OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – When it comes to the top issues facing Nebraskans, Republican Sen. Deb Fischer and her challenger, independent candidate Dan Osborn, agree that inflation is one.

Fischer said it helps fight inflation by not introducing many spending bills.

“The number one duty of a congress is to provide for the common defense,” she said. “It’s to secure our military, it’s to provide them with resources to carry out their missions. This is the number one debt we have. And we have to prioritize that.”

Fischer went on to say that everyone has programs they benefit from, but not everyone should depend on the federal government for funding.

Osborn said tackling inflation should start with federal agencies.

“The Department of Defense has never passed a federal audit … and they have thousands of billions of dollars in unaccounted for assets,” he said. “They add billions of it every year. I’m not suggesting we cut defense spending — certainly in a tumultuous world — but we must at least hold them accountable for promoting these audits.”

In another way to fight inflation, he believes corporations should be held accountable by having consumers attend board meetings when they discuss price increases.

“They wouldn’t make these decisions if consumers are going to talk to the media right after a meeting or something like that,” Osborn said. “So I don’t have an overarching plan in terms of corporate price gouging, but that’s certainly at the forefront of my mind.”

Osborn said border security was another priority and he would propose a comprehensive bill based on the border alone.

“There would be no funding for anyone else included in this,” he said. “It would be a border-only bill. And if I’m the 51st swing vote in the United States Senate, that could certainly give me a little leverage to ‘bare the tree,’ as they say, on a bill like this.”

He added that he would be willing to accept the idea of ​​a barrier.

Fischer co-sponsored “Secure the Border Act” last yearwhich would have required the resumption of border wall construction and barred asylum eligibility for foreign nationals

But when it comes to national security, she also emphasized modernizing the military and local law enforcement.

“For example, I’m working with the Omaha Police Department on a bill that we just passed — Recruiting and Retention — that the president signed that will help them have some flexibility so they can bring in more officers on board and be able to expand their presence here in the Omaha area and also across the state.”

6 News asked her what she planned to do to increase the military. She said she supports it Proposed National Defense Authorization Act of 2025 by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed which includes increasing the salaries of the military.

“We have our National Defense Authorization Act that we pass every year,” she said. “In this, we take care of our servicemen and our women. We have 4.5 (percent) growth right now and we have to get through it.”

The third top issue for Fischer is what she calls “building a stronger Nebraska,” saying it goes beyond infrastructure.

“It’s not just roads and bridges that we’re making those investments in, it’s water quality and sewer projects,” she said. “It’s rolling out to broadband.”

Fischer said within the Appropriations Committee, she works on grant applications from the university and individual communities.

“You can have a small community like Valley, Nebraska, that has a request for a designated spending in the Appropriations Committee to improve their clean water.”

Osborn said individual liberties are a third priority, along with firearms and abortion.

“I think most people would like to see the federal government stay out of our bedrooms and our doctors’ offices, for sure,” he said.

Without taking away the guns, he said he would work with law enforcement to keep guns away from people who want to do harm.

“I would lean on them to tell me what they need to be more successful in their roles.”

He said he hasn’t talked to them about it at this point.

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