Our panel of experts included John Connolly, Deputy Commissioner of Minnesota Department of Human Services and the State Medicaid Director; Barbara Joers, President and CEO of Gillette Children’s Specialty Hospital; Ryan Hilmoe, a registered nurse and member of the Minnesota Nurses Association Kate Weeks, of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families; Sumukha Terakanambi, of the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities; and Jessica Francis, Executive Director of Open Cupboard food shelf. I thank each of them for joining me, and for the work they are doing to support Minnesota families. 

If Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful bill is signed into law by the president, the ugly truth is that it would result in 20,730 of our neighbors being stripped of their health care — that's like every man, woman, and child in Stillwater losing their health care. 19,000 Minnesotans living in the East Metro would lose food assistance — that could lead to the equivalent of every resident of Lake Elmo and Oak Park Heights going to sleep and waking up hungry every day. Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans are forcing through these cuts through for one reason: to extend gigantic tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires who do not need them. This bill is a big, GOP Tax Scam that leaves working class Americans behind. A family earning $50,000 a year would see a tax cut of just a buck a day. Meanwhile, a millionaire earning $1,000,000 a year would get at least a $90,000 tax cut – that’s more than most Minnesotans make in a whole year! 

Despite deep cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and many other services that Minnesotans rely on, Republicans’ dishonest numbers don’t add up.  The ugly truth is that, because of their massive tax cuts, the Big Beautiful Bill adds $5 trillion in debt when tax cuts are made permanent and interest we all pay on the Debt is included.  That’s on top of the $2 trillion in debt burden added by Trump’s 2017 tax bill. 

Republicans' bill advanced in the U.S. Senate this week, although as more American are hearing the ugly reality this bill brings to Americans, there will likely be more speed bumps in their rush to complete this bill and get it to President Trump for his signature on July 4th.

Your voice is making a difference. You have my commitment that I will oppose any efforts to cut Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Veterans’ benefits, and nutrition assistance for Minnesota families, especially when they’re made to give away tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.

Leading with my Minnesota values and representing the voice of our community, I will always vote to stand up for you!

 

June 6th is National Gun Violence Prevention day. In Congress, my voice, my vote, and my values are focused on common sense measures that reduce gun violence, keep guns off our streets, and eliminate access to guns that are designed for mass murder. The safety of families and communities are my priority. But it is also time for the American people – all of us – to have our voice heard and change the political dynamic that is allowing the gun lobby to promote gun sales. Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill Act actually removes a $200 tax on gun silencers, while ending background checks and registration requirements for their purchase.

I also invite you, the American people, to use the power of our democracy to put pressure on Republicans and prioritize the lives of school children, shoppers, churchgoers, and neighbors  over the National Rifle Association, gun manufacturers, or right-wing insurrectionist ideologues.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. UPDATE

 

Bipartisan Support for Securing Our National Security and Minnesota’s Economy

 

Last week, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) joined me in a column in The Hill newspaper discussing the importance of producing rare-earth free magnets in the United States.  Local company Niron Magnetics was founded out of University of Minnesota research and has developed next-generation magnets that are essential to the automotive, aerospace and consumer electronic industries, as well as virtually all advanced defense capabilities.  Their Minnesota-made breakthrough is a vital component in securing our industrial supply chains and meeting the need for innovation and national security. Please read our op-ed.

Congresswoman McCollum speaks at the Niron Magnetics ribbon cutting last year. 

 

Job Corps Forced Closure in Saint Paul

Donald Trump and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced the shuttering of Job Corps sites across the country. These important government funded facilities provide important job training for construction, electrical trades, industrial painting, certified nursing, culinary arts and office administration. Hubert Humphrey Job Corps was one of the shuttered programs. For 44 years, HHH Job Corps served our community from the former Bethel College campus in Saint Paul. This week, 161 young adults who were living and taking classes on campus were abruptly forced to leave. Now, some 60 of those students are left without a place to live. This is yet another example of Donald Trump's cruelty, cutting programs without regard that help every day Americans. 

 

I signed onto a bipartisan letter with 199 of my colleagues calling for Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to reverse her disastrous cuts to Job Corps. This funding must be restored. You can read that letter here.

 

Meeting With Union Pilots

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of meeting Captain David Hopkinson and two other captains from the Airline Pilots Association who visited my office during their fly-in to Washington, D.C. to discuss the safety of pilots and passengers.

 

Delta Pilots from Minnesota with Congresswoman McCollum in her Washington DC office. 

 

Indian Health Service Hearing 

Throughout my service in Congress, I've been committed to upholding the United States' promise to honor treaties with Indian Country. One of those responsibilities is to ensure that the Indian Health Service (IHS) meets the healthcare needs of Native Americans without disruptions. In order to do that, it's critical that IHS is shielded from a government shutdown, which is why I worked across the aisle for years with my colleague Chairman Tom Cole to establish a system that funds the Indian Health Service a year in advance, just like the Veterans' Administration. This system is known as advance appropriations.

 

 

In the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, the Trump Administration proposed getting rid of next year's advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service. I expressed my strong opposition to this on Thursday in the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, and I was gratified to hear Chairman Cole emphasize our bipartisan commitment to ensuring that the Indian Health Service will continue to receive advance appropriations in this year's bill. 

 

Meeting With Local Realtors

This week I met with a group of realtors from Minnesota to discuss the housing market in the Twin Cities, issues affecting home buyers, and the role Congress can play to help Minnesotans purchase a home. Realtors are important to our community. They help members of our community achieve the dream of buying a home and that's why I'm proud to be a member of the bipartisan Congressional Real Estate Caucus.

 

Congresswoman McCollum meets with a group of realtors from Minnesota.

 

Seeking Fall Interns in My Saint Paul and Washington DC Offices

Although summer has not yet officially begun, my Washington, DC and Saint Paul offices are hiring Fall Interns. An internship in my office provides students with valuable experience as they prepare for their professional careers. Interns have the opportunity to assist all members of the staff, including legislative, administrative, casework, outreach, and communications duties. Internships are available in both my Washington D.C. and Saint Paul offices.

Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and available hours. Additionally, please indicate any Minnesota ties. Students interested in a Washington, D.C. internship should email [email protected]. For St. Paul internships, please email [email protected]. 
 
Read more about internships in my office here. 
 

Be Ready for Summer Travel
If your summer plans include international travel, be sure to check your passport expiration date for validity. Some countries require your passport to be valid for six months beyond your intended departure date. Passport processing times are 4-6 weeks for routine processing and 2-3 weeks if you pay the $60 expedite fee, excluding shipping time. Learn more here.

Whether you are flying internationally or domestically this summer, be sure to bring what you need to the airport. If you are 18 or older, you now need REAL ID-compliant identification to pass through the TSA checkpoint. Examples include a state driver’s license/ID with a star, an Enhanced Driver’s License, or a passport book or card.  Learn more here.

 

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