History of Ben Sasse in Timeline

Ben Sasse is an American politician and academic administrator who served as a U.S. Senator for Nebraska from 2015 to 2023. A Republican, Sasse is known for his conservative views and at times his vocal criticism of Donald Trump. Notably, he was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial. Sasse resigned from the Senate to become the president of the University of Florida in 2023.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

February 22, 1972: Ben Sasse Born

On February 22, 1972, Benjamin Eric Sasse was born.

Others born on this day/year

1992: Studied at the University of Oxford

In the fall of 1992, Ben Sasse studied at the University of Oxford as part of a junior-year abroad program.

September 1994: Worked as an associate consultant

In September 1994, Ben Sasse began working as an associate consultant at the management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group.

1994: Graduated from Harvard College

In 1994, Ben Sasse graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor's degree in government.

November 1995: Served as consultant/executive director for Christians United For Reformation (CURE)

In November 1995, Ben Sasse served as consultant/executive director for Christians United For Reformation (CURE).

1998: Earned Master of Arts from St. John's College

In 1998, Ben Sasse earned a Master of Arts in liberal studies from the Graduate Institute at St. John's College.

2000: Selected as a Harvey Fellow

In 2000, The Mustard Seed Foundation selected Ben Sasse as a Harvey Fellow.

January 2004: Chief of Staff for the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy

In January 2004, Ben Sasse became chief of staff for the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy and a part-time assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

2004: Earned PhD from Yale University

In 2004, Ben Sasse earned a PhD in history from Yale University. His doctoral dissertation, "The Anti-Madalyn Majority: Secular Left, Religious Right, and the Rise of Reagan's America", won the Theron Rockwell Field and George Washington Egleston Prizes.

January 2005: Chief of Staff to Representative Jeff Fortenberry

In January 2005, Ben Sasse left the Department of Justice to become chief of staff to Representative Jeff Fortenberry.

July 2005: Left position as Chief of Staff

In July 2005, Ben Sasse left his position as chief of staff to Representative Jeff Fortenberry.

September 2005: Adviser for the United States Department of Homeland Security

In September 2005, Ben Sasse served as a consultant for the United States Department of Homeland Security.

December 2006: Counselor to the Secretary at the United States Department of Health and Human Services

In December 2006, Ben Sasse became the counselor to the secretary at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

December 2006: Resumed Professorship at University of Texas

In December 2006, Ben Sasse ended his full-time professorship at the University of Texas.

July 2007: Nominated as Assistant Secretary

In July 2007, President George W. Bush nominated Ben Sasse to be the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

December 2007: End of term as counselor to the secretary at HHS

In December 2007, Ben Sasse ended his term as counselor to the secretary at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

December 2007: Confirmed as Assistant Secretary

In December 2007, the Senate confirmed Ben Sasse as the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

2007: Johanns Fundraised $526,000

In 2007, Johanns, as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, set Nebraska's record of $526,000 from individual donors.

January 2009: End of term as Assistant Secretary

In January 2009, Ben Sasse's term as Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services came to an end.

October 2009: Joined the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Center for Politics and Governance

In October 2009, Ben Sasse officially joined the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Center for Politics and Governance as a fellow, before being appointed president of Midland University.

October 2009: Announced as 15th President of Midland Lutheran College

In October 2009, Ben Sasse was announced as the 15th president of Midland Lutheran College.

2009: Bloomberg Businessweek Article

In 2009, Ben Sasse wrote a Bloomberg Businessweek article titled "Health-Care Reform: The Rush to Pass a Bad Bill" where he discussed a potential individual mandate.

December 10, 2010: Installed as President of Midland Lutheran College

On December 10, 2010, Ben Sasse was installed as president of Midland Lutheran College.

2010: ACA Repeal Speech

In 2010, Ben Sasse gave a speech where he stated Republicans would probably lack the votes to repeal the ACA and had staged symbolic repeal votes.

2010: Took office as president of Midland University

In 2010, Ben Sasse took over leadership of Midland University.

October 2013: Announced Candidacy for the Senate

In October 2013, Ben Sasse announced his candidacy for the Senate seat.

October 2013: Contract Amended

In October 2013, Ben Sasse's employment contract was amended to reduce his pay, due to his intention to run for U.S. Senate.

May 13, 2014: Won Republican Nomination

On May 13, 2014, Ben Sasse secured the Republican nomination with 109,829 votes.

November 4, 2014: Won General Election

On November 4, 2014, Ben Sasse won the general election, defeating David Domina.

December 31, 2014: Stepped down as President of Midland Lutheran College

After winning the Republican primary election, Ben Sasse stepped down as president of Midland Lutheran College, effective December 31, 2014.

January 6, 2015: Sworn in as U.S. Senator

On January 6, 2015, Ben Sasse was sworn in as a member of the U.S. Senate.

2016: Voted against the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act

In 2016, Ben Sasse was the only senator to vote against the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which aimed to address opioid abuse. Sasse questioned whether drug treatment should be addressed at the federal level.

2016: Announced he would not support Trump

In early 2016, Ben Sasse announced that he would not support Donald Trump if he became the Republican nominee for president. Sasse questioned Trump's commitment to the U.S. Constitution and suggested he might leave the Republican Party if it became the party of Donald Trump.

September 2017: Considered leaving the GOP

In September 2017, Ben Sasse stated he thought about leaving the GOP and considered himself an independent conservative who caucuses with the Republicans. He also called Trump a "megalomaniac strongman" and criticized his tariffs and trade war with China.

2017: Authored The Vanishing American Adult

In 2017, Ben Sasse authored the book "The Vanishing American Adult".

2017: Proposed immediate repeal of the ACA

In 2017, with Republicans unable to develop a repeal-and-replace plan for the Affordable Care Act that could secure a majority in the Senate, Ben Sasse proposed an immediate repeal with a one-year delay in implementation, and called on the Senate to give up its August recess to work on a replacement measure.

March 2018: Criticized Trump for congratulating Vladimir Putin

In March 2018, Ben Sasse criticized Donald Trump for congratulating Vladimir Putin on his election victory, stating that it weakened the United States and strengthened a tyrant.

July 2018: Speculation about presidential bid

In July 2018, it was reported that Ben Sasse had quietly launched a new political non-profit group, fueling speculation that he might launch a Hail Mary bid for president. However, he and Trump were also reportedly in communication multiple times each month.

December 1, 2018: Meng Wanzhou Arrested

On December 1, 2018, Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada, and Ben Sasse commented on China's undermining of U.S. national security interests.

December 18, 2018: Voted against the FIRST STEP Act

On December 18, 2018, Ben Sasse voted against the bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation, the FIRST STEP Act, which passed with near-unanimous consent, with a vote of 87–12.

2018: Authored Them: Why We Hate Each Other – and How to Heal

In 2018, Ben Sasse authored the book "Them: Why We Hate Each Other – and How to Heal".

2018: Nebraska Republicans took exception to Sasse's statements about Trump

In 2018, after Sasse suggested a third-party candidate instead of Trump, several Nebraska Republican politicians, including State Senators Bob Krist and Beau McCoy and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, criticized Sasse's statements as immature.

January 2019: Voted to block Trump's intent to lift sanctions against Russian companies

In January 2019, Ben Sasse was one of 11 Republican senators who voted to advance legislation intended to block Donald Trump's intent to lift sanctions against three Russian companies.

February 2019: Voted Against Legislation

In February 2019, Ben Sasse was one of 16 senators to vote against legislation preventing a partial government shutdown and containing $1.375 billion for barriers along the U.S.–Mexico border.

March 2019: Cosponsored a Resolution

In March 2019, Ben Sasse was one of 12 senators to cosponsor a resolution that would impose a constitutional amendment limiting the Supreme Court to nine justices.

February 5, 2020: Voted to Acquit Trump

On February 5, 2020, Ben Sasse joined almost all Republican senators in voting to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment during Trump's first impeachment trial.

May 2020: Attacked China over the COVID-19 pandemic in graduation speech

In May 2020, Ben Sasse delivered a graduation speech at Fremont High School criticizing China for the COVID-19 pandemic. His remarks were criticized by his Democratic opponent and a school board member. The school board also disavowed responsibility for his comments.

August 2020: Clashed with Trump over executive order

In August 2020, Ben Sasse referred to Donald Trump's executive order authorizing stimulus after Congress failed to agree on a second COVID-19 relief package as "unconstitutional slop," leading Trump to call Sasse a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and saying that Sasse had "gone rogue".

October 2020: Remained critical of Trump

During an October 2020 campaign town hall event, Ben Sasse remained critical of Donald Trump, accusing him of mocking evangelicals, treating the presidency like a business opportunity, flirting with white supremacists, and alienating voters with his "stupid political obsessions" and "rage tweeting."

December 2020: Criticized Trump's pardons

In December 2020, Ben Sasse said that Donald Trump's pardons of people connected to himself were "rotten to the core."

2020: Acknowledged Biden's win

In 2020, Ben Sasse acknowledged Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election and condemned Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the election results. He criticized Senator Josh Hawley's plan to challenge the results, stating that it would "disenfranchise millions of Americans".

2020: Voted to certify Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes

In 2020, Ben Sasse voted to certify Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election, affirming the results of the election.

January 6, 2021: Certification of Electoral College Vote Count

On January 6, 2021, Ben Sasse participated in the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

February 13, 2021: Voted to Convict Trump

On February 13, 2021, Ben Sasse joined six other Republican senators in voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial.

February 2021: Censured by the Lincoln County Republican Party

In February 2021, Ben Sasse was censured by the Lincoln County Republican Party for his comments about Donald Trump's impeachment. When the Nebraska Republican Party considered censuring Sasse for his lack of support for Trump, Sasse responded, "Politics isn't about the weird worship of one dude."

May 27, 2021: Voted to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack

On May 27, 2021, Ben Sasse voted to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack. The vote failed for lack of 60 required "yes" votes.

November 2022: Abstained from voting on the Respect for Marriage Act

In November 2022, Ben Sasse abstained from voting on the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex marriage rights into federal law.

2022: Spoke in favor of expanding American military assistance to Ukraine

In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ben Sasse advocated for expanding American military assistance to Ukraine, stating, "If [Ukraine] can shoot it, we should ship it."