$177 million

General Fund tax receipts for the month of May fell short of revenue forecasts by about 7.8%, according to new data released by the Nebraska Department of Revenue. This marks the third consecutive month that receipts have come in below forecast, with cumulative receipts now lagging the revenue forecast by over $177 million for fiscal year 2026. The last three months also show a pattern of individual and corporate income tax receipts failing to meet projections, while sales taxes continue to exceed them. 

When combined with the $6 million surplus at the end of the 2026 legislative session, the last three months of lower-than-expected revenues imply a potential shortfall of about $172 million for fiscal year 2026. If the shortfall persists, lawmakers will be tasked with filling it along with the $632 million shortfall currently projected for the upcoming biennium during the 2027 legislative session. 

The full extent of a potential shortfall will be determined at the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Board’s next meeting in October, where the board will set new revenue forecasts for the current and upcoming biennium. 

5 

On Monday, a federal judge struck down SNAP food restriction policies in 5 states, including Nebraska. The court found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture failed to provide a public comment period and exceeded its authority by attempting to ignore definitions established by Congress relevant to the proposed restrictions. 

Nebraska’s version of the SNAP restrictions would have banned SNAP recipients from using benefits to pay for candy, soda and energy drinks. Supporters of the restrictions have argued that they are intended to improve SNAP recipients’ diets, despite research showing that SNAP is already linked to improved health outcomes and lower healthcare costs for recipients. Additionally, data from the USDA shows that there are no major differences in the grocery purchasing and food consumption patterns between SNAP and non-SNAP households. 

The ruling comes in light of new data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services showing that household SNAP participation in Nebraska has decreased by 11%, or about 7,800 households, since April 2025, attributed to the new and expanded work requirements for SNAP participation included in H.R. 1. 

$140 million 

The city of Omaha recently finalized its purchase of a 25-acre plot of land as the next step in its plan to build a $140 million stadium and mixed-use development for Union Omaha, the city’s professional soccer team. The project, which also includes major city infrastructure construction, is expected to cost nearly $332 million. The city is expected to fund the project by leasing the stadium to Union Omaha and through a combination of other public financing tools, including at least $48 million in tax increment financing.  

Omaha’s new stadium is the most recent part of a decades-long history of cities using taxpayer dollars to subsidize and facilitate new stadium construction for professional soccer teams, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. However, the economic effects of new stadium developments are mixed at best, regardless of sport. While many cities eventually recoup their construction and development costs, the other purported economic benefits – such as job and local tax revenue growth – often fall short of expectations or fail to materialize altogether. One 2023 study argues that this is because most stadium-related consumer spending is done by local residents. Rather than generating substantial new spending from visitors, stadiums tend to reallocate spending away from other local establishments and towards the stadiums themselves. 

Construction on the Union Omaha stadium is expected to begin later this year and be completed by 2028.