Overview

• BEA first-quarter data showed Nebraska’s GDP contracted by just over 6%, matching Iowa for the steepest state decline as global tariff disputes continue.
• Rep. Don Bacon blamed President Trump’s broad tariffs for creating a “recession economy” in agriculture-dependent states by disrupting corn and soybean exports.
• He introduced legislation to restore Congress’s constitutional power over tariff decisions, arguing that executive action has exceeded legal authority.
• Sen. Pete Ricketts and other Nebraska Republicans dispute Bacon’s diagnosis, pointing to recent tariff rollbacks and new trade agreements as factors in a nationwide second-quarter GDP rebound.
• Bacon also raised concerns about federal data agency funding and political pressure after President Trump’s firing of the BLS chief, warning that compromised data could undermine economic decision-making.