Pete Ricketts on Tariffs and Prices: Emergency Votes, Nebraska Farm Exports, and Manufacturing Costs
Pete Ricketts voted on April 30, 2025 against ending the national emergency behind the global tariffs; the resolution failed 49 to 49, so his vote alone would have changed the outcome (roll call). New York Fed economists estimate tariffs pass through to import prices at around 90 percent, and that a 10 percent tariff-driven increase in import and producer prices raises retail prices by 5.6 percent (Liberty Street Economics).
The Nebraska senator voted against all five resolutions to end tariff emergencies that reached a Senate vote in 2025, covering Canada, Brazil and the global tariffs (roll call; roll call; roll call; roll call). In April 2025 he said "We can't undermine the president's negotiation right now" and declined to back Senator Grassley's bill to limit tariff powers (WOWT; Nebraska Public Media).
In Nebraska, manufacturing exports fell 12.6 percent in the first nine months of 2025 (KCUR), and the state's farmers lost their biggest soybean buyer, China (Nebraska Public Media).
Pete Ricketts's Votes and Statements on Tariffs
- Ricketts Cast One of the Votes That Kept the Global Tariffs in April 2025. On April 30, 2025, Pete Ricketts voted no on S.J. Res. 49 to end the emergency used to impose global tariffs; it failed 49 to 49 (roll call). He then voted to table the motion to reconsider, which passed 49 to 49 with the Vice President breaking the tie (roll call).
- Ricketts Voted Against Ending the Global Tariff Emergency Again in October 2025. On October 30, 2025, Ricketts voted no on S.J. Res. 88 to end the global tariff emergency, which passed the Senate 51 to 47 over his vote (roll call).
- Ricketts Voted Against Ending the Canada Tariffs Twice in 2025. Ricketts voted no on ending the emergency behind the tariffs on Canadian imports on April 2, 2025, when it passed 51 to 48, and on October 29, 2025, when it passed 50 to 46 (roll call; roll call).
- Ricketts Voted Against Ending the Brazil Tariffs in October 2025. On October 28, 2025, Ricketts voted no on ending the emergency behind the tariffs on Brazilian imports, which passed 52 to 48 (roll call).
- Ricketts Voted Against Protecting Families From Tariff Price Increases in April 2025. On April 4, 2025, Ricketts voted no on a budget amendment relating to preventing the tariffs from raising the cost of groceries and everyday goods, which failed 46 to 53 (roll call).
- Ricketts Said Congress Should Not Undermine the Tariff Strategy in April 2025. Ricketts said "We can't undermine the president's negotiation right now... We need to give him the opportunity to carry out that strategy" on April 9, 2025 (WOWT), and "I am not considering getting on Sen. Grassley's bill" to limit tariff authority (Nebraska Public Media).
- Ricketts Disagreed With the Supreme Court's Tariff Ruling in February 2026. After the Supreme Court ruled on February 20, 2026 that using emergency powers to impose tariffs was unconstitutional, Ricketts disagreed, saying tariffs "level the playing field" (Nebraska Public Media).
What Trump's Tariffs Have Cost Nebraska Farmers and Manufacturers
- Nebraska soybean farmers lost their biggest buyer. China bought nearly $1 billion of Nebraska's $2.5 billion in 2023 soybean exports, and in 2025 farmers were not expecting sales to China as it turned to Brazil; the Nebraska Farmers Union president said financially sound farmers were telling him "We just can't continue" (Nebraska Public Media).
- Nebraska agriculture carries $710 million in exposure to the China trade war. An NDSU Agricultural Trade Monitor report put Nebraska's loss exposure from lost China shipments at about $710 million, among the highest of any state (NDSU).
- Nebraska manufacturing exports fell 12.6 percent. Manufacturing makes up about 10 percent of Nebraska jobs; its exports fell 12.6 percent in the first nine months of 2025, and Bish Enterprises in Giltner said some 2026 component prices were up 75 to 80 percent (KCUR).
- Nebraska farmers face high input costs at low crop prices. A Grand Island farmer told KSNB in September 2025 that "Commodity prices are in the basement, and all the inputs are way sky high," and farmers and experts pointed to tariffs as a major factor (KSNB).
Frequently Asked Questions Pete Ricketts on Tariffs and Prices
What is Pete Ricketts's record on tariffs and prices under Trump?
Pete Ricketts voted against every resolution to end Trump's tariff emergencies that reached the Senate floor in 2025, including the April 30 vote that failed 49 to 49 (roll call). He said Congress should not "undermine the president's negotiation" (WOWT). Nebraska's manufacturing exports fell 12.6 percent in early 2025 and its soybean farmers lost China as a buyer (KCUR; Nebraska Public Media).
Could Pete Ricketts have stopped Trump's global tariffs?
Pete Ricketts voted against ending the global tariff emergency on April 30, 2025, and the resolution failed on a 49 to 49 tie, so one more yes vote would have passed it (roll call).
Does Pete Ricketts support limiting Trump's tariff power?
Pete Ricketts said in April 2025, "I am not considering getting on Sen. Grassley's bill," which would require congressional approval of new tariffs, and in February 2026 he disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling against the emergency tariffs (Nebraska Public Media; Nebraska Public Media).
How have Pete Ricketts's tariff votes affected Nebraska farmers?
Pete Ricketts voted to keep the tariffs in place while China, which bought nearly $1 billion of Nebraska soybeans in 2023, stopped buying from U.S. farmers in 2025 (roll call; Nebraska Public Media).
Last updated: 2026-10-28