As Nebraska governor in 2022, Pete Ricketts refused to apply for $120 million in federal emergency rental aid for Nebraska and vetoed the bill that would have forced him to apply, and much of the money went to other states. Renters in the 91 counties outside Omaha and Lincoln lost the chance at up to a year of back rent.
On July 1, 2025, Ricketts cast one of the 50 votes that passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, under which the Congressional Budget Office found resources for the lowest-income tenth of households will decrease by about $1,200 per year. The law also ended SNAP's work-rule exemption for people experiencing homelessness, and the Nebraska senator voted against a motion to keep it.
Ricketts voted to confirm Scott Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, whose department has tried twice to move homelessness money away from permanent housing; a court blocked the first plan, and an appeals court let the second proceed in September 2026.
Pete Ricketts's Actions, Votes and Confirmations on Rent Aid, Homelessness and Aid to Low-Income Families
- As Nebraska Governor, Ricketts Turned Down $120 Million in Rent Aid for Nebraskans and Vetoed the Bill to Take It, in 2022. In January 2022, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said Nebraska will not apply for a second round of federal emergency rental aid, and KMTV reported that "The $120 million in rental aid earmarked for Nebraska will be distributed to other states." On March 29, 2022, he vetoed Legislative Bill 1073, the measure that attempted to force his hand to apply for the funds, saying the aid would make families "more reliant on government"; the override effort fell one vote short. The program paid up to 12 months of back rent and three months into the future. Renters in the state's other 91 counties, outside Douglas and Lancaster counties, lost out, and the missed deadlines meant the redirection of much of the original $120 million to other states. His successor accepted the roughly $48 million that remained in 2023.
- As Governor, Ricketts's Administration Shifted Rural Rent Aid to Omaha and Lincoln in 2021. Of the state's first round of rental aid for the 91 counties outside Omaha and Lincoln, $158 million, the Ricketts administration ended up shifting about $97 million, largely to Omaha and Lincoln, the Nebraska Examiner reported. The Examiner found that many needy Nebraskans in those rural areas could not access the aid, or gave up trying.
- Ricketts Cast a Deciding Vote for a Law That Takes About $1,200 a Year From the Lowest-Income Households in July 2025. On July 1, 2025, Ricketts voted yes on H.R. 1, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President's tie-breaking vote, so it would have failed without his vote. The Congressional Budget Office found that resources for the lowest-income tenth will decrease by about $1,200 per year (in 2025 dollars), while CBPP reports that household incomes will rise by $13,600 for the top 10 percent; combined with tariffs, the law will leave households with incomes in the bottom 70 percent worse off, according to the Yale Budget Lab.
- Ricketts Voted Against Keeping SNAP's Protection for Homeless People and Veterans in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Ricketts voted no on Senator Tammy Duckworth's motion to make sure SNAP benefits are not terminated or reduced for homeless individuals, veterans, former foster youth and parents of children under 18. It failed 49 to 51. The law now requires people experiencing homelessness to show 20 hours of work a week or lose SNAP after three months, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates a net reduction in SNAP participation of 300,000 people among homeless people, veterans and former foster youth.
- Ricketts Voted Against Removing Paperwork Rules That Cut People Off Aid in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Ricketts voted no on Senator Chris Coons's motion to remove provisions stripping individuals in the United States of the Federal benefits to which they are entitled through new paperwork rules. It failed 48 to 52. Those rules reach people who rent with federal help: three in four households with rental assistance include a person who receives health coverage through Medicaid or a related program.
- Ricketts Voted to Confirm Scott Turner, Whose HUD Is Moving Homelessness Money Away From Permanent Housing. On February 5, 2025, Ricketts voted to confirm Scott Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; all 53 Republican senators voted yes. On June 10, 2025 he also voted to confirm Andrew Hughes as Turner's deputy. Turner's department's first plan for the Continuum of Care homelessness grants, which CBPP said would take housing assistance away from over 170,000 formerly homeless people in 2026, was blocked in court. Its second plan would set aside $1.3 billion of the more than $4 billion that Congress appropriated for transitional and service-only grants; after an appeals court ruled in September 2026 that HUD can now move forward making awards under the challenged CoC notice, the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that at least 97,000 people in CoC-funded permanent housing will likely lose their housing.
What Pete Ricketts's Rent Aid Refusal, the Law and HUD's Actions Mean for Nebraskans Without Stable Housing
- Rent aid refused. Nebraska renters outside Omaha and Lincoln lost access to the second round of federal emergency rental aid that Ricketts refused as governor, which could have covered up to 12 months of back rent per household.
- Rental aid at risk. If housing agencies adopt HUD's proposed two-year time limits, CBPP estimates up to 15,700 Nebraskans, including 8,400 children, could be at risk of losing rental assistance; the rule is proposed, not final.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pete Ricketts on Homelessness and poverty
What is Pete Ricketts's record on homelessness and poverty under Trump?
Pete Ricketts voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, under which the lowest-income tenth of households lose about $1,200 a year, and against a motion to keep SNAP's protection for homeless people and veterans. Ricketts also voted to confirm HUD Secretary Scott Turner, whose department's new homelessness grant rules could cost tens of thousands of formerly homeless people their housing. Before that, as governor, he turned down $120 million in federal rent aid for Nebraska.
Why did Pete Ricketts turn down federal rental assistance as governor?
Pete Ricketts said in 2022 that the rental aid would make families "more reliant on government", and he vetoed LB 1073 rather than apply for it. At the time, nearly 1,800 Sarpy County residents a month were calling a state hotline for help with rent and utilities, a local aid group said.
Is HUD putting time limits on housing assistance under the secretary Pete Ricketts confirmed?
HUD under Scott Turner, whom Pete Ricketts voted to confirm, has proposed but not finalized a rule that would let housing agencies and landlords establish term limits of no less than two years for non-elderly, non-disabled families. CBPP estimates as many as 3.7 million people, more than half of them children, would be at risk nationally if agencies adopt it.
Last updated: 2026-10-25