Nebraska US House members wearing E15 badges to SOTU as fuel legislation stalls

Several Nebraska members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be sporting badges at President Trump’s State of the Union that show their support for E15 legislation, which has continued to stall in Congress. In a Tuesday call with reporters, 1st District Rep. Mike Flood said the badges will remind his colleagues that it’s time to pass regulations for year-round E15.

“It matters to corn growers. It matters to the ethanol industry. For too long, we have been doing a patchwork of waivers. Congress needs to speak clearly,” Flood said.

In late January, House lawmakers passed final appropriation bills that left out a provision expanding E15 gasoline access. Nebraska’s federal delegation has lobbied for its passage for years, saying it could be a boon for corn producers in Nebraska who struggle with low commodity prices. But the legislation has continued to be stonewalled by Republicans who argue ethanol fuel will threaten the oil industry.

Nebraska farming advocates erupted when the legislation hit yet another wall. Nebraska Corn Growers Association President Michael Dibbern said in a statement that farmers were discouraged by the setback after multiple years of advocacy.

“Immediate passage of nationwide year-round E15 is essential now; farmers cannot afford further postponement,” Dibbern wrote. “Failure to act can and will inflict real economic harm on rural America, corn farmers and the broader U.S. economy through lost demand, depressed prices and missed opportunities for energy independence.”

President Trump is expected to give a lengthy speech Tuesday evening. His 2025 State of the Union speech clocked in at 90 minutes, breaking records as the longest joint address in at least 60 years. Flood said Tuesday that he would like to see the president touch on affordability and housing.

“Costs have risen so substantially since 2019 that housing affordability is an issue that I know the president wants to tackle. I know he’s likely to talk about it tonight. I’m anticipating tonight that President Trump will lay out his vision for housing affordability in our country,” Flood said.

Trump’s State of the Union comes as his approval rating continues to decline and as new polling shows more Americans are opposing his administration’s immigration enforcement. Trump has also recently run into a reversal from the Supreme Court on his international tariff policies. Some businesses have started the process of seeking reimbursements from the federal government over losses suffered from Trump' s tariffs.

The president’s speech will begin at 8 p.m. CT Tuesday night. It’ll be Trump’s second State of the Union address in his second term, and he’s expected to discuss his administration’s immigration efforts, several global conflicts that have unfolded in the last year, the state of the economy and changes he’s made in federal agencies.