did not dismiss the possibility of changes in the spending bill package, telling The New York Times on Saturday she was “exploring all options” for passage.

The major winter storm also hit Washington, D.C., and could further complicate the Senate vote or potential House consideration. All flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were canceled Sunday as snow and sleet covered the region.&nbsp;

A handful of GOP officials, including Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called for more scrutiny into Pretti’s killing and ICE’s conduct more generally.&nbsp;

“There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into yesterday’s Minneapolis shooting, which is the basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer-involved shooting,” Tillis<a href="https://x.com/SenThomTillis/status/2015435983316189686" target="_blank">&nbsp;said on social media.</a>

“For this specific incident, that requires cooperation and transparency between federal, state, and local law enforcement. Any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”

Cassidy&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/2015247523003162922" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>: “The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who is a former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on social media he was “troubled by the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis.”

“As an attorney and former federal prosecutor, I believe a thorough investigation is necessary—both to get to the bottom of these incidents and to maintain Americans’ confidence in our justice system,” he said.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, was among those who said he was troubled by the shooting.

“I think the death of Americans, what we’re seeing on TV, it’s causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability,” Stitt said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now.”

Administration, some allies defend shooting&nbsp;

Many others, including Republican senators and Trump administration officials speaking on Sunday talk shows — Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — defended the agents involved and blamed Pretti and state and local Democrats in Minneapolis.&nbsp;

“Democrats are now backing out of a bipartisan agreement to fund DHS, which makes sure our border is secure and our immigration laws are enforced,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2015428526829133864" target="_blank">wrote on social media.</a>

“This is reckless and quite frankly, very disappointing. It appears that Democrats are so wedded to supporting people carrying guns trying to interfere with a lawful arrest that they will shut down the government.”

Patel, on “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News, said DHS is investigating the shooting but the FBI is processing physical evidence. “No one who wants to be peaceful shows up in a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines,” Patel said, referring to reports that Pretti was carrying a handgun for which he had a concealed carry license, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

Spokespeople for Collins, Schumer and Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota did not return messages seeking comment Sunday. Senate Democrats were set to meet virtually on Sunday night, according to multiple media reports.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769276764745.png" alt="Photo of the weapon seized in shooting- photo DHS" />
                        <figcaption>Photo of the weapon seized in shooting- photo DHS</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a><br><a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a></p><p>A partial federal government shutdown appeared Sunday to unexpectedly be on the horizon, after another fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis led key U.S. Senate Democrats to say they will oppose a spending package that includes immigration enforcement funds.</p><p>Senators have until a Friday deadline to clear a package of six House-passed funding measures, including the $64.4 billion Homeland Security appropriations bill that includes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling—and unacceptable in any American city. Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to…</p>&mdash; Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/2015211069493350505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Republicans hold a majority in the chamber but would need at least seven Democrats to join them in voting for the package in order to clear the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to advance legislation.&nbsp;</p><p>The agreement had appeared to be on track for easy passage by the Senate by Friday, when a stopgap spending law expires.&nbsp;</p><p>But after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-agents-shoot-and-kill-man-minneapolis-rousing-more-demonstrations" target="_blank">Saturday’s killing of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti,</a>&nbsp;the second by Homeland Security Department officers in Minneapolis this month, key moderate Democrats, appropriators and leaders said they would not support the package if it includes the Homeland Security legislation in its current form.&nbsp;</p><p>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also said his caucus would not provide the votes needed, citing the killings of Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, and called for the DHS bill to be split from the five spending bills with broad bipartisan support.</p><p>“Senate Democrats will not allow the current DHS funding bill to move forward,” Schumer said in a Sunday statement. “The appalling murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis must lead Republicans to join Democrats in overhauling ICE and CBP to protect the public. People should be safe from abuse by their own government.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695393380394.jpeg" alt=" The U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)" />
                        <figcaption> The U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>“Senate Republicans must work with Democrats to advance the other five funding bills while we work to rewrite the DHS bill,” he added. “This is (the) best course of action, and the American people are on our side.”</p><p>A complicating factor is the DHS bill also includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, even as a major winter storm swept through a large swath of the nation Saturday and Sunday, triggering disaster declarations in multiple states.</p><p>President Donald Trump and key administration officials committed to a robust media strategy over the weekend, defending the officers involved and smearing Pretti, despite contradictory evidence in available video.</p><p>Some elected Republicans backed the administration’s account, but an unusual number of GOP members of Congress and at least one governor called for accountability.</p><h2>Latest shooting a turning point</h2><p>Five of the eight Democrats and independents who voted with Republicans to end a shutdown in November have said they will not support the package if it includes DHS funding.</p><p>Maine independent Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats, said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that he would vote against the package.</p><p>“I hate shutdowns,” King said in a video interview on the Sunday morning show. “I’m one of the people that helped negotiate the solution to the end of the last shutdown, but I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances.”</p><p>Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, a former federal prosecutor, criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and called for blocking the funding package.</p><p>“The Trump administration and Kristi Noem are putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability,” she said. “They are oppressing Americans and are at odds with local law enforcement. This is clearly not about keeping Americans safe, it’s brutalizing U.S. citizens and law-abiding immigrants. I will not support the current Homeland Security funding bill.”</p><p>Cortez Masto called for the DHS bill to be split off from the rest of the package.&nbsp;</p><p>“We have bipartisan agreement on 96% of the budget. We’ve already passed six funding bills,” she said. “Let’s pass the remaining five bipartisan bills and fund essential agencies while we continue to fight for a Department of Homeland Security that respects Americans’ constitutional rights and preserves federal law enforcement’s essential role to keep us safe.”&nbsp;</p><p>Fellow Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen, who also voted to end the shutdown in November, said “enough is enough” and that she would oppose a funding package that did not “rein in ICE’s out-of-control conduct.”</p><p>“As a member of the U.S. Senate, I have the responsibility to hold the Trump Administration accountable when I see abuses of power — like we are seeing from ICE right now,” she said. “That is why I’ll be voting against any government funding package that contains the bill that funds this agency, until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency.</p><p>“My personal guiding principle has always been ‘agree where you can and fight where you must,’” she added. “And I believe this is a time when we must fight back.”</p><p>Virginia’s Tim Kaine said in a Friday statement — before Pretti’s killing — that he would oppose the package for several reasons, including as a check on ICE.</p><p>“We are not living in normal times,” he said. “The President is acting chaotically and unlawfully and we shouldn’t give his deranged decisions the imprimatur of congressional approval by passing this legislation without significant amendment.”</p><p>Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois also said after Pretti’s killing early Saturday — the third shooting by immigration officers in Minneapolis in three weeks — that he would vote against the package. Durbin is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.</p><h2>DHS funding</h2><p>The House last week&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/many-dems-refuse-vote-fund-ice-us-house-passes-4-spending-bills" target="_blank">passed the DHS funding bill</a>, with seven Democrats voting to approve it, and a separate package of three other appropriations bills that passed with broad bipartisan support. House members passed two other funding bills the week before.</p><p>The fiscal 2026 Homeland Security spending bill cuts funding for Customs and Border Protection by $1.3 billion, and maintains flat funding for ICE at $10 billion.</p><p>The bill attempts to put guardrails around immigration enforcement by allocating $20 million for body cameras for ICE and CBP officers.&nbsp;</p><p>But even if the funding bill doesn’t pass or gets held up, the immigration enforcement agencies are still flush with cash after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Republicans passed last year allocated $190 billion for DHS. ICE is slated to receive about $75 billion over four years, or $18.7 billion a year.</p><h2>Path forward</h2><p>Any Senate amendment to the House-passed package would require another House vote. The House is scheduled to be out this week and the chamber, narrowly controlled by Republicans, may be unwilling to cooperate with Senate changes.</p><p>Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican up for reelection this year in one of the nation’s most closely watched races, did not dismiss the possibility of changes in the spending bill package, telling The New York Times on Saturday she was “exploring all options” for passage.</p><p>The major winter storm also hit Washington, D.C., and could further complicate the Senate vote or potential House consideration. All flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were canceled Sunday as snow and sleet covered the region.&nbsp;</p><p>A handful of GOP officials, including Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called for more scrutiny into Pretti’s killing and ICE’s conduct more generally.&nbsp;</p><p>“There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into yesterday’s Minneapolis shooting, which is the basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer-involved shooting,” Tillis<a href="https://x.com/SenThomTillis/status/2015435983316189686" target="_blank">&nbsp;said on social media.</a></p><p>“For this specific incident, that requires cooperation and transparency between federal, state, and local law enforcement. Any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”</p><p>Cassidy&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/2015247523003162922" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>: “The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”</p><p>Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who is a former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on social media he was “troubled by the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis.”</p><p>“As an attorney and former federal prosecutor, I believe a thorough investigation is necessary—both to get to the bottom of these incidents and to maintain Americans’ confidence in our justice system,” he said.</p><p>Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, was among those who said he was troubled by the shooting.</p><p>“I think the death of Americans, what we’re seeing on TV, it’s causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability,” Stitt said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now.”</p><h2>Administration, some allies defend shooting&nbsp;</h2><p>Many others, including Republican senators and Trump administration officials speaking on Sunday talk shows — Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — defended the agents involved and blamed Pretti and state and local Democrats in Minneapolis.&nbsp;</p><p>“Democrats are now backing out of a bipartisan agreement to fund DHS, which makes sure our border is secure and our immigration laws are enforced,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2015428526829133864" target="_blank">wrote on social media.</a></p><p>“This is reckless and quite frankly, very disappointing. It appears that Democrats are so wedded to supporting people carrying guns trying to interfere with a lawful arrest that they will shut down the government.”</p><p>Patel, on “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News, said DHS is investigating the shooting but the FBI is processing physical evidence. “No one who wants to be peaceful shows up in a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines,” Patel said, referring to reports that Pretti was carrying a handgun for which he had a concealed carry license, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.</p><p>Spokespeople for Collins, Schumer and Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota did not return messages seeking comment Sunday. Senate Democrats were set to meet virtually on Sunday night, according to multiple media reports.</p>

Deadly shooting in Minneapolis could lead to partial government shutdown over ICE funding

While Department of Homeland Security officials and others investigate after a&nbsp;U.S. Border Patrol agent&nbsp;fatally&nbsp;shot a man on Saturday in Minneapolis, two former Presidents of the United States have shared their thoughts on the tragedy and accountability.

Meanwhile President Donald Trump is calling on Democrat governors to enforce the nation's laws rather than resist.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769276717280.png" alt="Photo of the weapon seized in shooting- photo DHS" />
                        <figcaption>Photo of the weapon seized in shooting- photo DHS</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>While Department of Homeland Security officials and others investigate after a&nbsp;U.S. Border Patrol agent&nbsp;fatally&nbsp;shot a man on Saturday in Minneapolis, two former Presidents of the United States have shared their thoughts on the tragedy and accountability.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault. <a href="https://t.co/0JmEsJ1QFW">pic.twitter.com/0JmEsJ1QFW</a></p>&mdash; Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/2015479691147149747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2026</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">Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come.  This is one of them. <a href="https://t.co/fr4TclLBZd">pic.twitter.com/fr4TclLBZd</a></p>&mdash; Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillClinton/status/2015562744993350135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Meanwhile President Donald Trump is calling on Democrat governors to enforce the nation's laws rather than resist.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/IOdPh1oPtL">pic.twitter.com/IOdPh1oPtL</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2015555047447236872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

2 former U.S. Presidents speak out on fatal Minneapolis shooting

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cami-koons/">Cami Koons</a><br><a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/01/22/house-bill-would-lead-iowa-to-explore-wildlife-overpasses/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>

An Iowa House subcommittee advanced a bill Thursday that would initiate a state committee to study the feasibility of adding wildlife crossings on certain highways.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ba=HSB562" target="_blank">House Study Bill 562</a>&nbsp;calls for an analysis of animal-vehicle collisions along highways, a ranking of high-crash corridors and suggestions for animal crossing solutions, which could include wildlife overpasses, underpasses or improved fencing along a highway corridor.

Wildlife overpasses are popular in some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nina.no/english/About-NINA/News/article/wildlife-overpass-in-trondheim-norway-enhances-habitat-connectivity" target="_blank">European</a>&nbsp;countries and have been adopted in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/world-s-largest-wildlife-crossing-set-to-open-this-fall-price-tag-climbs/ar-AA1Ueapq" target="_blank">handful</a>&nbsp;of U.S. states.&nbsp;

At the end of 2025, Colorado completed a wildlife overpass across a stretch of Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.codot.gov/projects/archives/i25greenlandwildlifeoverpass" target="_blank">state transportation department</a>, the $15 million project was completed within a year and it, combined with wildlife underpasses and other crossing systems, is expected to reduce animal collisions along the stretch of interstate by 90%.&nbsp;

Several environmental and wildlife conservation groups, including the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, Humane World for Animals and Animal Rescue League Iowa, registered in support of the bill.&nbsp;

Humane World for Animals’ Iowa State Director Preston Moore said in an emailed statement that as human development continues to expand, wildlife are left with fewer “wild and open spaces.”&nbsp;

“Developing safe wildlife road crossings as well as restoring and conserving critical habitat and wildlife corridors are essential to ensure wildlife are protected from increased human development and climate change,” Moore said. “Road development and vehicle collisions with wildlife can be quite damaging to populations, especially those that are already small and fragile.”&nbsp;

According to a 2024 population density&nbsp;<a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/DF/1462727.pdf" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;conducted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources,&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/10/11/iowa-dnr-releases-first-county-level-deer-density-report/" target="_blank">deer cause at least $129 million&nbsp;</a>in vehicle collision costs in Iowa annually.

Moore said while deer account for the vast majority of animal-vehicle collisions, “many other species are struck on roadways.”&nbsp;

The bill also calls for the development of a grant request strategy aligned with the federal department of transportation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/wildlife-crossings" target="_blank">wildlife crossing program</a>.&nbsp;

State natural resources and transportation department directors would be asked to serve on the study committee. Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt, chaired the House subcommittee and asked if lower-level staff from the departments should instead sit on the committee.&nbsp;

“We’re pulling in all the directors for – I’m not trying to minimize – but is this the best use of state resources?” Mommsen asked.&nbsp;

Subcommittee members asked for additional information about animal-vehicle collisions in the state and on the success of wildlife overpasses. Mommsen advanced the bill, but said he would speak with additional stakeholders about it.&nbsp;

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/01/22/house-bill-would-lead-iowa-to-explore-wildlife-overpasses/" 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>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cami-koons/">Cami Koons</a><br><a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/01/22/house-bill-would-lead-iowa-to-explore-wildlife-overpasses/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a></p><p>An Iowa House subcommittee advanced a bill Thursday that would initiate a state committee to study the feasibility of adding wildlife crossings on certain highways.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ba=HSB562" target="_blank">House Study Bill 562</a>&nbsp;calls for an analysis of animal-vehicle collisions along highways, a ranking of high-crash corridors and suggestions for animal crossing solutions, which could include wildlife overpasses, underpasses or improved fencing along a highway corridor.</p><p>Wildlife overpasses are popular in some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nina.no/english/About-NINA/News/article/wildlife-overpass-in-trondheim-norway-enhances-habitat-connectivity" target="_blank">European</a>&nbsp;countries and have been adopted in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/world-s-largest-wildlife-crossing-set-to-open-this-fall-price-tag-climbs/ar-AA1Ueapq" target="_blank">handful</a>&nbsp;of U.S. states.&nbsp;</p><p>At the end of 2025, Colorado completed a wildlife overpass across a stretch of Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.codot.gov/projects/archives/i25greenlandwildlifeoverpass" target="_blank">state transportation department</a>, the $15 million project was completed within a year and it, combined with wildlife underpasses and other crossing systems, is expected to reduce animal collisions along the stretch of interstate by 90%.&nbsp;</p><p>Several environmental and wildlife conservation groups, including the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, Humane World for Animals and Animal Rescue League Iowa, registered in support of the bill.&nbsp;</p><p>Humane World for Animals’ Iowa State Director Preston Moore said in an emailed statement that as human development continues to expand, wildlife are left with fewer “wild and open spaces.”&nbsp;</p><p>“Developing safe wildlife road crossings as well as restoring and conserving critical habitat and wildlife corridors are essential to ensure wildlife are protected from increased human development and climate change,” Moore said. “Road development and vehicle collisions with wildlife can be quite damaging to populations, especially those that are already small and fragile.”&nbsp;</p><p>According to a 2024 population density&nbsp;<a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/DF/1462727.pdf" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;conducted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources,&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/10/11/iowa-dnr-releases-first-county-level-deer-density-report/" target="_blank">deer cause at least $129 million&nbsp;</a>in vehicle collision costs in Iowa annually.</p><p>Moore said while deer account for the vast majority of animal-vehicle collisions, “many other species are struck on roadways.”&nbsp;</p><p>The bill also calls for the development of a grant request strategy aligned with the federal department of transportation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/wildlife-crossings" target="_blank">wildlife crossing program</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>State natural resources and transportation department directors would be asked to serve on the study committee. Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt, chaired the House subcommittee and asked if lower-level staff from the departments should instead sit on the committee.&nbsp;</p><p>“We’re pulling in all the directors for – I’m not trying to minimize – but is this the best use of state resources?” Mommsen asked.&nbsp;</p><p>Subcommittee members asked for additional information about animal-vehicle collisions in the state and on the success of wildlife overpasses. Mommsen advanced the bill, but said he would speak with additional stakeholders about it.&nbsp;</p><p>This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/01/22/house-bill-would-lead-iowa-to-explore-wildlife-overpasses/" 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>

House bill would lead Iowa to explore wildlife overpasses

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (<a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a>) on Minneapolis shooting: &quot;This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/feQF14gZWh">pic.twitter.com/feQF14gZWh</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2015191779675423218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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">Q: &quot;Did he brandish a gun? At what point did law enforcement retrieve the gun and also the magazines...?<br><br>Secretary Noem: &quot;This individual showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers. They responded according to their training...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vPRUsBIBru">pic.twitter.com/vPRUsBIBru</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2015193659595977150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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">Today, DHS law enforcement was conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.<br><br>During the operation, an individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm the… <a href="https://t.co/i0bsQY3i5O">pic.twitter.com/i0bsQY3i5O</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/2015202988923711951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a>: &quot;This individual came with a weapon, and dozens of rounds of ammunition, and attacked THEM.&quot; <br><br>&quot;Don&#39;t let political corrupt leaders who are just trying to cover up their theft of American taxpayer dollars try to distract you from the facts of the situation.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/DGZykTiILS">pic.twitter.com/DGZykTiILS</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2015197852004241459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a>: &quot;The two things that we&#39;ve asked <a href="https://twitter.com/GovTimWalz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovTimWalz</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorFrey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MayorFrey</a> for is that they would partner with us and before they let somebody dangerous out of their jails, that they would let us know so we can deport them out of our country. I do not know why they continue to… <a href="https://t.co/tCmSKMWbD4">pic.twitter.com/tCmSKMWbD4</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2015196395267895670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥What DHS Secretary Noem said about the fatal CBP shooting 

By Cindy Gonzalez<br><a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

This is more aggressive and assertive than anything we’ve ever done before,” Pillen said at the event, which used vintage U.P. railcars as a backdrop at Omaha’s Durham Museum.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769376691208.png" alt="The Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railroads announce plans in July 2025 to create the first transcontinental railroad. (Courtesy of Norfolk Southern)" />
                        <figcaption>The Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railroads announce plans in July 2025 to create the first transcontinental railroad. (Courtesy of Norfolk Southern)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By Cindy Gonzalez<br><a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a></p><p>OMAHA — Nebraska officials seek to sweeten corporate tax incentives that spur job growth in the state, targeting Union Pacific Railroad in particular as it merges with another railroad giant that just five years ago opened a new headquarters in Atlanta.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769395723758.jpeg" alt=" Gov. Jim Pillen speaks at a news conference at the Durham Museum in Omaha, with Union Pacific vintage railroad cars as a backdrop. Those attending included State Sen. Brad von Gillern, chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, who introduced an incentives-focused bill on Pillen’s behalf. Shown on far right is Heath Mello, CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and left of von Gillern is Todd Bingham, CEO of Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Also speaking was Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption> Gov. Jim Pillen speaks at a news conference at the Durham Museum in Omaha, with Union Pacific vintage railroad cars as a backdrop. Those attending included State Sen. Brad von Gillern, chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, who introduced an incentives-focused bill on Pillen’s behalf. Shown on far right is Heath Mello, CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and left of von Gillern is Todd Bingham, CEO of Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Also speaking was Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Gov. Jim Pillen, Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., and the heads of the Omaha and Nebraska business chambers of commerce held a news conference in Omaha Friday touting&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Intro/LB1165.pdf" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 1165</a>, newly introduced by State Sen. Brad von Gillern on behalf of the Pillen administration.</p><p>Dubbed the “Grow the Good Life Act,” the proposal modifies three existing business incentive laws. Key changes ensure that a large employer undergoing a merger or acquisition gains benefits that might encourage them to stay and grow in Nebraska, said von Gillern, chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee.</p><p>While U.P. is not identified by name, portions of the bill appear tailor-made for the Omaha-based railroad company as it seeks federal approval of an $85 billion merger with Georgia-based Norfolk Southern to create the nation’s first single-line coast-to-coast rail system. The merged systems would create a combined enterprise of more than $250 billion.</p><p>The union of two Fortune 500 transportation companies faces opponents and saw a setback recently when the Surface Transportation Board rejected an initial application as incomplete. U.P. said it will provide the necessary information.&nbsp;</p><h2>‘Aggressive, assertive’</h2><p>On Friday, Pillen proclaimed as “groundbreaking” the initiative that addresses&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/08/brain-drain-alarm-escalates-omaha-and-business-leaders-flag-job-lag/">pressure business groups</a>&nbsp;have put on his administration to focus more on economic development, as he has concentrated on property tax relief measures.</p><p>This is more aggressive and assertive than anything we’ve ever done before,” Pillen said at the event, which used vintage U.P. railcars as a backdrop at Omaha’s Durham Museum.</p><p>An estimated cost has yet to be attached to the new incentives, said von Gillern, who emphasized that provisions were sure to change as the measure advances through the law-making process.&nbsp;</p><p>He called it a pay-for-performance plan — “not welfare, not a give-away.”</p><p>Ewing said he hopes for a “Super Bowl” business climate.&nbsp;</p><p>“We have to run new plays. We have to expect to win companies, jobs and people,” the mayor said. “We’ve got to be willing to have the courage to go for it on fourth down.”</p><p>In response to a reporter’s question, Pillen said the state had not negotiated an incentive package with U.P. He said other businesses could benefit from the legislation as well, and mentioned HDR and Kiewit Corp. as among growing companies that could perhaps tap revamped incentives.</p><p>U.P., in a statement to the Examiner, said the railroad was “excited to grow with Nebraska.”&nbsp;</p><p>“We support Governor Pillen and the Legislature’s goals of attracting and retaining high-paying jobs in the state.”</p><p>Upon announcing the acquisition plan last July, U.P. leaders said the combined company would be headquartered in Omaha and that Atlanta will remain a “core location” with a focus on technology, operations and innovation.&nbsp;</p><p>U.P. employs more than 5,500 people in Nebraska (about 33,000 nationwide) and operates more than 1,000 miles of track in the state. The railroad has maintained operational headquarters in Omaha for more than 160 years, and moved into a then-new downtown Omaha headquarters in 2004.</p><p>Nationally, Norfolk Southern has more than 20,000 employees, with more than 3,000 at its Atlanta headquarters that the company opened in 2021.</p><h2>Staying ahead of competition</h2><p>Von Gillern said possible relocation should be a concern, noting that Georgia has been “very aggressive “with incentive offerings. He said the Norfolk Southern Atlanta campus is “pretty stunning.”</p><p>“We have to be ahead of our competition,” von Gillern said. “This bill will benefit the employees of Union Pacific and Nebraska taxpayers by ensuring that a high-caliber, high-paying great corporate citizen stays here in our home state.”&nbsp;</p><p>Incentives laid out in LB 1165 include sales and use tax credits and grants, and modify the Key Employer and Jobs Retention Act, the ImagiNE Act, and Site Building Development Act.</p><p>Key provisions apply to private employers in the state that have more than 3,000 full-time workers and an enterprise value of more than $25 billion after a merger. As currently written, von Gillern said, those employers could be eligible for a 10% tax credit for bringing to the state 1,000 full-time jobs with $90,000 salaries over a seven year period.&nbsp;</p><p>Another change, not to exceed $5 million in 2026-27 fiscal year, would provide capital improvement grants to employers following a change of ownership.&nbsp;</p><p>The Department of Labor also would establish a grant program, not to exceed $300,000 annually for any employer, to provide workforce retention and recruitment support to businesses undergoing an ownership change.</p><p>LB 1165 responds to pressure from Nebraska business leaders who have been releasing studies showing the state falling behind some of its peers in job growth and economic development.</p><h2>Clear message</h2><p>Heath Mello, a former senator who had led the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee and is now CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, said the legislation reflects months of discussion with the Pillen team to retain and expand jobs and talent.</p><p>Tax incentives, Mello said, are usually the first thing companies look for in deciding where to build a workforce and commercial enterprise.&nbsp;</p><p>He noted that “some of Nebraska’s most iconic employers” currently are navigating major ownership changes, and mentioned U.P.&nbsp;</p><p>“This legislation sends a very clear message: Nebraska is prepared to meet change with confidence,” Mello said.</p>

Nebraska seeks to sweeten corporate incentives, partly to ensure Union Pacific stays and grows

MINNEAPOLIS —At <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2015115351797780500?t=545">9:05</a>a.m. CST on Saturday, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.


The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. 

Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. 

Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;



The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.&nbsp;

This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.

<p>MINNEAPOLIS —At <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2015115351797780500?t=545">9:05</a>a.m. CST on Saturday, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/GovTimWalz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovTimWalz</a>: &quot;Quit referring to these folks as law enforcement, they are not law enforcement. We have law enforcement.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vomrqwxILh">pic.twitter.com/vomrqwxILh</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2015166653449765272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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/CMDROpAtLargeCA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMDROpAtLargeCA</a> on the shooting death in Minneapolis: &quot;The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted. Fearing for his life, and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a border patrol agent fired defensive shots.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/2wCjqyPMFe">pic.twitter.com/2wCjqyPMFe</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2015166010668490834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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/GovTimWalz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovTimWalz</a>: &quot;This federal occupation of Minnesota long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. It&#39;s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of our state and today that campaign claimed another life...Donald Trump...remove this force from Minnesota!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hoMTy060Sr">pic.twitter.com/hoMTy060Sr</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2015166113361834463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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/CMDROpAtLargeCA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMDROpAtLargeCA</a> in Minneapolis: &quot;An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol… <a href="https://t.co/drOu5FQMSZ">pic.twitter.com/drOu5FQMSZ</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2015142522016735281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</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"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here. <br><br>The officers attempted to… <a href="https://t.co/5Y50mYONGH">pic.twitter.com/5Y50mYONGH</a></p>&mdash; Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2015115351797780500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>
The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. 

Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. </p><p>Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;
</p><p>
The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.&nbsp;

This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Minneapolis <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorFrey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MayorFrey</a>: &quot;I just saw a video of more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death. How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/DgEo5mpm2N">pic.twitter.com/DgEo5mpm2N</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2015132705248215174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥DHS: Man shot by federal agents in Minneapolis has died

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> at the March For Life: &quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/SLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SLOTUS</a> and I announced this week that we&#39;re expecting our 4th, and it will be our 3rd baby boy, so we&#39;ll take whatever prayers you can give — we certainly need them.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0NWAsCsQLb">pic.twitter.com/0NWAsCsQLb</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2014751902957715919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</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/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> at the March For Life: &quot;All of us in the Trump administration from the President on down, we thank you for your prayers, we thank you for your perseverance, and we thank you that for today, we are ALL marching for life.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/X8ID6xiPaY">pic.twitter.com/X8ID6xiPaY</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2014752695836356709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</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/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> delivered, and his Supreme Court Justices delivered, the most important Supreme Court decision of my lifetime — because what the Dobbs decision did was put a definitive end to the tyranny of judicial rule on the question of human life. <a href="https://t.co/F8pcViTZlh">pic.twitter.com/F8pcViTZlh</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2014753301854617692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</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">&quot;Under this administration... you have an ally in the White House!&quot;<br><br>At the March For Life, <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> touts some of the many pro-life victories achieved in the first year of the Trump Administration: <a href="https://t.co/XPSU9JZKsB">pic.twitter.com/XPSU9JZKsB</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2014756011182100937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</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/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;Today, the Far-Left in this country tells our young people that marriage and children are obstacles—that it&#39;s irresponsible, even immoral...to encourage our young people to raise a family... But we here at this march, we know that it&#39;s a lie. We know that life is a gift.… <a href="https://t.co/JT90ktvV9S">pic.twitter.com/JT90ktvV9S</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2014756657281032500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥March for Life: Vance touts Trump admin. record against abortion

On Jan. 23, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command.

 Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, U.S. Southern Command immediately notified the Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.&nbsp;

<p>On Jan. 23, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Jan. 23, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern… <a href="https://t.co/BzeBBapfMQ">pic.twitter.com/BzeBBapfMQ</a></p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2014825085425877224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p> Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, U.S. Southern Command immediately notified the Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.&nbsp;</p>

🎥US carries out first deadly strike on drug boat since Maduro’s capture

<i>By Zach Wendling | Nebraska Examiner</i>

Lawmakers say they’re reviewing board shakeup; one called it the ‘nuclear option’

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The University of Nebraska and Clarkson Regional Health Services are replacing nearly all members of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors as NU moves forward with an $800 million deal for sole ownership of the nonprofit medical provider.

The restructuring could end a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-medicine-suing-to-stop-800-million-nu-clarkson-deal-for-nu-sole-ownership/">lawsuit pursued by the Nebraska Medicine board</a>&nbsp;to stop the deal. A majority of four new voting members, all NU and Clarkson leaders, support the deal.

“[NU and Clarkson] have since determined that this action was necessary to protect the organization’s reputation, stability, and future, and to ensure it can continue to fulfill its charitable mission effectively long into the future,” NU and Clarkson said in a joint statement.

The NU Board of Regents announced in a Thursday news release that it, along with Clarkson, had filed new articles of incorporation for Nebraska Medicine with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office. The amended articles were filed shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday. NU and Clarkson have overseen the nonprofit hospital and clinic partner of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in a 50-50 split since 1997.

The NU-Clarkson transaction&nbsp;includes NU paying Clarkson $500 million for its 50% stake in the nonprofit, plus $300 million for related properties. The deal is expected to close by June 30.

After the transaction finishes, Clarkson has pledged to donate $200 million back to NU for “Project Health,” a $2.19 billion endeavor to build up the next generation of health care.

Regents say the Nebraska Medicine changes are needed because NU and Clarkson “have serious concerns about recent actions and behavior” of previous Nebraska Medicine board members. NU and Clarkson argue those actions “threatened critically important mission-driven strategic initiatives.”&nbsp;

The NU regents on Jan. 8 asked the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office to investigate the nonprofit board, too.

“We have initiated a thorough review of these allegations,” an AG’s Office spokesperson said in a text last week. “Any investigation our office conducts will remain strictly confidential.”

The Nebraska Medicine board, before the changes, pushed back on those claims before and said they had “no merit” and said they were an effort to distract from questions about the NU-Clarkson deal.&nbsp;The former board members said they had been left out of meaningful negotiations, including a possible alternative.

In a statement last week issued by the nonprofit’s former leadership, the board said it “must uphold its fiduciary duties to Nebraska Medicine, and our opposition to and questions about the regents’ transaction fully [align] with that duty.”

According to the joint statements Thursday, NU and Clarkson said they desired to complete the “transformative transaction” without board changes. They say the changes came after a “careful review of current circumstances,” Nebraska Medicine’s governing documents and the law.

Only Davies was actively on the board before Thursday. Gold was a member during his time as UNMC chancellor, starting as the inaugural board chair in 2016.

There will also be four nonvoting members who all previously served on the Nebraska Medicine board by virtue of their positions. They are the dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, chair of surgery in the UNMC College of Medicine, Nebraska Medicine’s chief nursing officer and chief of staff of The Nebraska Medical Center medical staff.

The changes remove Nebraska Medicine’s CEO, Dr. Michael Ash, and seven other members, including Lance Fritz, the previous chair, who led opposition to the NU-Clarkson changes.&nbsp;

Fritz, who was president and CEO of Union Pacific between 2015 and 2023, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.

The day before the vote last week, NU and Nebraska Medicine hosted competing forums with state lawmakers on the deal. In the wake of Thursday’s board restructuring, multiple senators said they needed to review what had happened before commenting.

State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln called the board changes the “nuclear option.” Another senator said it was like adding gasoline to a fire.

Multiple senators described the situation as a “clash of the titans,” which was only made public Jan. 2 after strict non-disclosure agreements. The deal proceeded in less than two weeks.&nbsp;

State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, a former hospital administrator, said he worried about impacts to the Omaha philanthropic community.

State Sen. Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=63652&amp;docnum=LB1125&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 1125</a>&nbsp;this year at Nebraska Medicine’s urging. It would require any such NU deals for hospitals above $100 million to obtain legislative approval.&nbsp;

Thursday’s action might increase pressure for lawmakers to step in.

“Came out of left field,” Sorrentino said Thursday of the board restructuring.

<p><i>By Zach Wendling | Nebraska Examiner</i></p><h2>Lawmakers say they’re reviewing board shakeup; one called it the ‘nuclear option’</h2><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769178318349.jpeg" alt=" University of Nebraska Dr. Jeffrey Gold, right, speaks with state senators and NU regents after a forum with dozens of Nebraska state senators regarding NU’s proposal to buy out the share of Nebraska Medicine owned by Clarkson Regional Health Services. At center is Dr. Bill Lydiatt, Clarkson’s CEO, and at left is State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. Jan. 14, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption> University of Nebraska Dr. Jeffrey Gold, right, speaks with state senators and NU regents after a forum with dozens of Nebraska state senators regarding NU’s proposal to buy out the share of Nebraska Medicine owned by Clarkson Regional Health Services. At center is Dr. Bill Lydiatt, Clarkson’s CEO, and at left is State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. Jan. 14, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The University of Nebraska and Clarkson Regional Health Services are replacing nearly all members of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors as NU moves forward with an $800 million deal for sole ownership of the nonprofit medical provider.</p><p>The restructuring could end a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-medicine-suing-to-stop-800-million-nu-clarkson-deal-for-nu-sole-ownership/">lawsuit pursued by the Nebraska Medicine board</a>&nbsp;to stop the deal. A majority of four new voting members, all NU and Clarkson leaders, support the deal.</p><p>“[NU and Clarkson] have since determined that this action was necessary to protect the organization’s reputation, stability, and future, and to ensure it can continue to fulfill its charitable mission effectively long into the future,” NU and Clarkson said in a joint statement.</p><h2>Legal fights escalate</h2><p>The NU Board of Regents announced in a Thursday news release that it, along with Clarkson, had filed new articles of incorporation for Nebraska Medicine with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office. The amended articles were filed shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday. NU and Clarkson have overseen the nonprofit hospital and clinic partner of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in a 50-50 split since 1997.</p><p>The NU-Clarkson transaction&nbsp;includes NU paying Clarkson $500 million for its 50% stake in the nonprofit, plus $300 million for related properties. The deal is expected to close by June 30.</p><p>After the transaction finishes, Clarkson has pledged to donate $200 million back to NU for “Project Health,” a $2.19 billion endeavor to build up the next generation of health care.</p><p>Regents say the Nebraska Medicine changes are needed because NU and Clarkson “have serious concerns about recent actions and behavior” of previous Nebraska Medicine board members. NU and Clarkson argue those actions “threatened critically important mission-driven strategic initiatives.”&nbsp;</p><p>The NU regents on Jan. 8 asked the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office to investigate the nonprofit board, too.</p><p>“We have initiated a thorough review of these allegations,” an AG’s Office spokesperson said in a text last week. “Any investigation our office conducts will remain strictly confidential.”</p><p>The Nebraska Medicine board, before the changes, pushed back on those claims before and said they had “no merit” and said they were an effort to distract from questions about the NU-Clarkson deal.&nbsp;The former board members said they had been left out of meaningful negotiations, including a possible alternative.</p><p>In a statement last week issued by the nonprofit’s former leadership, the board said it “must uphold its fiduciary duties to Nebraska Medicine, and our opposition to and questions about the regents’ transaction fully [align] with that duty.”</p><h2>‘Transformative transaction’</h2><p>According to the joint statements Thursday, NU and Clarkson said they desired to complete the “transformative transaction” without board changes. They say the changes came after a “careful review of current circumstances,” Nebraska Medicine’s governing documents and the law.</p><p>The four voting members will be:</p><ul>
                        <li>Dr. Jeffrey Gold, president of NU since July 2024 who previously served as chancellor of the University of Nebraska Center beginning in 2014.</li><li>Dr. Dele Davies, interim UNMC chancellor who will chair the “interim” board.</li><li>Dr. Bill Lydiatt, a retired surgeon and CEO of Clarkson Regional Health Services.</li><li>Stephanie Moline, a current Clarkson board member and retired executive vice president of First National Bank Omaha.</li>
                    </ul><p>Only Davies was actively on the board before Thursday. Gold was a member during his time as UNMC chancellor, starting as the inaugural board chair in 2016.</p><p>There will also be four nonvoting members who all previously served on the Nebraska Medicine board by virtue of their positions. They are the dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, chair of surgery in the UNMC College of Medicine, Nebraska Medicine’s chief nursing officer and chief of staff of The Nebraska Medical Center medical staff.</p><p>The changes remove Nebraska Medicine’s CEO, Dr. Michael Ash, and seven other members, including Lance Fritz, the previous chair, who led opposition to the NU-Clarkson changes.&nbsp;</p><p>Fritz, who was president and CEO of Union Pacific between 2015 and 2023, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.</p><h2>‘Came out of left field’</h2><p>The day before the vote last week, NU and Nebraska Medicine hosted competing forums with state lawmakers on the deal. In the wake of Thursday’s board restructuring, multiple senators said they needed to review what had happened before commenting.</p><p>State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln called the board changes the “nuclear option.” Another senator said it was like adding gasoline to a fire.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769178289245.jpeg" alt="State Sens. Jared Storm of David City, Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area, Dan Lonowski of Hastings and Glen Meyer of Pender, from left. Jan. 7, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>State Sens. Jared Storm of David City, Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area, Dan Lonowski of Hastings and Glen Meyer of Pender, from left. Jan. 7, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Multiple senators described the situation as a “clash of the titans,” which was only made public Jan. 2 after strict non-disclosure agreements. The deal proceeded in less than two weeks.&nbsp;</p><p>State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, a former hospital administrator, said he worried about impacts to the Omaha philanthropic community.</p><p>State Sen. Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=63652&amp;docnum=LB1125&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 1125</a>&nbsp;this year at Nebraska Medicine’s urging. It would require any such NU deals for hospitals above $100 million to obtain legislative approval.&nbsp;</p><p>Thursday’s action might increase pressure for lawmakers to step in.</p><p>“Came out of left field,” Sorrentino said Thursday of the board restructuring.</p>

NU, Clarkson replace nearly all Nebraska Medicine board members in escalating ownership fight

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>

WASHINGTON — The House Thursday passed four appropriations bills to fund the government and avert a partial shutdown, but Democrats largely objected to spending on the Department of Homeland Security amid aggressive immigration enforcement in communities across the country.&nbsp;

Democrats have pushed for tougher oversight of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In addition,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/progressives-congress-vow-oppose-immigration-enforcement-funding" target="_blank">members of the progressive wing</a>&nbsp;of the caucus vowed to not approve any funding for DHS after federal immigration agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.&nbsp;

The 37-year-old mother’s death led to massive community protests and&nbsp; thousands of ICE agents have aggressively descended into Minnesota.

“(Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem and ICE are out of control,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. “Taxpayer dollars are being misused to brutalize U.S. citizens, including the tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good. This extremism must end.”&nbsp;

<a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260119/DEF%20LHHS%20HS%20THUD%20-%20Bill%20Text%20-%201-19-2026.PDF" target="_blank">The four bills</a>&nbsp;— Defense; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development — are the last remaining appropriations bills needed to avoid a partial government shutdown by Jan. 30.&nbsp;

The Homeland Security funding bill passed&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202642?Page=2" target="_blank">220-207</a>. The remaining bills passed&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202645?Page=2" target="_blank">341-88.</a>

Democrats who joined Republicans in voting for the Homeland Security bill included Reps. Jared Gold of Maine,&nbsp;Henry&nbsp;Cuellar of Texas, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state, Tom Suozzi of New York, Don Davis of North Carolina, Laura Gillen of New York and&nbsp;Vicente Gonzalez of Texas.

Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted against the DHS funding bill.

Separately, GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx, chairwoman of the Rules Committee, added a provision to repeal a law that allows members of the U.S. Senate to sue for up to half a million dollars if their phone records were obtained by special counsel Jack Smith during his investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election. In a rare move, the&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202640" target="_blank">provision passed unanimously.&nbsp;</a>

Smith was also on Capitol Hill Thursday to testify about his investigation before lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.&nbsp;

The Senate will take up the appropriations bills when senators return from recess next week.

What does the Homeland Security bill include?

The Homeland Security bill provides $64.4 billion in funding for fiscal year 2026. It cuts funding for Customs and Border Protection by $1.3 billion, and maintains flat funding for ICE at $10 billion.

It also requires DHS to provide monthly updates on how the agency is spending the $190 billion it received from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the president’s signature tax and spending cuts package signed into law last summer.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The bill also restricts ICE to spending only $3.8 billion of its fiscal budget on detention. However, the agency will still be able to pull $75 billion from OBBBA, including for detention.

Most Dems say they can’t back any ICE funding

During Thursday’s debate of the bill, Republicans supported the Homeland Security bill, and argued that it contains other agencies beside immigration enforcement.&nbsp;

But a majority of Democrats said they could not vote to approve the agency’s funding because of ICE’s actions.

“I think we should look at the bill in its totality,” GOP Appropriations Chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma said. “Encouraging people to believe we have massive bad actors in a particular agency… comparing law enforcement officers to the Gestapo or Nazis, that’s not true. The right thing to do is to fund the people who protect America.”

Foxx criticized Democrats for their concerns over ICE enforcement tactics. On the House floor, she defended the agency, arguing that “ICE agents are arresting some of the worst criminals imaginable.”

“The issue is that ICE is terrorizing communities and attacking people, including U.S. citizens,” countered the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts. “This is an out-of-control agency at war with communities across the country and they don’t give a damn that you are a U.S. citizen.”

The top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said he could not support voting for the bill because the Trump administration has weaponized the agency and “DHS has strayed from its core mission.”

“Republicans in control of Congress, however, are conducting zero oversight and do nothing but send blank check after blank check to DHS,” he said in a statement. “I have consistently supported the DHS workforce over the past two decades and continue to do so, but I cannot – in good conscience – vote to send another dime to CBP and ICE as they terrorize our communities and sully the constitution.”

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said she will vote against the bill, even though she is proud of several provisions, such as the increase to Federal Emergency Management Agency funding and a pay raise for air traffic controllers.&nbsp;

But, she said, “It is impossible to ignore the impact ICE has had.”

“ICE is an agency that has shown itself to be lawless,” she said.

GOP Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada, the chair of the panel that deals with funding for Homeland Security, defended the funding bill, and noted that it provides immigration officers with body cameras. He said funds are also provided in the measure for the Coast Guard and agencies dealing with cybersecurity.&nbsp;

Cuellar of Texas, the top Democrat on that same panel, acknowledged that “this bill is not perfect.”&nbsp;

“It’s better than the alternative, leaving the department with a blank check,” he said. “This bill flat funds ICE but at the same time, we strengthen oversight of ICE.”

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum said the ICE enforcement in Minnesota and across the country is one of the “worst cases of civil rights violations by the federal government in recent history.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Minnesotans are being racially profiled on a mass scale, assaulted on our streets, kidnapped from our communities,” she said.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768672710821.png" alt="Photo U.S. Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Photo U.S. Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a></p><p>WASHINGTON — The House Thursday passed four appropriations bills to fund the government and avert a partial shutdown, but Democrats largely objected to spending on the Department of Homeland Security amid aggressive immigration enforcement in communities across the country.&nbsp;</p><p>Democrats have pushed for tougher oversight of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In addition,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/progressives-congress-vow-oppose-immigration-enforcement-funding" target="_blank">members of the progressive wing</a>&nbsp;of the caucus vowed to not approve any funding for DHS after federal immigration agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.&nbsp;</p><p>The 37-year-old mother’s death led to massive community protests and&nbsp; thousands of ICE agents have aggressively descended into Minnesota.</p><p>“(Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem and ICE are out of control,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. “Taxpayer dollars are being misused to brutalize U.S. citizens, including the tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good. This extremism must end.”&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260119/DEF%20LHHS%20HS%20THUD%20-%20Bill%20Text%20-%201-19-2026.PDF" target="_blank">The four bills</a>&nbsp;— Defense; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development — are the last remaining appropriations bills needed to avoid a partial government shutdown by Jan. 30.&nbsp;</p><p>The Homeland Security funding bill passed&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202642?Page=2" target="_blank">220-207</a>. The remaining bills passed&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202645?Page=2" target="_blank">341-88.</a></p><p>Democrats who joined Republicans in voting for the Homeland Security bill included Reps. Jared Gold of Maine,&nbsp;Henry&nbsp;Cuellar of Texas, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state, Tom Suozzi of New York, Don Davis of North Carolina, Laura Gillen of New York and&nbsp;Vicente Gonzalez of Texas.</p><p>Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted against the DHS funding bill.</p><p>Separately, GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx, chairwoman of the Rules Committee, added a provision to repeal a law that allows members of the U.S. Senate to sue for up to half a million dollars if their phone records were obtained by special counsel Jack Smith during his investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election. In a rare move, the&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202640" target="_blank">provision passed unanimously.&nbsp;</a></p><p>Smith was also on Capitol Hill Thursday to testify about his investigation before lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.&nbsp;</p><p>The Senate will take up the appropriations bills when senators return from recess next week.</p><h2>What does the Homeland Security bill include?</h2><p>The Homeland Security bill provides $64.4 billion in funding for fiscal year 2026. It cuts funding for Customs and Border Protection by $1.3 billion, and maintains flat funding for ICE at $10 billion.</p><p>The bill attempts to put guardrails around immigration enforcement by allocating $20 million for body cameras for ICE and CBP officers.&nbsp;</p><p>It also requires DHS to provide monthly updates on how the agency is spending the $190 billion it received from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the president’s signature tax and spending cuts package signed into law last summer.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The bill also restricts ICE to spending only $3.8 billion of its fiscal budget on detention. However, the agency will still be able to pull $75 billion from OBBBA, including for detention.</p><h2>Most Dems say they can’t back any ICE funding</h2><p>During Thursday’s debate of the bill, Republicans supported the Homeland Security bill, and argued that it contains other agencies beside immigration enforcement.&nbsp;</p><p>But a majority of Democrats said they could not vote to approve the agency’s funding because of ICE’s actions.</p><p>“I think we should look at the bill in its totality,” GOP Appropriations Chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma said. “Encouraging people to believe we have massive bad actors in a particular agency… comparing law enforcement officers to the Gestapo or Nazis, that’s not true. The right thing to do is to fund the people who protect America.”</p><p>Foxx criticized Democrats for their concerns over ICE enforcement tactics. On the House floor, she defended the agency, arguing that “ICE agents are arresting some of the worst criminals imaginable.”</p><p>“The issue is that ICE is terrorizing communities and attacking people, including U.S. citizens,” countered the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts. “This is an out-of-control agency at war with communities across the country and they don’t give a damn that you are a U.S. citizen.”</p><p>The top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said he could not support voting for the bill because the Trump administration has weaponized the agency and “DHS has strayed from its core mission.”</p><p>“Republicans in control of Congress, however, are conducting zero oversight and do nothing but send blank check after blank check to DHS,” he said in a statement. “I have consistently supported the DHS workforce over the past two decades and continue to do so, but I cannot – in good conscience – vote to send another dime to CBP and ICE as they terrorize our communities and sully the constitution.”</p><p>Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said she will vote against the bill, even though she is proud of several provisions, such as the increase to Federal Emergency Management Agency funding and a pay raise for air traffic controllers.&nbsp;</p><p>But, she said, “It is impossible to ignore the impact ICE has had.”</p><p>“ICE is an agency that has shown itself to be lawless,” she said.</p><h2>Republicans tout body camera provision</h2><p>GOP Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada, the chair of the panel that deals with funding for Homeland Security, defended the funding bill, and noted that it provides immigration officers with body cameras. He said funds are also provided in the measure for the Coast Guard and agencies dealing with cybersecurity.&nbsp;</p><p>Cuellar of Texas, the top Democrat on that same panel, acknowledged that “this bill is not perfect.”&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s better than the alternative, leaving the department with a blank check,” he said. “This bill flat funds ICE but at the same time, we strengthen oversight of ICE.”</p><p>Minnesota Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum said the ICE enforcement in Minnesota and across the country is one of the “worst cases of civil rights violations by the federal government in recent history.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Minnesotans are being racially profiled on a mass scale, assaulted on our streets, kidnapped from our communities,” she said.&nbsp;</p>

Many Dems refuse to vote to fund ICE as US House passes 4 spending bills

<i>By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner</i>

Governor, making case for reelection, speaks of need for bipartisanship and belittles critics

LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, in a tele-town hall call organized Tuesday to tout his final proposals before a reelection campaign, made property tax relief his calling card and asked conservative Nebraskans to rally legislative support or send him three more votes in the Legislature.

In a sharpened tone that seemed aimed at riling up his base for a possible GOP primary, the governor criticized Democrats and the media and called some of his critics names while saying he prefers bipartisanship because Nebraskans are “tired of politics.”&nbsp;

Pillen repeated his recent frustration with how some of his budget-cutting proposals are being covered, saying reporters have&nbsp;“bent” stories and won’t get the “facts out.” Most of Pillen’s proposals to cut about $500 million in state spending target the&nbsp;Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, including a program paying for often in-home family caregivers of the elderly and people with disabilities, changes&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/20/families-urge-lawmakers-dhhs-to-stop-medicaid-waiver-caps-for-nebraskans-with-disabilities-elderly/">some lawmakers oppose</a>.

Nebraska is trying to close a $471 million budget hole that has grown during an economic slowdown in agriculture and in the wake of Pillen seeking and passing stair-stepped income tax cuts that are about to finish phasing in at the same time he has increased state spending on local property tax relief.&nbsp;

The governor calls the discussion of the deficit a “make-believe budget crisis.” Legislative leaders, including Speaker John Arch, have described closing the budget gap as the most important task facing the Legislature.

Pillen also recently faced questions over some of his handling of state funds, including an Examiner&nbsp;story&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/aaron-sanderford/">that Pillen</a>&nbsp;steered the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to award a $2.5 million no-bid emergency contract to a bioeconomy consultant and lobbyist he knew. The Governor’s Office touts hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds the state gained. State Auditor Mike Foley argues the state should still have followed its own processes and law.

The call’s co-host with Pillen made plain the call’s tone with a question about how reporters had misled the public about progress under Pillen. He praised the governor for standing for conservative Nebraska “values.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I don’t really give a damn what those libtards and these people that want to criticize, quite honestly, the more they criticize me and our team and my family, [I know] we’re doing good work,” Pillen said.&nbsp;

The town hall host asked callers what the most important issues were for them during the 2026 legislative session.&nbsp;

The options he gave callers were straight out of “The Pillen Playbook,” a campaign handout Pillen shared during the 2022 campaign and tweaked for 2026: “Protect our kids, fix the property tax crisis, defend Nebraska values, bolster Nebraska agriculture and winner-take-all.”&nbsp;

The host said listeners chose property taxes as the most important issue. Pillen said the people he talked to during his tour of the state want lawmakers “to solve problems” – pointing to what he called the “property tax crisis.”&nbsp;

He said if people want “transformative” property tax reform, he needs three more legislative conservatives to “play ball on the team and make sure that we can broaden our sales tax so that there can be dollar-for-dollar property tax relief.” His talk of needing three votes could signal confidence in GOP pickup opportunities this fall in legislative races. It also could hint that the governor is looking to primary some legislative Republicans opposing his agenda.&nbsp;

Property tax relief has been a top Pillen priority since the 2022 GOP primary. He and the Legislature have taken both incremental and significant steps, including making a billion-dollar investment in special education and a foundation or baseline level of state aid for K-12 schools.&nbsp;

This year, Pillen has asked lawmakers for $170 million in property tax relief. He has said such an effort will require looking at eliminating some sales tax exemptions that lawmakers have balked at before.&nbsp;

Pillen said he needs a second term to provide more property tax relief.&nbsp;

“That’s why reelection is so critical,” Pillen said.

Several Republican operatives expect Pillen to draw at least one GOP primary challenger, partly because of local and national polling numbers that indicate the incumbent governor could be vulnerable. Multistate agribusinessman Charles Herbster has hinted he might challenge Pillen but has not announced a bid. Some have discussed another potential Republican challenger.&nbsp;

But Pillen has a $10 million campaign war chest and the benefits of incumbency, so a challenger would need to raise a significant sum. On Wednesday, former State Sen. Lynne Walz announced a Democratic bid for governor.

Many of the Pillen call’s themes sounded similar notes from his State of the State address. He praised President Donald Trump, who has endorsed his bid, and touted his relationship with the president. He bragged about the state hosting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility for migrants in McCook. He said the state is pushing back against diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. And he emphasized running the state “like a business.”

“It’s time we stand up and get rid of some of this stuff that’s invaded our state,” Pillen said. “It’s time we fight like heck for it.”

<p><i>By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner</i></p><h2>Governor, making case for reelection, speaks of need for bipartisanship and belittles critics</h2><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769017880791.jpeg" alt=" Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. Oct. 22, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption> Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. Oct. 22, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, in a tele-town hall call organized Tuesday to tout his final proposals before a reelection campaign, made property tax relief his calling card and asked conservative Nebraskans to rally legislative support or send him three more votes in the Legislature.</p><p>In a sharpened tone that seemed aimed at riling up his base for a possible GOP primary, the governor criticized Democrats and the media and called some of his critics names while saying he prefers bipartisanship because Nebraskans are “tired of politics.”&nbsp;</p><p>Pillen repeated his recent frustration with how some of his budget-cutting proposals are being covered, saying reporters have&nbsp;“bent” stories and won’t get the “facts out.” Most of Pillen’s proposals to cut about $500 million in state spending target the&nbsp;Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, including a program paying for often in-home family caregivers of the elderly and people with disabilities, changes&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/20/families-urge-lawmakers-dhhs-to-stop-medicaid-waiver-caps-for-nebraskans-with-disabilities-elderly/">some lawmakers oppose</a>.</p><p>Nebraska is trying to close a $471 million budget hole that has grown during an economic slowdown in agriculture and in the wake of Pillen seeking and passing stair-stepped income tax cuts that are about to finish phasing in at the same time he has increased state spending on local property tax relief.&nbsp;</p><p>The governor calls the discussion of the deficit a “make-believe budget crisis.” Legislative leaders, including Speaker John Arch, have described closing the budget gap as the most important task facing the Legislature.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769017856512.jpeg" alt="State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. Jan. 12, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. Jan. 12, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Pillen also recently faced questions over some of his handling of state funds, including an Examiner&nbsp;story&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/aaron-sanderford/">that Pillen</a>&nbsp;steered the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to award a $2.5 million no-bid emergency contract to a bioeconomy consultant and lobbyist he knew. The Governor’s Office touts hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds the state gained. State Auditor Mike Foley argues the state should still have followed its own processes and law.</p><p>The call’s co-host with Pillen made plain the call’s tone with a question about how reporters had misled the public about progress under Pillen. He praised the governor for standing for conservative Nebraska “values.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I don’t really give a damn what those libtards and these people that want to criticize, quite honestly, the more they criticize me and our team and my family, [I know] we’re doing good work,” Pillen said.&nbsp;</p><p>The town hall host asked callers what the most important issues were for them during the 2026 legislative session.&nbsp;</p><p>The options he gave callers were straight out of “The Pillen Playbook,” a campaign handout Pillen shared during the 2022 campaign and tweaked for 2026: “Protect our kids, fix the property tax crisis, defend Nebraska values, bolster Nebraska agriculture and winner-take-all.”&nbsp;</p><p>The host said listeners chose property taxes as the most important issue. Pillen said the people he talked to during his tour of the state want lawmakers “to solve problems” – pointing to what he called the “property tax crisis.”&nbsp;</p><p>He said if people want “transformative” property tax reform, he needs three more legislative conservatives to “play ball on the team and make sure that we can broaden our sales tax so that there can be dollar-for-dollar property tax relief.” His talk of needing three votes could signal confidence in GOP pickup opportunities this fall in legislative races. It also could hint that the governor is looking to primary some legislative Republicans opposing his agenda.&nbsp;</p><p>Property tax relief has been a top Pillen priority since the 2022 GOP primary. He and the Legislature have taken both incremental and significant steps, including making a billion-dollar investment in special education and a foundation or baseline level of state aid for K-12 schools.&nbsp;</p><p>This year, Pillen has asked lawmakers for $170 million in property tax relief. He has said such an effort will require looking at eliminating some sales tax exemptions that lawmakers have balked at before.&nbsp;</p><p>Pillen said he needs a second term to provide more property tax relief.&nbsp;</p><p>“That’s why reelection is so critical,” Pillen said.</p><p>Several Republican operatives expect Pillen to draw at least one GOP primary challenger, partly because of local and national polling numbers that indicate the incumbent governor could be vulnerable. Multistate agribusinessman Charles Herbster has hinted he might challenge Pillen but has not announced a bid. Some have discussed another potential Republican challenger.&nbsp;</p><p>But Pillen has a $10 million campaign war chest and the benefits of incumbency, so a challenger would need to raise a significant sum. On Wednesday, former State Sen. Lynne Walz announced a Democratic bid for governor.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769017835401.jpeg" alt="Former State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont is running for governor as a Democrat. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>Former State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont is running for governor as a Democrat. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Many of the Pillen call’s themes sounded similar notes from his State of the State address. He praised President Donald Trump, who has endorsed his bid, and touted his relationship with the president. He bragged about the state hosting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility for migrants in McCook. He said the state is pushing back against diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. And he emphasized running the state “like a business.”</p><p>“It’s time we stand up and get rid of some of this stuff that’s invaded our state,” Pillen said. “It’s time we fight like heck for it.”</p><p>The host asked Pillen if Nebraska is becoming liberal. Pillen said Nebraskans “are so conservative and so straight … I don’t think we can curl our hair anymore.” He said Nebraskans still care about faith, family, hard work and the American dream.&nbsp;</p><p>Then the governor said, “If you listen to the keyboard warriors that are libtards … you would think the sky is falling down.”</p><p>Some snickering and laughing could be heard in the background after Pillen said it. Pillen used the term two more times Tuesday evening. He called protestors who wear red robes and white bonnets “libtards” who have “lost their brains.” And, later, he made a similar comment about his critics and the press.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Pillen closed his town hall by saying this election is important for conservatives. He encouraged them to vote in the May and November midterm elections.</p>