Sen. Deb Fischer says she’s ‘willing to give the president time’ on tariff policy

Nebraska Public Media reached out to elected officials from across the state for a series of interviews on topics important to their constituents. Those who represent the state had the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics during one-on-one interviews with reporters to share their opinions, experiences and how they’re working to represent Nebraskans.

Tariffs have been a hot topic among Nebraska business and agriculture leaders, particularly since President Donald Trump’s "Liberation Day" on April 2.

That’s when Trump first announced wide ranging "reciprocal" tariffs on every country – and some uninhabited islands – based on the trade barriers each country had in place.

Shortly after, he placed a 90-day pause on most of those tariffs amid a stock market decline, but a 145% tariff remains in place for China. Other countries are still subject to a 10% tariff.

Wednesday evening, the U.S. Senate voted on a resolution to block the president’s tariffs, but it came up one vote short. Earlier this month, the Senate passed a resolution to undo Trump’s tariffs on Canada, though the Republican-majority House is unlikely to take any action on it. Four Republicans joined all Senate Democrats in voting for that resolution. Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer was not among them.

Instead, Fischer expressed cautious optimism toward Trump’s policy in an interview with Nebraska Public Media News.

“I'm willing to give the president time with these tariffs,” she said. “And I hear that from Nebraskans as well. They're willing to give him some time.”

A survey of rural Midwest bank CEOs from Creighton University found 75% support the current tariffs on China.

Creighton economics professor Ernie Goss said the tariffs are hurting the state’s economy in the short term, but they are seen as a tactic to encourage the country’s trading partners to lower their longstanding tariffs.

“I think the bankers and the farmers see this as a negotiating strategy with the ultimate goal of reducing tariffs on special and agriculture goods over the next several months and potentially years,” Goss said.

But other Nebraska agriculture leaders have shown greater apprehension toward the strategy. Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen said the lack of a clear, targeted approach makes him wary of the president’s policy.

“We have defended the use of targeted tariffs as a way to help better balance the trading playing field,” he said. “Yet, the way that Trump has gone about this, and the methodology that he's used, is far less than clear to anybody.”

Fischer said she appreciates Trump’s action as opposed to the perceived inaction from the previous presidential administration.

“The President just wants a level playing field here,” she said. “You know, we just came through four years with the Biden administration where there was absolutely no interest in trade, none whatsoever."

The Biden administration did take part in a number of trade negotiations, but the agricultural trade deficit grew throughout the administration.

In February, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report projected a $49 billion agricultural trade deficit for fiscal year 2025, which began in October. That represents an all-time high.

Fischer said she met with the Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, earlier this week and learned that new trade negotiations are taking place with a number of countries.

“We'll see, I think, in fairly short order here, some agreements come out,” she said. “They're putting pen to paper now, and I encouraged him to get those trade agreements out so people can see action is taking place.”

Government Spending

In Nebraska, funding cuts to the Omaha and North Platte National Weather Service Offices, the High Plains Regional Climate Center and the U.S. Meat Animal Research Office in recent months have sparked backlash. Some agencies are back to being operational, while other programs, like USAID and Voice of America, have been gutted.

Fischer didn’t comment on any particular cuts she disagreed with, but she did express broad concern over government spending.

“We're spending too much as a government with $36 trillion in debt,” she said. “That's ridiculous, that we continue to see this enormous spending by the federal government. So, I am all in favor of looking at ways that we can cut that spending.”

She said providing for the military needs to be the federal government’s priority.

“Congress has a main responsibility, and that's to provide for the national defense, to make sure that this nation is secure,” she said.

The Senate is currently going through budget reconciliation, which is a legislative process used to expedite the approval of legislation that changes spending, revenue or debt limits.

Fischer said she’s excited about what Congress will be able to do in the coming months, highlighting several programs cutting taxes and providing tax credits for businesses.

She said she hopes to make the tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent and extend the Paid Medical Family Leave tax credit, a measure she reintroduced in February.

“This is a pro-business, pro-family tax credit that's going to help families be able to have not just maternity and paternity leave but also caregiving leave so that they can look after elderly parents,” she said.

Town Halls

Fischer is the only member of Nebraska’s federal delegation not to hold a public event this year.

In March, Congressman Mike Flood held an in-person town hall in Columbus and Don Bacon hosted a call-in town hall.

Last week, Sen. Pete Ricketts hosted town halls in Kearney, Scottsbluff and Valentine, and Rep. Adrian Smith held a public meeting hosted by the College Republicans at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Fischer has not held a public town hall since 2017.

Fischer confirmed to Nebraska Public Media News that she does not have any future plans to host one, either. She said she toured a business in Lincoln with more than 1,000 employees last weekend and held a meeting with their workers.

“I suppose it was like a town hall,” she said. “They were asking me questions. We had a great conversation. So, I'm going to keep reaching out to Nebraskans who want to meet with me and be able to continue having those good discussions."

E-15

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency waiver allowing E-15 fuel to be sold through the summer of 2025. Currently, the ethanol-blend fuel is not permanently authorized to be sold during the summer months due to environmental regulations. Supporters of the year-round E-15 say the regulations represent archaic language from before E-15 was widely sold.

Emergency waivers have been issued each year since 2022, but Fischer wants to see permanent approval.

Fischer has introduced bills in the Senate, along with Smith in the U.S. House, to allow for year-round E15 several times throughout her time in Washington.

This year, she introduced the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025.

She said the policy will keep the country in line with Trump’s executive order declaring a national energy emergency and help the state’s ethanol industry.

“They employ so many Nebraskans, it helps not just with our corn farmers, not just with ethanol plants, to be able to have ethanol in year-round E-15,” she said. “That's a good deal for consumers. You can pay less at the pump when you get an ethanol blend.”