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AUGUST 1, 2025
Dear Fourth District Constituent,
Thank you for tuning in every week to read my newsletter. This newsletter is the best way to receive up-to-date information from my office, and I appreciate you taking the time to stay informed on my work in Congress. In addition to reading my newsletter, I also encourage you to follow me for daily updates on my social media pages. You can follow me on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
President Trump's Chaotic Economic Agenda is Causing the Loss of Minnesota Manufacturing Jobs and Hurting the American Economy
The harmful impact of President Trump's chaotic and reckless economic agenda and tariffs are becoming clearer every day. On Thursday, the Department of Commerce released new data looking back at how the American economy performed in the Second Quarter (Q2) of 2025. While the President and his followers claim that he’s winning, a look under the hood exposes weaknesses in the economy created by President Trump's economic policies:
- Minnesota Manufacturing: via Star Tribune, "Manufacturing lost more jobs than any other sector last month, according to DEED data released Thursday, a 0.5% month-over-month decline of 1,700 jobs. Overall, the state’s job market stayed mostly flat, losing 800 jobs across sectors."
- Business Investment: Business investment is an important factor in forecasting future economic growth. During the Q2 of 2025, business investment declined a whopping 15.6%, which is the biggest drop since the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses need a stable economy to make investments, and Trump's economy is the exact opposite — it's chaotic.
- Inflation: Inflation rose 2.7% year-over-year, which indicates that the President's ridiculous tariff policy is beginning to hurt Americans economically as they shop for groceries and purchase household goods.
- Unemployment: Unemployment rose to 4.2%. Thousands of Americans who had jobs are no longer working.
- Consumer Spending: Consumer spending rose just 1.4% in Q2. By comparison, consumer spending rose 4% during Q4 of 2024, just prior to when President Trump took office.
On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics unveiled the monthly jobs report, which exposed even deeper cracks in the economy. Only 73,000 jobs were added to the economy in July, significantly less than the expected 110,000 additional jobs. Even worse, this report included dramatic, downward revisions to the June and May jobs reports showing that the American economy added 258,000 fewer jobs than initially reported. The U.S. added a meager 19,000 jobs in May compared to an initial report of 144,000, and only 14,000 jobs in June after an initial report of 147,000. In other words, job growth was one-tenth what we thought it was over the past several months.
President Trump wants you to believe that everything is ok in the economy. The reality is that he and his billionaire friends are doing just fine. He has showered his millionaire and billionaire megadonors with tax breaks, while ripping away health care and food assistance from millions of Americans. Billionaires do not feel the negative effects of the economic policies they promote. When they economy does well, they reap the benefits. When it does poorly, well, they're still billionaires.
MINNESOTA UPDATE
After Illegally Withholding Federal Funding from Minnesota Schools, President Trump and his Administration Finally Reverse Course
Last Friday, the Trump administration announced they will release $70 million they illegally withheld from Minnesota's public schools after hearing from me and Minnesota's Congressional Democrats, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and 24 Democratic Attorneys General. While this is good news for our schools, teachers, students, and parents, this funding should never have been frozen in the first place.
Let me be clear: President Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought broke the law by withholding this funding. Schools wasted valuable time and resources scrambling to figure out how they would cover their anticipated budget gaps. While the current situation has been resolved, Trump put Director Vought in this position for a reason. As the architect of Project 2025, he is following the playbook he wrote, which includes further plans to undermine our public schools.
Responding to the Illegal Cyberattack on the City of Saint Paul
I commend the swift action by Governor Walz and the Minnesota National Guard in response to the cybersecurity breach of the City of Saint Paul. This illegal attack on Saint Paul's information systems demonstrates that our local governments, schools, and small businesses urgently need additional resources to bolster their cybersecurity posture to defend against these criminal attacks. That’s why I’ve supported national security investments in Metro State University to train the workforce to work with state and local governments to improve our cyber defenses.
Rescissions Package Harms Minnesotans
Last week, Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought bullied congressional Republicans into clawing back funding that had been passed in a bipartisan manner just months prior. Senator McConnell, who eventually voted for the rescissions package, highlighted that the "Office of Management and Budget is the problem. They won't tell us how they're going to apply the cuts. And since there hasn’t been one of these since 1992, Susan [Collins] went back and compared what was prepared by the Bush administration then — all of that is left out." The Office of Management and Budget, tired of illegally freezing funds, has instead turned to blindly clawing back funds from vital foreign aide programs, and funding for public broadcasting.
These cuts strike close to home in Minnesota. Both Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) receive a portion of their funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). MPR's parent company America Public Media, announced plans to lay off 8% of their workforce. Sylvia Strobel, president and Chief Executive of TPT, announced staff reductions as well. Minnesotan's are losing a vital public good--truthful publicly funded media--so that Donald Trump and his congressional allies can fund tax cuts to the ultra wealthy.
MEETING WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL ALLIES
Official Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Visit to Nordic States
As the lead Democrat on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in the House, this week I traveled with a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Norway, Sweden, and Finland to meet with the senior government and military officials of our Nordic allies. Nordic nations are the key Arctic anchors of the NATO alliance, working together with the United States to protect Europe from Russian aggression. Our Congressional delegation reviewed U.S. and NATO defense postures in Scandinavia, following significant new defense commitments from NATO members made in June. We discussed with senior leaders how our nations can continue to enhance our mutual defense partnerships and protect the democratic values we all hold dear.
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. Representatives met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Friday. From left to right: Congressman Jake Ellzey, Congressman Steve Womack, Defense Appropriations Chairman Ken Calvert, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Congresswoman McCollum, Congresswoman Susie Lee, and Congressman David Joyce.
Condemning Trump Administration Decisions to Withhold and Destroy Aid
This week I joined more than 80 of my colleagues in a letter expressing our outrage at the Department of State’s decision to incinerate 500 metric tons of food aid and nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives instead of sending them to overseas recipients. This staggering mismanagement of resources and outright cruelty to those in need is another in a long line of decisions by this Administration to completely abdicate America’s humanitarian duty to the world. This shameful waste of valuable resources comes at a time when tens of thousands of children in Gaza are on the brink of starvation. My colleagues and I demanded an investigation into this decision and its cost to the taxpayer, as well as the State Department’s refusal to use these supplies for their intended purposes.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN MINNESOTA
Listening Session on the Impact of Federal Funding Cuts in Minnesota
On Thursday, I am convening Minnesota community partners for a listening session to hear how they will be impacted by the claw-back of federal funding for public media and international aid in the rescissions package passed by the Republican Congress. If you'd like to tune in, please follow my social media for more information over the coming week. You can follow me on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Free, Family-Friendly Fun in the East Metro this Weekend
This weekend, come out and celebrate the vibrant cultural diversity of our East Metro communities at these free, family-friendly events:
Little Canada Canadian Days
Friday, August 1st through Sunday, August 3rd
Spooner Park
350 Eli Road, Little Canada, MN 55117
Rondo Block Party
August 2, 2025 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
820 Rondo Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55104
Alebrijes: Keepers of the Island Outdoor Exhibit
Minnesota Latino Museum Mexican folk art outdoor exhibit on Raspberry Island
July 29th to October 26th
2 Wabasha Street, Saint Paul, MN 55107
Big Band music at the Como Lakeside Pavillion
Sunday, August 3rd 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Como Lakeside Pavilion
1360 Lexington Parkway North, Saint Paul, MN 55103
Little Africa Festival
Sunday, August 3rd 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
1821 University Avenue W, Saint Paul, MN 55104
Night to Unite Around the East Metro:
The St. Paul Get Down & National Night Out
Tuesday, August 5th 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Martin Luther King Recreation Center
271 N Mackubin St
St. Paul, MN 55102
City of Bayport Night to Unite
Tuesday, August 5th 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Lakeside Park
95 Central Avenue
Bayport, MN 55003
City of Stillwater Night to Unite
Tuesday, August 5th 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Washington Square Park
915 Abbott St W
Stillwater, MN 55082
Service Academy Nominations
My office is now accepting applications for nominations to the U.S. Service Academies for the Class of 2030. Students interested in attending West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, or the Merchant Marine Academy must receive a congressional nomination to be considered. The deadline to submit a completed application packet is Monday, November 3, 2025. Students are encouraged to apply early and to also seek nominations from both U.S. Senators from Minnesota. Learn more and access the application here.
Check Your Passport Expiration if you Plan to Travel Internationally
If you have international summer travel plans, be sure to check your passport expiration date. Some countries require several months validity to enter. Learn about your destination’s entry requirements here. If your travel plans are within the U.S., REAL ID is now required to board domestic flights. Learn more about accepted IDs here.
Thank You
Thank you to the hundreds of new subscribers to my weekly newsletter! This update is designed to provide timely information about my work in Washington and Minnesota, and to provide resources that can be helpful to you. 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
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