Pete Ricketts

In July 2023, after Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed Congress, Ricketts described Israel as the United States' strongest and closest ally in the Middle East. He said the relationship is based on shared values and mutual interests and argued that the United States must provide Israel with the resources needed to defend itself and preserve its military edge.

In November 2023, Ricketts rejected proposals to condition U.S. military aid to Israel, stating that Israel deserved unconditional support as it defended itself against Hamas.

In July 2024, Ricketts wrote that supporting Israel would help defeat Hamas, secure the release of the hostages, and counter Iran's regional ambitions, adding that he would always stand with Israel.

On April 15, 2026, Ricketts voted against motions to discharge S.J. Res. 32 and S.J. Res. 138, which would have advanced resolutions blocking proposed military sales to Israel. Both motions failed.

In October 2023, Ricketts joined 14 Senate colleagues in urging the State Department to hold Iran accountable for its failure to cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency investigations and its violations of nuclear nonproliferation obligations.

In February 2025, Ricketts introduced legislation urging the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to restore United Nations sanctions lifted under the Iran nuclear agreement. He argued that renewed sanctions were necessary to constrain Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

In May 2025, Ricketts led a Senate letter supporting the full and permanent dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program, including the elimination of its capacity to enrich uranium.

In October 2023, Ricketts introduced the Stop Support for Hamas Act to prevent U.S. assistance from benefiting Hamas or other Palestinian terrorist organizations. The bill would end U.S. contributions to UNRWA, freeze certain assistance until Hamas's terrorist infrastructure was dismantled, and strengthen restrictions intended to prevent aid from reaching Hamas affiliates.

In March 2025, Ricketts and Senator Adam Schiff introduced bipartisan legislation to designate and sanction the Popular Resistance Committees, a Gaza-based terrorist organization linked to attacks against Americans and Israelis and to the October 7 massacre.

Ricketts has also supported redesignating the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and increasing sanctions intended to restrict Iran's ability to finance Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other armed proxies.

In November 2023, after viewing uncensored footage of the October 7 attack, Ricketts described Hamas's actions as horrific, ruthless, barbaric, and shockingly inhumane. He said the United States must support Israel's efforts to destroy Hamas so that an attack like October 7 could never happen again.

On the first anniversary of the attack, Ricketts joined all Senate Republicans in condemning Iran-backed Hamas and calling for the release of the hostages. He pledged continued support for Israel until every hostage was returned and Hamas surrendered.

In March 2025, Ricketts introduced bipartisan legislation to sanction the Popular Resistance Committees, whose members participated alongside Hamas in the October 7 attack.

In May 2022, while serving as governor, Ricketts proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month in Nebraska and adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism for the state. He said defining antisemitism was necessary to recognize and combat it.

In March 2019, Ricketts condemned racist, antisemitic, and homophobic statements made by a former campaign staffer, saying that the statements and the hateful worldview behind them did not reflect his beliefs or those of Nebraskans.

In April 2026, Ricketts called for United Nations reforms that would prioritize accountability and confront antisemitism within the organization. He criticized the political targeting of Israel by a United Nations special rapporteur.

In January 2020, after South Street Temple in Lincoln was vandalized with a swastika and fascist imagery, Ricketts condemned antisemitism in the strongest possible terms, emphasized the Jewish community's longstanding place in Nebraska, and urged anyone with information to assist law enforcement.

In the Jewish Federation of Omaha's 2026 voter guide, Ricketts said he supported funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and described it as a way to provide synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, and other at-risk institutions with resources to improve their security.

In September 2020, while serving as governor, Ricketts explicitly condemned white- supremacist groups, stating that they had no place in Nebraska or the United States. He also said extremist groups such as the Proud Boys were not needed at public demonstrations.

Following the July 2024 assassination attempt against Donald Trump, Ricketts stated that political violence is anti-American and called for a full investigation.

In September 2025, Ricketts delivered a Senate floor speech urging Americans across the political spectrum to reject political violence and resolve disagreements through ballots and peaceful debate rather than violence.

In 2025, Ricketts supported the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, which would impose sanctions on International Criminal Court officials involved in investigating or prosecuting Americans or citizens of allied countries such as Israel. He condemned the ICC's arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and rejected what he described as a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

In April 2026, Ricketts called for United Nations reforms addressing antisemitism and the political targeting of Israel within the organization.

In November 2025, Ricketts led 25 senators in supporting the administration's decision to exclude UNRWA from Gaza's future stabilization and reconstruction efforts, urging the use of vetted international partners instead.

In the Jewish Federation of Omaha's 2026 voter guide, Ricketts said that, as governor, he participated in annual menorah lightings with Nebraska's Chabad community and hosted all eight of the state's synagogues and the Jewish Federation of Omaha at the State Capitol in 2022.

Ricketts also said that he had recently spoken at the Omaha Jewish Community Center and promised continued engagement with Nebraska's Jewish community, telling Jewish voters, 'You have a friend in me.'