January 1, 2024

Dear John:

As we close the chapter on 2023, I've been reflecting on the accomplishments of the year and the work that needs to be done in 2024. 

I'm proud to say that I brought over a dozen of my colleagues, including Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith and Agriculture Chairman G.T. Thomson to Western Minnesota this summer for a Ways and Means Field Hearing, a Western Caucus trip, and a Farm Bill listening session at Farmfest. It's so important for my fellow Members of Congress to hear directly from Minnesota's 7th District so they have a clearer understanding about rural America's needs and the legislation that supports them. Conversations like the ones we had this summer have been especially helpful as we work to expand export market access for our agricultural producers and as we build the next Farm Bill. I assure you, House Republicans respect the people of rural America and understand how critical they are to the success of this nation.

Ways and Means Field Hearing in Kimball

Western Caucus CHS Site Visit in Marshall

House Agriculture Committee at Farmfest in Morgan

I have also introduced several pieces of legislation to support the people of Minnesota's 7th District and their values. For example, this year the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a new rule increasing minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities to levels that could devastate some facilities in rural America, forcing them to decrease care options or close altogether, leaving their residents with even fewer suitable options. I introduced the Protecting Rural Seniors Access to Care Act to keep CMS from implementing this rule until it can prove it will not result in the closure of skilled nursing facilities, will not harm patient access, and will not make workforce shortage issues worse in areas that are already struggling. This bill is gaining ground in the Senate and I look forward to seeing it come to the floor for a vote in 2024.

I introduced the Law Enforcement Education Grant Program Act to encourage the next generation of workers to consider law enforcement as a career at a time when departments across the country are facing shortages. The bill provides education grants to students pursuing their first degree in law enforcement or criminal-justice related field. The grant would come with a service agreement from the recipient to serve as a full-time law enforcement officer for four years within an eight-year period of completing their studies. If the graduate does not complete their service agreement, the grant will be converted into a loan. 

Rural communities are struggling to retain their populations, much less attract future generations. One way Congress can support them is by eliminating unnecessary regulatory barriers to capital investment, particularly on critical community facilities like hospitals, childcare centers, and senior care centers. That's why I introduced the Investing in Rural America Act, which attracts private sector investment in these kids of facilities, strengthening our rural communities and encouraging future generations to see them as home.

I am also proud to say that this year I introduced the Health, Opportunity, Protecting Life, Education or HOPE Act to support expectant mothers and provide them with tangible ways to feel empowered to choose life. This bill will improve access to prenatal telehealth care and support positive alternatives for women through pregnancy centers that provide assistance with medical care, housing, childcare, and parenting education. It will improve and consolidate access to updated information that is critical to expectant mothers. It requires parental notification so parents are informed if their child is looking into making the life-altering decision of having an abortion. And, it prohibits Planned Parenthood from accessing any federal mandatory or discretionary funds unless it certifies that it will not perform or support other entities that perform abortions.

The House has also been working hard to hold the government and the Biden Administration accountable, removing Congresswoman Omar from her Foreign Affairs Committee position for her anti-Semitic remarks and opening an impeachment inquiry into the president. We voted to protect women in sports, lower energy costs, and passed the strictest border security bill in history. House Republicans have been working hard representing the values of the American people. It is time the Senate and the White House wake up to what's happening in this country and pass the House's commonsense legislation.

No matter what, I will keep fighting for the people of Minnesota's Seventh District in the new year.