Fort Report: 72 Years of the Nebraska Breakfast

Statement

When you are visiting Washington, you are welcome to attend the Nebraska Breakfast! Each week when the House and Senate are in session, the Nebraska delegation gathers on Wednesday mornings in an unbroken tradition that extends 72 years. The Nebraska Breakfast began in 1943 when Senator Hugh Butler began meeting informally with the other members of the Congressional delegation and their guests. The breakfast is a unique event on Capitol Hill, and as this year's host, I am happy to extend this invitation to you.

We get started at 8:00 AM in the Dirksen Senate cafeteria. Each delegation member gives a brief update on current issues and introduces their guests. Persons having business with the government, dignitaries, families on vacation, and school groups make the event a diverse and welcome addition to a Washington political environment that is often burdened with partisan cynicism. Sometimes people from other states and visitors to the Capitol join us for the breakfast. We try to inject a little levity into the event, which offers an intimate forum for political news, for meeting with other visitors from Nebraska, and for having a little fun.

Particularly in the summer, we welcome school groups and young students. It's good to see young people eager to engage in deepening their understanding of our civic culture. One organization that regularly visits is the 4-H Club, which has a long-established program in citizenship. Growing up, I was very active in 4-H and participated in the trip to Washington. I owe a great deal to this organization, which provided extraordinary opportunity and good formation. I still carry those experiences with me.

So it is with great pride that during 4-H Club visits I invite everyone to stand and recite the 4-H pledge:

I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
my heart to greater loyalty,
my hands to larger service, and
my health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country and my world.

The pledge is a good summary statement for America's narrative of responsibility and service, and it captures the spirit of our breakfast as well. Many Nebraskans know it by heart, and the words seem to come back pretty effortlessly. The pledge brings back happy memories, provides a seventh inning stretch during our hour long gathering--and honestly, helps keep the kids awake during our speeches!

This year's remaining Nebraska Breakfasts are scheduled for March 18 and 25; April 15, 22, and 29; May 13 and 20; June 3, 10, 17, and 24; July 8, 15, 22, and 29; September 9, 16, and 30; and October 7.

I hope you can join us! I will be there with my budget slides--and if you time it right, you might get to recite the 4-H pledge. For more information and to attend, please contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-4806 or at https://fortenberry.house.gov/.

Source