John,
It’s been a busy week promoting the passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill and informing the district about the important work we are doing to advance our conservative values.
President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) passed and was signed into law. This was a momentous occasion after my Republican colleagues and I spent years listening to our constituents about what’s important to them. Our bill delivered on those issues first and foremost by keeping families in the North Star State from facing a 24% tax hike, one of the largest in history. It also supports small businesses by making the 199A small business tax deduction permanent, cutting red tape, and doubling the small business expensing limit to $2.5 million. It establishes full and permanent expensing, a policy allowing businesses to immediately deduct the cost of their investments in capital assets. It pulls federal tax dollars away from abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood. It allocates money to finish the border wall and support deportation and border security measures. Key provisions for our district are the $50 billion Rural Transformation Fund for state investments in rural health and $65 billion for farm programs, crop insurance improvements, and animal disease control and research.
I applaud President Trump and my colleagues for passing such a monumental bill that will benefit our district, our state, and our entire nation.
I joined J.P. Cola on KWLM Radio and Scott Hennen on WZFG The Flag to talk about the wins in the OBBB and dispel the myths that vulnerable people will be cut off from benefits. On the contrary, the Medicaid provisions are targeting waste, fraud, and abuse, such as people enrolled in more than one state. It also improves eligibility requirements to block illegal aliens from receiving this benefit. By removing people who are gaming the system, we are protecting Medicaid to be available for those who truly need it: children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities.
I joined my fellow Minnesota Republican Representatives, along with our Wisconsin neighbors Rep. Tom Tiffany and Rep. Glenn Grothman, in a letter to the U.S. ambassador to Canada urging our neighbors to the north to do a better job in managing their forests and wildfires. Canadian forest fires release smoke, pollutants, and particles that blanket states like Wisconsin and Minnesota in smog. This leads to dangerous air quality issues, breathing problems among residents, and takes away our ability to spend time outdoors. The suffocating Canadian wildfire smoke can be prevented if government officials handled, cared for, and protected their forests, which is currently not the case. We urge Canadian officials to take better preventative measures going forward to ensure that Canadians and Americans alike do not continue to suffer from these catastrophic wildfires.
Finally, I cosponsored Representative Mike Kelly's Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which aims to amend the Social Security Act by streamlining the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans. Too often, delays in approvals disrupt patient care and put seniors at risk. These delays aren’t just personal nuisances: they give way to gaps in care, leaving many seniors susceptible to worse health outcomes. This bill will cut red tape, improve patient access to crucial medical services, and make it easier for providers to care for older Americans. I call on all of my House and Senate colleagues to pass this bill immediately and provide relief to our seniors.
As always, thank you for your continued trust and support. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance with anything.
