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Protestors Rally Against ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Outside Sen Ricketts’ Lincoln Office

By Chase Porter Jun 20, 2025 | 6:57 PM
Rally-goer hold sign reading "SAY NO TO 'BBB'" outside of Senator Pete Ricketts' downtown Lincoln office Friday, protesting the Senators assumed 'yes' vote on President Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bil.' | June 20, 2025. (Photo: Chase Porter, KLIN News)

About two dozen protesters gathered outside Republican U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts’ downtown Lincoln office Friday afternoon, urging him to vote “no” on the budget reconciliation bill—dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” by President Donald Trump.

The bill, which passed the House in May on a narrow 215-214 vote, is now under consideration in the Senate.

What first began indoors was shifted outside to the sidewalk, despite the blistering heat, after the property manager for Ricketts’ office (located at 1248 “O” Street) told organizers she had not been informed of the rally. Due to being on private property, she said the rally was not permitted to be indoors and that local media could not film inside.

Now under the sun, organizers passed out water bottles, blank picket signs and markers. Attendees jotted slogans like, “Nebraskans say NO,” “Pete, money or people? How much $$$ is enough for ya???” and “Say NO to ‘BBB'” (referring to the Big Beautiful Bill).

Rally-goers dissented against a series of federal spending cuts contained in the BBB. According to protestors, if the bill becomes law:

  • About 45,000 Nebraskans would lose coverage under Medicaid, noting that about 1/5 people in the state (345,461) depend on the government health insurance program;
  • Rural hospitals in Nebraska would lose $375 million in funding over the next decade;
  • Single-parent households in Omaha could face annual premiums nearing $11,200, and average Nebraskan premiums would rise by $1,000 if Obamacare tax credits expire;
  • 28,000 Nebraskans would be at risk of losing SNAP benefits due to new paperwork requirements, leaving the state to cover the $16–90 million in federal funding shortfalls to keep the food assistance program alive.

“This is a manufactured crisis. It is a moral crisis, and if Senator Ricketts votes yes, it will be his failure,” said organizer Heather Schommer in her opening remarks.

Two staffers in Ricketts’ office stood with demonstrators, taking notes on their complaints, collecting their contact info, and distributing a QR code for comment submission.

With the Senator’s conduits in attendance, in popcorn fashion, other attendees voiced additional points of discontent with Ricketts and the Trump administration.

Protesters gather at the corner of 13th and “O” Street in downtown Lincoln, outside of the office of Senator Pete Ricketts, passing along complaints to office staffers (right) | (Chase Porter, KLIN News)

“I just want it on record that Pete comes out and says he read the bill… and doesn’t say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that was in there,'” shouted one attendee, referencing an admission from Republican Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene that she didn’t read through the BBB before voting for it.

A man claiming to have 40 years of work experience in rural hospitals in western Nebraska underlined how detrimental Medicaid cuts would be.

“They’re just operating on threads out there as is… it’s going to really hamper their livelihood out there,” he said. “I know how it works. I know it’s not going to work.”

Schommer reined in the crowd and shifted focus to the Trump administration’s controversial immigration enforcement efforts, which struck close to home this month when ICE agents raided the Glen Valley Foods facility in south Omaha this month, arresting over 100 workers, 74 of which are reportedly still detained.

“Not one single detainee has a violent criminal history. These are fathers, mothers, friends, coworkers who have been torn from their families and from our communities. This needs to stop,” said Schommer. “[Ricketts is] a legislator. Change the laws,” an attendee followed.

“How many of the ICE agents were involved with January 6?” someone asked, “Going around with masks on, no identifications, and pulling people off the streets that have broken no laws? They need identification. They need to go.”

“I’d like to see how much [Ricketts] stands to gain on this tax cut for the very wealthy. I’d like to see a public transparent disclosure of how much he stands to get in tax cuts,” said another, met with agreement from the crowd.

According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, the House-passed reconciliation bill would increase primary U.S. deficits by $2.8 trillion over 10 years. Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—the total market value of all final goods and services produced—rises slightly, as labor supply and savings respond to a reduced social safety net, but the dynamic cost is larger ($3.2 trillion) than the conventional.

“Is [Ricketts] gonna do anything about all that insider trading in Washington? Martha Stewart did time for that. How come these people don’t have to?” someone added.

With many swirling complaints, one attendee asked for Ricketts, if he votes yes on the BBB, to provide a statement explaining his vote “and how it benefits his constituents in Nebraska… and how much money he’s going to make off of it on his taxes.”

“Our pressure should count. I know that Washington has a lot of pressure. But we live here, and we should have the same kind of pressure,” they suggested. “Please Ricketts, please vote for Nebraska.”

As comments dwindled and heat sweltered, Ricketts’ staffers assured that every attendee received a water bottle and recorded their names/complaints on a sign-in sheet. Protestors were told the office would follow up with them.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Ricketts address concerns about the BBB.

“As you may know the Finance Committee report, which runs about 549 pages, just came out Monday night, so my team and I are working through that part of it,” Ricketts said. “And the discussions within our conference are ongoing. We’re still going to shoot to hit the July 4th deadline that the president had, but it’s a work in progress right now.”

KLIN News spoke directly with attendees following the rally, including Schommer, who framed their opposition as a struggle between the haves and the have-nots.

“We think this bill is taking from the poor to give tax cuts to the rich,” Schommer said. “And we think it’s self-serving for Senator Ricketts because he would be one that benefits from those tax breaks.”

Ricketts’ net worth is estimated at about $179 million as of June 2025, according to Quiver Quantitative’s live tracker that uses data from federal politicians’ stock portfolios. By their calculations, that makes him the seventh-richest congressman in Washington.

When asked if she thought Senator Ricketts is persuadable, she said “I think he’s going to do what he always does. He’s going to tell the Nebraskans what they want to hear, then vote the exact opposite and fall in line with Trump like he always does.”

Rene Carrillo, Lincoln Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Steering Committee Co-Chair for past three years, joined Schommer in framing this as a class issue.

“This bill is going to be devastating, not just for Democrats, but everyone here in Nebraska,” said Carrillo, who unsuccessfully ran in 2024 for an at-large seat on the Lincoln City Council. “One of my comments to Pete Ricketts with QR code they provided was, ‘Are you getting a tax break or a kickback from kicking families and people off of Medicaid and Medicare?'”

While disagreeing with the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement, Carrillo said the public outrage has “been a way to create more solidarity amongst different organizations and different classes of people.”

“But I think people are waking up. The Lincoln DSA chapter is growing. Omaha’s chapter is growing. I think class consciousness is rising. It’s a silver lining to all of this.,” he said.