Dear Fourth District Constituent,
My offices in Saint Paul and Washington, D.C. continue to hear from Minnesotans who are calling and emailing to share their concerns about the illegal and unconstitutional actions of the Trump Administration. Actions being taken by Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans who control the House and the Senate do nothing to lower costs for Americans, and instead increase costs while directly threatening Americans' personal and national security, as well as the security of America's allies around the globe.
I have been very disappointed by the inaction of House Majority Republicans who have completely surrendered their oversight obligation since President Trump took office and deputized unelected billionaire Elon Musk to slash the key government services that Minnesotans rely on. Republican majorities in both the House and Senate could, for example, hold oversight hearings, subpoena administration officials, conduct investigations, reject unqualified cabinet nominees, and pass legislation to constrain the power of the executive branch. The Republican-majority House and Senate have taken none of these actions. I will continue to work with my Democratic colleagues to hold this administration accountable, and the Republicans controlling Congress should join us.
President Trump's Actions Undercut the Economic Security of Working Families
President Trump promised to lower costs on "Day One." Instead, his economic policies and baseless threats to impose steep tariffs on our allies have caused the price of just about everything to increase.
Fox News reports the at "Egg Prices Soar." Up 267% since October 2024, eggs are now $8.11 a dozen on average.
This week, we received new Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. This is the first report card on Donald Trump's economy, and the outlook is terrible. Inflation is up. Gas prices are up. Energy bills are up. Rent is up. Grocery prices are up. Transportation costs are up. Rather than taking action to reduce prices, the President pointed fingers.
Addressing the National Congress of American Indians
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) plays an integral role in serving the interests of Alaska Natives and American Indians. On Monday, I had the honor of delivering the Congressional response to NCAI's State of Indian Nations 2025 Address. As we enter the uncertainty of a new Trump administration, we must hold the administration to their commitments to respect Native Sovereignty.
With the recent chaos of the unleashed by the Office of Management and Budget memo freezing all federal grants, it remains unclear whether vital funding would reach the organizations and Tribes that had been promised funding.
As I said in my speech, the Congressional Native American caucus cannot accomplish this work on our own. We need to continue to work in partnership with Native Communities to understand the impacts of the decisions made by the Trump Administration in order to truly hold the White House, Interior Department, and other relevant federal agencies accountable.
Meeting with Maplewood Firefighters
On Wednesday, I met with a delegation of fire chiefs from Minnesota, including Chief Mondor and Captain Merkatoris from Maplewood. I want to thank these first responders for their courageous service and commitment to protecting Minnesotans.
Congresswoman McCollum met with fire chiefs from Maplewood, Burnsville, Edina, and Bemidji in her Washington, D.C. office.
As Donald Trump threatens to defund or disband FEMA, it's important to understand how this would impact emergency response at home. FEMA funds essential grant programs for our local fire departments, including the Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response and Assistance to Firefighters. These grants ensure that first responders in our communities have the staff and resources necessary to complete their lifesaving work. Without the help of FEMA grants, local fire departments would be left without a key source of funding for these essential services.
Taking Action Against Illegal and Unconstitutional Actions by the Trump Administration
This week I joined the following letters and co-sponsored legislation to combat the illegal and unconstitutional actions taken by the Trump administration:
- Letter to CFPB acting director Russel Vought and Secretary Bessent Demanding they remove Mr. Musk and DOGE’s access to the CFPB and allow it to continue its work to protect consumers.
- Letter to President Trump urging him to ensure no executive actions—like a hiring or funding freeze—will negatively impact the agencies who are investigating and responding to the collision at DCA.
- Letter to the Office of Management and Budget urging them to restore access to restore access to health data sets at the CDC, census datasets, and energy-related data, and others that have been removed from government websites.
- The Consistent Legal Expectations and Access to Records (CLEAR) Act. This bill would clarify that all federal entities established by the President—like the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—must comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The bill is written to apply retroactively upon enactment.
- Letter to President Trump that expresses opposition to President Trump's comments made stating that the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip should be permanently relocated and that the United States should take over the territory.
- Letter on the PEPFAR freeze that urges the restoration of essential HIV and Aids Services.
- Letter to the NLRB on the firing of board member Gwynne Wilcox and the negative impact this will have on working people across the country.
- Letter on the cuts to NIH Critical Research funding that expresses alarm at the NIH's illegal decision to slash the reimbursement rate for indirect research costs to 15 percent.
Taxes Due on April 15
As always, please stay in touch: Voice your policy opinion, ask for help with a federal agency, or find all of my recent statements at mccollum.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Betty McCollum
Member of Congress
