Ben Sasse
U.S. Senator from Nebraska
Benjamin Eric Sasse was born in February 1972 in Plainview, Nebraska. He earned an undergraduate degree in government from Harvard University, studying at the University of Oxford during his junior year. He obtained a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from the Graduate Institute at St. John’s College, a Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University.
He spent a year as an associate consultant to a management consulting firm, then served as consultant and executive director for Christians United for Reformation. During his tenure, that group merged with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and Sasse became the executive director.
He served a year as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy, and was a part-time assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He was an adviser to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and later spent a year as counselor to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Sasse was nominated by President George W. Bush to the office of assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services, was confirmed by the Senate, and served until the end of the Bush administration, after which he advised private clients and investors and taught at the University of Texas. At age 37, Sasse was named president of Midland Lutheran College, a position he held until his election to the U.S. Senate.
He has been serving as a U.S. Senator since January 2015.
Sasse is married to Melissa and they have three children who are homeschooled. Raised Lutheran, he is now a Presbyterian.
In the News…
In a recent opinion editorial, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse wrote, “The Senate in particular is supposed to be the place where Americans hammer out our biggest challenges with debate. That hasn’t happened for decades—and the rot is bipartisan.”
Among the major changes the senator would like to see is the repeal of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. That amendment, ratified in 1913, ended the practice of state legislators electing senators to send to Washington, and now allowing them to be elected directly by the people.
Sasse wrote, “The old saying used to be that all politics is local, but today—thanks to the internet, 24/7 cable news, and a cottage industry dedicated to political addiction—politics is polarized and national.”
He also suggested that senators be elected to one 12-year term. “Lawmakers are obsessed with staying in office, and one of the easiest ways to keep getting re-elected is by avoiding hard decisions,” he wrote.
He concluded, “Over years, Congress has made the choice to shirk its duty and cede power to the executive branch. Recovery will be hard, but it’s time for Congress to build some muscle and figure out how to serve the American people by doing our constitutionally mandated jobs again.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Senator Sasse today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Ben Sasse
Senator from Nebraska
107 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
