By: Jordan D. Dux, Senior Director of National Affairs A phrase folks involved in politics/policy-making ...

By: Jordan D. Dux, Senior Director of National Affairs

A phrase folks involved in politics/policy-making often use is "elections have consequences;" referring to the policy ramifications that come following an election. However, in my mind, too many folks forget about the other side of that coin which is that sometimes the outcome of the election is often determined by the policy-making consequences of the previous election. While I'll let the political prognosticators, commentors, pollsters, and talking heads analyze and lay out why the country made the decision it did, I wanted to take a quick moment to give a bit of Nebraska Farm Bureau's take on the election from a federal standpoint and what is means for our legislative agenda moving forward. As I started writing this piece at roughly 2:15 a.m. the night/early morning after the election, I've certainly had many thoughts as I'm sure all of you have as well. Whether you're a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, or Green Party member, I think we all know we saw a historic election. An election that saw some massive change come to our federal government with the election of President-Elect Trump, Republicans taking control of the U.S. Senate, and a House of Representatives whose leadership is also leaning in the Republican's direction, but with a slim majority. Regardless of who any of us voted for, we all know that the sun always comes up, livestock needs to be fed, crops need to be planted and harvested, and Nebraska Farm Bureau will continue to advocate policy on behalf of farm and ranch families just like we have for over 100 years.

First and foremost, I must acknowledge the work Nebraska Farm Bureau did to get Nebraska's entire congressional delegation reelected. I know I say it often, but Nebraska is blessed with a group of public servants who are dedicated to our state, dedicated to its citizens, and absolutely dedicated to the farmers and ranchers who call this state home. While both Senator Fischer and Congressman Bacon had a bit of a scare, both pulled out solid victories. Through placing signs in yards and along roadsides, hosting tele town hall events which provided several thousand Nebraska Farm Bureau members the opportunity to speak directly to the entire delegation, holding press conferences and rallies to help set the record straight on the agricultural credentials of our delegation members, and all of the other things both large and small we did to get these candidates across the finish-line, we can all be proud of the work NEFB and our members did to help.  

Next, a Trump presidency is one I'm sure many who read this will celebrate. From some early analysis, it's clear that President Trump's pathway to victory drove right through rural America and Nebraska was no different. At the same time, for four years, President Trump implemented policies that aligned with those endorsed by our members, as well as some that did not receive such support. I assume, like with any president, that will likely be the case again. From a regulatory standpoint, the past Trump administration did an outstanding job limiting the regulatory burden on Nebraska farm and ranch families. From a massive WOTUS re-write, the pulling of former President Obama's Clean Power Plan, to efforts to ensure farmers and ranchers had access to crop protection products, President Trump's first term gave us a lot to celebrate. However, when it came to the president's trade policy, we experienced much disruption and unease followed by some positive results. If history serves as a blueprint for the future, I assume we will likely see a lot of the same. We also still don't know who the president will choose when it comes to filling out his cabinet or other senior executive branch positions, but we all know, President Trump isn't afraid to challenge the status quo. One of the most common questions my colleagues and I have received is "what role will RFK Jr. serve?" Frankly, none of us know. On Joe Rogan's massively popular podcast, President Trump essentially said he'd let him run free outside of energy production and he echoed those comments in his victory speech last night. That is certainly a big question and one we will be watching and quite frankly advising the new administration on as loudly as possible. When it comes to the next four years, know that Nebraska Farm Bureau, American Farm Bureau, and the rest of the Farm Bureau family will be working each and every day to push the policies approved by our farm and ranch member families. There will likely be a lot we agree on with President-Elect Trump and his administration, but there will also likely be some things in which we disagree. Please know NEFB stands ready to work with President-Elect Trump and his administration on policies that put the economic future of farm and ranch families first.

In terms of Congress in general, all I know is that it's going to be a busy two months and a very busy 2025. With Republicans now in charge of the U.S. Senate, expect President Trump's executive branch confirmations to move through relatively easily. With Republicans now in charge of the U.S. Senate, expect Congress to use the tools and rules at their disposal (the Congressional Review Act, Reconciliation, etc.) to pull back on Biden era regulations and pass legislation. With Republicans now in charge of the U.S. Senate, we may see a more conservative member of the U.S. Supreme Court consider retirement now that a more conservative replacement would be nominated by President-Elect Trump and approved by a conservative Senate. With Republicans now in charge of the U.S. Senate, a new Senate Majority Leader will be selected to replace Senator Mitch McConnell: Senator John Thune (SD), Senator Rick Scott (FL), and Senator John Cornyn (TX) are all in the running. Legislatively, a lot will depend on the outcome of the few House races that will determine which party has control. At the same time, most of the main issues we're expecting to tackle will all need to be addressed regardless. Passing a new Farm Bill, extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) tax code reforms, funding the federal government, and passing a debt ceiling are all on Congress' to-do list. In talking with House Ways and Means staff, if Republicans maintain control of the House, work on the TCJA will happen in the first 100 days. If Democrats get control, expect to see a big push to get a Farm Bill passed yet in 2024 as their leadership has no desire to tackle the massive and politically touchy legislation. President Trump has also indicated his desire to have Congress clear out any legislation in their preverbal hopper before he takes office to help clear the legislative path for his priorities. The first 100 days of a new presidency are the most important, and if President Trump has Republicans in control of both sides of Capitol Hill, expect to see things move and move relatively quickly.

If you've made it this far, you're probably asking yourself, what does any of this mean? While you are likely saying that because I went a lot of different directions and wrote way too much, I'll attempt to land this plane. All of this means we all better buckle up and get ready to get to work. Regardless of who was going to win, my message likely would have been exactly the same. A new administration and new leadership in Congress always allow for a reset. A reset on priorities, a reset on legislation, and a reset on the political capital held by the White House and Congress. In these very politically charged times, I always try to remind folks that at our heart, Farm Bureau is a policy-first organization. We may get involved with campaigns, make endorsements, and write a PAC check or two, but our only reason for doing that is to help get folks elected that will help push our policy priorities. Policy priorities that are selected by our elected farmer and rancher board members are derived from policies passed by our farmer and rancher member families. All of us who make up this Farm Bureau family need to get ready to get to work to contact our congressional delegation and federal agencies, meet with lawmakers, executive branch staff, and other decision makers in the state when they host events, or even travel to Washington, D.C. with Nebraska Farm Bureau for our County Leaders Trip. The days, weeks, and months ahead are going to be busy, and all of us at Nebraska Farm Bureau are ready!