August 9, 2024

Dear Fourth District Constituent,

Amidst a busy summer, it has been inspiring to watch the world’s greatest athletes compete at the Paris Olympics. Team USA, including Saint Paul’s own Suni Lee, Shoreview’s Lara Dallman-Weiss and Lakeville’s Regan Smith have competed at the highest level and were part of incredible moments throughout the past two weeks. 

As the 2024 games wind down this weekend, more exciting action lies ahead as Minnesota Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards and Rudy Golbert prepare to face off in the Men’s Basketball gold medal game at 2:30 on Saturday. Minnesota Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve leads Team USA women including star Napheesa Collier, as they seek to defend their 2020 gold medal. Read more about all Olympians with Minnesota ties and how their Olympics went.  

Go Team USA!!!

AT HOME IN MINNESOTA

Protecting America's River

This week Minnesota hosted the quarterly meeting of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA).  The organization is a leader in coordinating our region in efforts to protect and restore the Mississippi River.  It was an honor for my office to be invited to discuss legislation I am leading with Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin to create the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI).  The MRRRI Act (H.R. 7289) would bring federal resources and coordination to our collective commitment to restore and protect America’s greatest river from the Headwaters to the Delta. 

I thank Governor Walz for the State of Minnesota’s strong support for this initiative, and deep commitment to keeping the Mississippi Mighty. Appointees to UMRBA from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, as well as federal agency liaisons and nongovernmental stakeholders are engaged in vital work, and I appreciate their dialogue and determination to strengthen coordination and funding for these efforts. 

WASHINGTON UPDATE

When Congress returns to Washington in September, we’ll resume the work of funding the government through fiscal year 2025. But House Republicans have made the choice this Congress to reject working alongside Democrats to develop bipartisan bills that can become law. Instead, the Republican Speaker is attempting to implement key tenants of the Project 2025 agenda via the federal budget. These dangerous proposals would hurt working families and middle class Americans by cutting education funding, restricting abortion access, slashing funding to confront climate change, and attacking our system of checks and balances.

Project 2025 is not just a proposal for what could happen in the future. It’s a roadmap that Republicans in Congress are following right now. Take a look at this informative fact sheet that demonstrates how House Republicans are working to implement the dangerous policy proposals outlined in Project 2025.