Fischer Sold Out Retirees for Wall Street and Big Insurance
On May 24, 2016, Senator Deb Fischer voted for a resolution to overturn an Obama administration effort by the US. Department of Labor to regulate the conduct of investment advisors who counsel people on their retirement plans. The Obama-era plan, called the DOL fiduciary rule, was designed to set standards for putting retiree’s interests first. Working and middle-class Americans lose $17 billion a year in retirement savings due to advice that favors the advisor's, not the client’s interests.
Supporters of the rule argued that by rolling it back, Republicans were only working to benefit financial firms. Then-Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said “the only people who oppose it are the investment advisors who are putting money in their own pocket.” Americans for Financial Reform also defended the proposed regulation, saying the rule “simply says that financial professionals who claim to offer honest, unbiased advice on retirement savings should actually have to do that. The motive for this resolution is not a genuine concern about the well being of retirement savers. Instead, some Wall Street salespeople and their firms are worried about losing out on the billions of dollars in excess profits they have been making by recommending investment products that serve their own interests.”
The DOL’s fiduciary rule was set to take effect on June 9, 2017 but that did not happen. On November 27, 2017, the Trump administration announced that the rule would have an 18-month extension from January 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019. Meanwhile, as Bloomberg reported in 2017, “five separate lawsuits now attack the rule from seemingly every angle.”
Among the organizations that spearheaded the legal challenges to the fiduciary rule are several of Fischer’s campaign donors. The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors has poured $22,000 into Fischer’s campaign coffers since between 2014-2024. Also joining the effort to sue to overturn the rule was the Financial Services Roundtable and the American Council of Life Insurers. In 2012, the Financial Services Roundtable donated $1,000 to Fischer, while American Council of Life Insurers coughed up $12,000 between 2018 and 2022. The US. Chamber of Commerce also fought hard to kill the rule. The Chamber contributed a total of $10,000 to Fischer for her previous Senate races in 2012 and 2018. One of the key players who led the lobbying strategy to kill the fiduciary rule on Capitol Hill was Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, and international law firm with 31 offices worldwide. Bryan Cave has shelled out $6,000 in campaign cash to Fischer between 2012-2024. Source: www.opensecrets.org
It is votes like this that have earned Fischer a paltry lifetime score of 8% from the Alliance for Retired Americans.
Fischer Backstabs Nebraska Veterans on Key Votes
Each November when Veterans Day rolls around, Sen. Deb Fischer usually releases a statement praising our men and women who have worn the uniform in the armed services. Here is a typical spiel from November 10, 2020:
“Veterans Day is a time for all Americans to express our deep gratitude for the men and women who selflessly served our nation. It is a time to show appreciation for those who have fought to protect the freedoms that make this country great. I encourage every Nebraskan to find the time to thank a veteran for his or her service.”
But at other times of the year, Fischer votes against the interests of Nebraska’s veterans. In December 2015, the Senate debated H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet introduced an amendment to the bill to improve access to care for veterans across the United States. The amendment provided funding to hire more doctors, nurses, social workers, and mental health professionals for facilities that serve our veterans and also aimed to help improve VA medical facilities that need upgrades and minor construction improvements. The cost of the Bennet amendment was $20 billion to be paid for by imposing a fair share tax on high-income taxpayers – those folks with adjusted gross incomes of more than $1 million annually. Fischer joined with 51 of her fellow 54 Republicans to help kill the amendment.
More recently, in April 2023, Fischer voted against advancing S. 326, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill that enjoyed the support of eight Republicans, including Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the top Republican on the Veterans Affairs Committee. The cloture motion fell three votes shy of the 60 needed to proceed. This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the effects of cannabis on veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or chronic pain (i.e., eligible veterans).
First, the bill requires the VA to conduct an observational, 18-month study on the effects of cannabis on the health outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must report on the study and address whether it is able to meet criteria necessary to conduct clinical trials.
Then, if the VA determines that it is able to proceed, it must carry out a series of clinical trials on the effects of cannabis appropriate for investigational use, as determined by the Food and Drug Administration, on the outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must carry out a long-term observational study of the clinical trial participants.
The VA may terminate the trials if it is unable to meet clinical guideline requirements or the trials would create excessive risk to participants.
The VA must ensure that the study and trials are representative of the demographics of veterans in the United States, as determined by the most recent data from the American Community Survey of the Bureau of the Census.
The study and trials must include mechanisms to ensure data preservation and registration as necessary (in an anonymous form).
According to an April 2018 story by CNN, Roughly 20 veterans kill themselves each day, 2016 VA research found, and there’s emerging evidence of a link to chronic pain. Increasing doses of opioids was also tied to increased suicide risk for veterans, according to a study.
Many vets see medical marijuana as a viable option, and the science, while limited, is starting to show promise in combating nerve pain. Researchers are also looking into its impact on PTSD and chronic pain. But some vets don’t want to wait for clinical trials. About 22% now use cannabis to treat physical or mental conditions, according to a recent American Legion survey which found that 83 percent of veteran households surveyed indicated that they believe the federal government should legalize medical cannabis nationwide, and 82 percent indicated that they would want to have medical cannabis as a federally-legal treatment option.
Many veterans organizations have stopped producing congressional scorecards examining senators’ voting records but in 2014 the Disabled American Veterans flunked Fischer with a rating of 0%.
Sen. Fischer Votes for Bloated Pentagon Budgets while Accepting $145,793 from Defense Contractors
It seems clear that Sen. Fischer has not heeded President Eisenhower’s January 17, 1961, warning about the threat posed by the ‘military-industrial complex’. Beginning in 2013, Fischer has voted for the annual National Defense Authorization Act (as either the Senate bill or the conference report) a total of 14 times, while opposing it only once. Many of these bills contained spending far above what the Department of Defense needed or what various presidents requested.
Sen. Fischer serves as the ranking minority member on the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This panel has oversight of budget accounts for procurement and RDT&E for DoD nuclear and strategic forces, missile defense, space systems, Department of Energy defense and non-proliferation programs. In addition, Fischer sits on the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, whose responsibilities include: contracting and acquisition policy; business and financial management; and oversight of key Pentagon budget accounts.
Fischer bills herself as a fiscal conservative who is tight with the public’s dollars but what is very troubling is Sen. Fischer’s acceptance of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from major defense contractors who have ripped off taxpayers on numerous instances of misconduct ranging from overbilling and overcharging to contract fraud and other serious violations of federal law.
Between 2014 -2024, Sen. Fischer has taken $145,793 in donations from five of the top 12 defense contractors who have committed 246 instances of misconduct between 1995-2018 and paid penalties of more than $3.8 billion (Project on Government Oversight http://www.pogo.org; OpenSecrets). For these firms, the fines are just another cost of doing business.
Northrop Grumman: 44 instances of misconduct, $888 million in penalties. $64,827 donations to Fischer. https://www.whistleblowergov.org/government-contracts.php?article=northrop-grumman-systems-corp-will-pay-31.65-million-to-settle-defense-contract-fraud-allegations_133
Boeing Co.: 68 instances of misconduct, $1.4 billion in penalties. $39.939 donations to Fischer.
Raytheon: 27 instances of misconduct, $490 million in penalties. $16,000 donations to Fischer.
Lockheed Martin: 85 instances of misconduct, $767 million in penalties. $15,026 donations to Fischer.
General Dynamics: 22 instances of misconduct, $280 million in penalties. $10,001 donations to Fischer.
Fischer did not join a bipartisan group of senators in signing a letter asking for an investigation of price gouging after a 60 Minutes expose in 2023 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senators-urge-pentagon-investigate-price-gouging-military-contractors-60-minutes-report/
Fischer Says 'No' to Helping Homeowners Save On Energy Costs
During consideration of the H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act on August 7, 2022, Fischer voted for an amendment by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) that would have eliminated $460 million from the Home Owner Managing Energy Savings (HOMES) rebate program administered by state governments and instead direct the funding to local governments as general supplemental payments. The HOMES program helps residents make their homes more energy efficient and less costly to run and maintain comfortable indoor temperatures by providing increasing amounts of rebates for increasing percentages of energy saved: for a 35% reduction in energy use, a homeowner could get up to $4,000 in rebates, or up to $8,000 for low- and moderate-income homeowners. Redirecting funding from emissions reductions to general purpose would significantly reduce the benefits the bill would have for U.S. households and their energy bills, and our environment. Thankfully, the Senate rejected the Lee amendment by a vote of 49–51 (Senate roll call vote 305).
As of August 8, 2024 the Home Energy Rebate programs have hit a major milestone as the U.S. Department of Energy has now awarded more than $1 billion to states to expand the availability of rebates for eligible homeowners and renters seeking to make energy-efficient upgrades. According to DOE, Nebraska is preparing applications to receive a state allocation for consumer rebates and program administration of $91,268,349 and the funding amount already awarded is $2,284,020*
*States and territories can apply for early administrative funding of up to 2.5% of their allocations, capped at $5 million, to begin developing their programs.
Fischer Votes Against Opioid Treatment Funds, Pockets Campaign Cash From Opioid Distributors
In March 2016, the US. Senate approved bipartisan legislation to address the opioid and heroin abuse epidemic devastating communities across the country. The bill, known as S. 524, The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), expanded drug abuse education and prevention. It also provided better resources to help first responders fight this crisis and save lives. The opioid crisis has impacted a number of Nebraska counties including: Adams, Buffalo, Hall, Lincoln and Scotts Bluff:
https://neurosciencenews.com/opioid-crisis-national-14364/
Sen. Fischer released a statement on the legislation: “Our nation is facing an alarming crisis as heroin and opioid addiction grow across the country. Families are losing sons, daughters, parents, and friends to this devastating epidemic. Nebraska is not immune to this surge, as the rates of arrests and overdoses in our state have increased in recent years. I am proud to join my colleagues once again and pass significant, bipartisan legislation that can help save lives and improve the nation.”
But during debate on the bill, Fischer voted against a key amendment by Sen. Shaheen (D-NH), to add $600 million in emergency funds to address the heroin and opioid drug abuse epidemic for the FY ending 9/30/16. The amendment was defeated on a vote of 48 (Y) to 47 (N) due to obstruction from the Republican majority - the amendment needed to meet a 60 vote threshold to proceed.
Senator Shaheen’s emergency funding amendment would have helped the following federal programs:
Department of Justice
- Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (Byrne-JAG) - $230 million to fund state and local law enforcement initiatives associated with the heroin and opioid crisis, including approved treatment alternatives to incarceration.
- COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force Grant - $10 million to assist state and local law enforcement with high per-capita levels of opioid and heroin use, targeting resources to support police drug interdiction operations on the ground (Section 204 of CARA).
Department of Health and Human Services
- Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant- $300 million for states to fund programs related to prevention, treatment, recovery support and other services associated with the heroin and opioid crisis. For many states, this program is the primary source of federal dollars to address the misuse of drugs. This section also includes $15 million set aside specifically to improve treatment for pregnant and postpartum women (Section 501 of CARA).
- Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention for States- $50 million to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) work on prescription drug monitoring programs, community health system interventions, and rapid response projects.
- Medication Assisted Treatment for Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction - $10 million to improve access in high-risk communities to medication-assisted treatment services for heroin and prescription opioids (Section 301 of CARA).
There is another disturbing connection to Fischer’s vote against the Shaheen amendment. It seems Fischer is addicted to campaign contributions from two of the three largest opioid distributors in America. In 2024, Fischer has taken $1,500 from AmerisourceBergen and she has pocketed $2,500 in 2018 and another $5,000 in 2012 from McKesson Corporation. Source: www.opensecrets.org
Fischer Opposes Reforming Opaque and Unaccountable Commodity Checkoff Programs
We’ve all heard and seen the ads for promotional campaigns like “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” and “Pork. The Other White Meat.” They’re the product of one of the most corrupt institutions in American agriculture: commodity checkoff programs.
First begun as a way for farmers to voluntarily pool their money to boost the overall sales of their products, checkoff programs have evolved into a behind-the-scenes government machine extracting money from farmers against their will — and then funneling it to corporate lobbyists.
America’s farmers and ranchers are being forced to pay into checkoff programs, only to see their dollars used against them by lobbying organizations representing the world’s largest meatpackers and grain traders.
The organization Farm Action has cataloged some of the most egregious checkoff abuses:
NCBA Caught Misusing Checkoff Funds for Lobbying, Vacations
* In 2010, an independent audit examining the equivalent of just nine days of beef checkoff program spending found that the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) had improperly spent more than $200,000 in checkoff funds on lobbying and overseas vacations. Despite a Freedom of Information Act complaint, the full audit has not been released to the public.
Between 2012-2024, NCBA has given Fischer $34,104 in campaign cash. NCBA expends its considerable resources and powerful influence on lobbying initiatives, working to defeat policies that would threaten the dominance of multinational meatpackers while improving competition and market opportunities for independent producers. In 2015, NCBA successfully lobbied to kill Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef, which was a powerful marketing tool for independent American ranchers to distinguish their products from lower quality imported meat sold by giant meatpackers like JBS or Cargill.
Their more recent efforts to defeat the bipartisan Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act are clearly motivated by self-interest: The OFF Act would prevent checkoff funds from being awarded to lobbying groups, and 70 percent of NCBA’s budget is derived from checkoff funds.
Ranchers know very well who NCBA works for and matters to them, and in fact, only three percent choose to be dues paying members. Still, the government forces the other 97 percent to fund NCBA through checkoffs.
Pork Checkoff Paid Lobby Group Millions for Defunct Slogan
* Starting in 2011, the National Pork Board continued to pay the National Pork Producers Council $3 million per year for the “Pork. The Other White Meat” slogan for years after it was defunct in a licensing scheme. Independent pig farmers sued on the basis that their checkoff dollars shouldn’t go to NPPC, which actively works against their interests.
Dairy Checkoff Failed to Submit Congressionally Mandated Audits for Five Years
* The dairy checkoff, being the largest pool of money, is legally required by Congress to submit annual financial reports — but failed to do so from 2012-2016.
During debate on the 2018 Farm Bill, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) offered an amendment to reform the checkoff system. Called The Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act, it would:
- Prohibit checkoff programs from contracting with any organization that lobbies on agricultural policy (with an exception for institutions of higher education, such as our land grant institutions).
- Require transparency through the publication of checkoff program budgets and expenditures.
- Require periodic audits of compliance with the act by the USDA Inspector General.
However Sen. Fischer voted against the Lee-Booker OFF Act amendment, helping to defeat it.
Action: Win the May 14 Legalize Marijuana NOW Party Primary to Support Dan Osborn and Beat Deb Fischer
Deb Fischer lied about serving two terms, and now the Senator is lying about Dan Osborn's positions.
It makes sense for a politician desperate to keep hold on power: Nebraskans are much more aligned with Osborn's policy positions than with Fischer's. This is perhaps nowhere clearer than when it comes to legal medicinal use of marijuana.
Dan Osborn supports legal medical marijuana and removing cannabis from Schedule I. In interviews, he talks about how marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. In our poll of 1,048 likely Nebraska voters last November, a wide majority agreed with Osborn on medical marijuana - including rural voters in the vast third district.
Fischer, a staunch prohibitionist, is deeply out of step with Nebraskans. Historically, the Senator has even threatened to defund the Justice Department unless it cracked down on states with permissive attitudes towards marijuana.
Osborn can beat Fischer and needs the support of all cannabis reform advocates to do it. However, a hostile effort has emerged by a primary candidate to label Osborn a "union thug" and throw the race to Fischer.
Osborn supporters should vote in the primary as independents or Marijuana Party members on the Marijuana Party ballot and support Kerry Eddy, a reform activist who will unite cannabis issue voters to support Osborn in the general election and beat Fischer.
Osborn supporters need to check and update their registration by April 29 and vote for Kerry by the May 14 in-person primary date.
>> Read the Seeing Red blog post about how to make sure your vote counts in the primary. <<
Warren Buffett Chases Rail Profits at the Expense of Transportation Safety
Political influence accelerates corporate profits and income equality while threatening public safety. Nowhere is that clearer than the current state of the railroad industry, where a "Moneyball" approach to operations foreshadows more catastrophic derailments, more dangerous blocked crossings, and more worker injuries and deaths.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett, known as "the Oracle of Omaha," is the seventh richest man in the world – along with investments in candy and insurance, his holding company Berkshire Hathaway also owns BNSF Railway, the largest railroad company in the United States. Now, he’s leaning on the railroad for bigger profits. His latest investment letter specifically calls out the imperative to put shareholder profits above workers and communities. Reaction to Buffett's latest profit mandate was swift and hit BNSF workers hard: deep cuts to skilled craft unions, management, and maintenance. Unions are now calling on the Federal Railroad Administration to ensure the safety of BNSF’s system.
In the 1800s, fatal rail accidents were rampant in the United States.
Today, America’s new robber barons threaten to take us back to the dark days of railroading’s past, packing longer trains with fewer train crews and slashing the very employees that inspect tracks, engines, and freight cars. BNSF and other rail companies have embraced “Precision Scheduled Railroading,” which pressures railroad employees to speed up their safety inspections of locomotives and freight cars, has doubled the territory for track inspectors, and replaces human checks and balances with new sensor systems.
Help ProPublica Tell the Story of Rail Safety in the U.S.
U.S. states have tried to mandate minimum crew numbers and rules on blocked crossings – however, interstate commerce means those efforts are often overturned in court. Federal action is imperative. Congress could act to ensure rail safety - and it looked like they just might after the devastating East Palestine derailment last year. However, reform has stalled out in Congress. Railroads are putting profits over safety and withering the industry in favor of heavy trucks that clog and damage our public highway infrastructure. Enough is enough. That’s why railroaders in Nebraska are supporting an independent for U.S. Senate who will help get things moving again.
Parties Will Spend Billions on Elections
In 2022, interest groups spent 1.3 billion on just five U.S. Senate races. Long election cycles and huge stakes mean big spending on all sides - especially by political parties.
Term limits would go a long way to making the playing field a bit more level for regular folks. Many Nebraskans just want to see more turnover in representative leadership!
Knowing that incumbents will spend millions to hold onto their Senate seats next year, what would we do with $2 million to support change and majority positions on reproductive freedom, medical marijuana and so much more?
We'd spend the majority of our budget making sure grassroots donors and activists directly support our candidates. Millionaire incumbents have a big advantage even as voters struggle with pocketbook issues like the price of groceries and gas (41% of Nebraska voters said this is their top issue). It takes working class representation to make change on working class issues! Influencers, direct mail, peer-to-peer, and email all have a role in fueling grassroots campaigns.
Next is a quarter of the budget on education and persuasion - it's even more important to educate and inform voters about working class candidates than it is to talk about the incumbents' broken promises. Social media, web, mobile, and streaming TV and audio plus physical and digital billboards all help tell the story.
How would you spend a $2 million budget to make change in the U.S. Senate? Tell us!
Send an Independent Working Class Fighter to the U.S. Senate
Today we are making an early endorsement of Dan Osborn, the independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024.
For years, critical railway safety bills have languished in Congress and powerful corporate lobbies have blocked reform. Worker safety and the safety of the Nebraska public is on the line, and our “representatives” can’t move the legislation that would protect lives.
As an independent, Dan can be a critical vote that either the Republicans or Democrats must win over on their priorities – that would put Dan in the catbird seat when it comes to championing and passing legislative priorities for Nebraskans.
Dan comes from a railroad family and is a true independent unaffiliated with either party. The U.S. Senate gets nothing done because it’s full of politicians who follow orders from Charles Schumer or Mitch McConnell. Dan can be a swing vote, ensuring that the nation’s policy is not being dictated by either sold-out party boss.
A new poll commissioned by Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety found that Nebraskans of all political persuasions are deeply unhappy with incumbent Senator Deb Fischer’s representation over the past decade. “She has done nothing for Nebraskans” and “I am unaware of one bill she has passed,” voters say. In fact, even with most voters just getting to know who Dan is, the poll found that 40 percent would support him (with 38% for Fischer). That number climbs to 53% once voters learn more about Dan – and now it’s our job, together, to be sure they do.
Dan might be new to electoral politics, but he’s a proven fighter. In 2021, he led the successful strike against Kellogg’s that saved hundreds of working class union jobs. His platform puts railway safety front and center, including:
- Requiring two-person crews to protect against derailments
- Increasing fines for violating federal rail safety laws so these giant corporations take safety regulations seriously
- Finally passing a federal law to stop blocked crossings – which has bipartisan support but has stalled in the do-nothing Congress
Nebraska has a strong independent streak and it’s time we elect a next-generation representative of the working class instead of continuing to send out-of-touch millionaires back to Washington to fail us.
Senator Fischer promised to serve just two terms and has not earned a third. (70% of Nebraska voters are concerned with Fischer’s broken promise.)
Dan will fight every day for small businesses, workers, and farmers. He wants to cut taxes for small businesses and the middle class, protect middle-class jobs and wages, improve worker safety, and create a level playing field for family farms and ranches, through a Right to Repair law and fixing federal crop insurance subsidies that unfairly favor large operators.
Dan opposes efforts to legislate how private citizens conduct themselves. While he respects the deep moral convictions of his fellow Nebraskans, he opposes using the federal government to enforce those convictions on others and will fight to stop harsh government intervention in our private lives and decisions.
Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety asks that you not take our word for it but get to know Dan Osborn. Research his platform, listen to him speak, talk to your neighbors. If you’re as convinced as we are that early support for Dan is one way we build a better future for Nebraska families, you can help by making a grassroots donation directly to his campaign.