Commentary written by Walter Luedtke
Nebraska Examiner Press Release
Many Nebraskans are feeling pressure right now. Whether you’re a working parent in Scottsbluff, a small business owner in Omaha or one of the many farmers like myself in between, one word sums up the current economic mood: uncertainty.
Everyone’s watching their budgets a little more closely, wondering if they can still afford the same basic things they could a year ago.
That’s why we need our leaders in Washington, D.C., to step up. The people we elected to represent us were supposed to focus on lowering prices and making everyday goods more affordable. Instead, we’re dealing with another round of tariffs.
Just one set of tariffs, announced by President Donald Trump on April 2 — what he called “Liberation Day” — will cost the average American household about $2,100. If all of his proposed tariffs for 2025 go into effect? That number jumps to $3,800.
Pain is real
Nebraskans certainly didn’t vote in 2024 to have nearly four grand pulled out of our pockets.
The concern about costs isn’t a Republican issue or a Democrat issue: It’s an everybody issue.
Poll after poll shows the majority of voters are worried about prices. Even Trump’s own pollster found cost of living is the top concern for his supporters and swing voters. Nebraskans voted for policies that would ease inflation and let us keep more of what we earn. What we’ve gotten instead is the opposite.
The tariff-heavy approach doesn’t reflect the message many sent at the ballot box.
Inflation is already projected to go over 4% this year, and after the April tariff news, the stock market had its worst week since the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumer confidence has been dropping every month in 2025. It’s now the lowest it’s been since late 2022.
The hit to Nebraskans’ wallets is only part of the story. New tariffs are also hurting the backbone of Nebraska’s economy: agriculture.
We’re the Cornhusker State for a reason. Our corn production brings in more than $8 billion each year. But now our top export is at risk. In 2024, more than 90% of Nebraska’s corn exports went to Canada, Mexico and China, the countries being hit the hardest by these tariffs.
Agriculture always pays
This isn’t a new kind of pain for Nebraska’s farmers. Back in 2019, the Nebraska Farm Bureau said tariffs cost us $1 billion. That’s a tough pill to swallow, but for many farmers, it’s just more of the same.
Paul Krueger, a corn and soybean farmer from Bladen said it best: “Any time our country gets involved with any sort of tariffs that affect the agriculture industry, every farmer just kind of groans about that. We’re powerless to do anything except take what comes out in the wash.”
He’s right. And it’s not just farmers. It’s business owners across Nebraska who feel forgotten. While tariffs grab the spotlight, other policies that could actually help drive down costs are being pushed aside.
Take the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which would extend tax cuts that spurred the economy during the president’s first term. This key legislation still hasn’t been extended. Policies that would cut red tape to empower small businesses are also on the back burner. Crucial industries like manufacturing, which is huge for our state, seem to be being ignored.
Tariffs can have a purpose. But the way they’re being used right now doesn’t match what voters asked for. Even some of President Trump’s former advisors have said we should’ve gone with tax cuts before tariffs.
It’s not too late
That said, it’s not too late. There’s still time to put working families first, to make the economy more affordable and to follow through on the promises that got officials elected.
Nebraska’s own U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., is moving in the right direction. He introduced a bill in Congress to give more say back to Congress on trade policy. He put it simply: “The Constitution is clear … Congress has the power of tariffs and taxes and we gave some of that power to the executive branch. … In hindsight, that was a mistake.”
It’s that kind of thinking we need. It shows he’s looking out for Nebraska families, farmers and workers who just want relief from rising costs.
We don’t need more economic strain. Nebraskans voted for lower prices and a better standard of living.
It’s time for our leaders to deliver.
Walker Luedtke is a farmer who owns an agricultural supply business in Saunders County. He earned a master’s degree in agriculture from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and resides in Wahoo, Nebraska.
