Pete Ricketts on Food Assistance: SNAP Cut Votes, Work Rules, and Nebraska Enrollment

Pete Ricketts voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 1, 2025, a law that CBO estimates will cause about 4 million people in a typical month to lose some or all of their SNAP food benefits once fully in effect (roll call; CBPP). Nebraska SNAP participation fell nearly 17 percent, about 25,000 people, in the year after Congress passed it (Nebraska Examiner).

Before final passage, the Nebraska senator voted against three motions to change the bill's SNAP provisions, including protections for veterans, foster youth and families with children, and voted to waive an objection that the bill imposed an unfunded SNAP mandate on states (Senate Daily Press). He voted to confirm Brooke Rollins, whose Agriculture Department runs SNAP (roll call).

Pete Ricketts's Votes on SNAP and Food Assistance

• Ricketts Voted for the Law That Cuts SNAP for About 4 Million People in July 2025. On July 1, 2025, Pete Ricketts voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President breaking the tie (roll call). It applies SNAP work requirements to adults aged 55 through 64 and parents of children 14 and older for the first time and removes exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young people leaving foster care (CBPP).
• Ricketts Voted Against Changing the SNAP Cuts in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Ricketts voted no on Senator Lujan's motion on SNAP, which failed 49 to 51 (roll call; Senate Daily Press).
• Ricketts Voted Against Protecting SNAP for Veterans and Foster Youth in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Ricketts voted no on Senator Duckworth's motion on SNAP for veterans and foster youth, which failed 49 to 51 (roll call; Senate Daily Press).
• Ricketts Voted Against Protecting SNAP for Families With Children in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Ricketts voted no on Senator Schiff's motion on SNAP for families with children, which failed 47 to 53 on a party-line vote (roll call; Senate Daily Press).
• Ricketts Voted to Override an Unfunded SNAP Mandate Objection in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Ricketts voted yes on waiving Senator Klobuchar's point of order that the bill contained an unfunded intergovernmental mandate on SNAP, which passed 51 to 48 (roll call; Senate Daily Press). The law ends full federal payment of SNAP benefits and ties each state's share to its payment error rate (Nebraska Examiner).
• Ricketts Voted to Confirm Brooke Rollins as Agriculture Secretary in February 2025. On February 13, 2025, Ricketts voted to confirm Brooke Rollins, 72 to 28 (roll call). At USDA's direction, Nebraska paused November 2025 SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown (Nebraska DHHS).
• Ricketts Called the Bill a Win for Nebraska Families in July 2025. Ricketts said "this is a win for families in Nebraska" in his July 1, 2025 statement on the bill's passage (Ricketts release).

What the SNAP Cuts Mean for Nebraska Families

• Nebraska SNAP enrollment fell from 149,527 to 116,703 people. State data show the number of Nebraskans receiving SNAP fell from 149,527 in August 2025 to 116,703 in July 2026, and households fell from 74,182 to 59,425 (Nebraska DHHS).
• Nebraska saw its sharpest one-month SNAP drop since at least 2014. Nebraska Appleseed said participation fell by nearly 6,000 from May to June 2026, the largest monthly drop since at least 2014, as advocates tied the decline to the 2025 law and stricter state verification (Nebraska Examiner).
• Nebraskans waited longer for food aid. Nebraska's average time to process an expedited SNAP application rose to more than five days in June 2026, and phone wait times grew from about 13 minutes to almost 23 minutes (Nebraska Examiner).

Frequently Asked Questions Pete Ricketts on Food Assistance

Last updated: 2026-10-28

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