Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts voted for the July 2025 law that canceled roughly $8 billion for foreign assistance programs, after casting a vote that let the Senate take it up on a 50-50 tie broken by the Vice President, and he voted against four amendments to keep money for disease programs, UNICEF, Europe and the U.S. Institute of Peace. He also cast a vote that, with the Vice President's, killed a Venezuela war powers resolution in January 2026, and voted against stopping the boat strikes, for a point of order that ended debate on limits in Cuba, and against two amendments backing aid to Ukraine.
Ricketts voted to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state, who ran USAID as it was shut down, and Russell Vought as budget director, whose office moved to revoke nearly $5 billion in foreign aid Congress had approved. When U.S. forces seized Venezuela's president in January 2026, Ricketts said, "Congratulations to President Trump for taking swift action."
Pete Ricketts's Votes on Foreign Aid, Venezuela, Ukraine and the State Department
- Ricketts Voted to Cancel About $8 Billion in Foreign Aid in July 2025. On July 17, 2025, Pete Ricketts voted for H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act, which passed 51 to 48, after he had voted to take the bill up on a 50-50 vote broken by the Vice President, a vote that would have failed without his. The law canceled roughly $8 billion for foreign assistance programs, including $500 million in global health funding, money Congress had approved months earlier. It came after the State Department took over programs previously run by the U.S. Agency for International Development and shut the agency on July 1, 2025.
- Ricketts Voted Against Keeping Money for Disease Programs, UNICEF and the Institute of Peace in July 2025. During the July 16-17, 2025 debate on the Rescissions Act, Ricketts voted no on four amendments to keep money the bill canceled: for programs addressing diseases, for assistance to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia, for UNICEF and other international organizations, and for the U.S. Institute of Peace. The Europe amendment failed 49 to 50, so a yes vote from Ricketts would have kept that money in the law. PATH, a global health nonprofit, said the law ended up rescinding $500 million in global health funding.
- Ricketts Cast One of the Votes That Killed a Venezuela War Powers Resolution in January 2026. On January 14, 2026, eleven days after United States forces raided Caracas in an operation named "Absolute Resolve", Ricketts voted yes on a point of order that ended Senate consideration of a resolution to remove forces from hostilities against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. The vote was 50 to 50 and the Vice President broke the tie, so the resolution would have survived without Ricketts's vote. Cuba said 32 of its personnel were killed in the raid, and Havana declares two days of mourning for the Cubans killed in US operation, Al Jazeera reported.
- Ricketts Voted Twice Against Stopping the Boat Strikes and Military Action Against Venezuela in 2025. Ricketts voted no on October 8, 2025 on taking up a resolution to remove forces from hostilities Congress had not authorized, after a month of strikes on boats in the Caribbean, and again on November 6 on a resolution covering hostilities within or against Venezuela, which failed 49 to 51. The first strike, on September 2, 2025, killed 11, and by October 2026 the campaign had reached 79 strikes and 238 killed, including at least 22 people who had survived an initial strike only to be hit again or die at sea, the Associated Press reported.
- Ricketts Voted to End Debate on a Cuba War Powers Resolution in April 2026. On April 28, 2026, Ricketts voted yes on a point of order that ended Senate consideration of a resolution to remove forces from hostilities within or against Cuba that Congress had not authorized; it passed 51 to 47. Under a fuel blockade, Cuba had completely run out of diesel and fuel oil amid a US blockade by May 2026, The Guardian reported.
- Ricketts Voted Against Barring Last-Minute "Pocket Rescissions" of Foreign Aid in January 2026. On January 30, 2026, Ricketts voted no on waiving budget rules for Senator Jeff Merkley's amendment "to prevent the deferral or rescission of appropriations within 90 days of their expiration." It failed 47 to 52. In August 2025 the administration had moved to yank nearly $5 billion in foreign aid already approved by Congress this way, and the Supreme Court's interim order allowed President Trump's administration to withhold more than $4 billion in foreign aid funding until the money expired.
- Ricketts Voted Twice Against Backing Continued Support for Ukraine in 2025. On February 21, 2025, Ricketts voted no on a budget amendment "to ensure continued United States support for the Government of Ukraine to stand firm against aggression by the Government of Russia in Europe," which failed 47 to 53. On April 4, 2025, he also voted against an amendment "to prevent any disruption in security assistance to Ukraine," which failed 48 to 51. Between those votes the administration suspended military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, then lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing on March 11, 2025, the Associated Press reported.
- Ricketts Voted Against Barring Strike Plans From Commercial Messaging Apps After the Signal Chat. On April 4, 2025, ten days after a journalist published the Signal chat about strikes in Yemen, Ricketts voted no on an amendment to protect service members "by prohibiting the use of any commercial messaging application to transmit information revealing the timing, sequencing, or weapons to be used during impending United States military operations." It failed 46 to 53. The Defense Department's inspector general later found that Secretary Pete Hegseth sent sensitive, nonpublic, operational information, including the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory, which could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives.
- Ricketts Voted to Confirm Marco Rubio, Who Ran USAID as It Was Shut Down. On January 20, 2025, Ricketts voted to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state, and on February 5 he said, "We unanimously confirmed Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State." On May 14, 2025 he voted to confirm Michael Rigas as deputy secretary of state for management and resources. As acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Rubio oversaw its shutdown on July 1, 2025, after cancelling 83% of its programs earlier this year, and the aid freeze left $340 million in lifesaving food grown in the United States sitting at domestic ports. On July 11, 2025, the State Department sent layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers.
- Ricketts Voted to Confirm Russell Vought, Whose Budget Office Moved to Revoke Nearly $5 Billion in Foreign Aid. On February 6, 2025, Ricketts voted to confirm Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget. On August 29, 2025, the administration moved to revoke nearly $5 billion in foreign aid that Congress had approved, the pocket rescission the Supreme Court's interim order later let stand.
- Ricketts Voted to Confirm the Export-Control Official Who Licensed AI Chip Sales to China. On March 13, 2025, Ricketts voted to confirm Jeffrey Kessler as the Commerce Department's under secretary for industry and security, who runs export controls. Commerce began licensing Nvidia's H20 chips for China in exchange for 15% of their revenues from chip sales to China; the China page covers the details.
- Ricketts Congratulated the President on the Raid That Seized Venezuela's President in January 2026. On January 3, 2026, the day of the raid on Caracas, Ricketts said in a statement, "Congratulations to President Trump for taking swift action", and on January 28 he said at a Foreign Relations hearing that "The only thing that changed was President Trump acted on what members of both parties said needed to happen." Cuba said 32 of its fighters were killed in the raid he praised, according to an Al Jazeera report headlined Cuba says 32 Cuban fighters killed. Eleven days later Ricketts voted for the point of order that ended debate on a resolution to stop further hostilities against Venezuela.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pete Ricketts on Foreign policy
What is Pete Ricketts's record on foreign policy under Trump?
Pete Ricketts voted for the 2025 law that canceled about $8 billion in foreign aid, cast a vote that with the Vice President's killed a Venezuela war powers resolution, and voted against stopping the boat strikes, which killed 238 people by October 2026. He voted against two amendments backing aid to Ukraine and voted to confirm the State Department and budget officials who carried out the layoffs and the pocket rescission.
How did Pete Ricketts vote on cutting foreign aid and global health programs?
Pete Ricketts voted for the Rescissions Act on July 17, 2025, and his vote to take it up was needed because that vote was tied 50 to 50. He then voted against each amendment to keep money for disease programs, UNICEF, Europe and the Institute of Peace, including one that failed 49 to 50.
Did Pete Ricketts vote to limit military action against Venezuela?
No. Pete Ricketts voted against taking up war powers resolutions on the boat strikes and on Venezuela in October and November 2025, and after the January 3, 2026 raid on Caracas he voted for the point of order that ended the Senate's consideration of a third resolution on a 50 to 50 vote.
How has Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts voted on Ukraine?
Pete Ricketts voted no in February 2025 on a budget amendment backing continued United States support for the Government of Ukraine, and no in April 2025 on an amendment to prevent any disruption in security assistance to Ukraine. In the weeks between those votes, the administration had suspended military aid and intelligence sharing for about a week.
Last updated: 2026-10-25