John,
It’s been a frustrating week trying to end the Schumer Shutdown and keep moving on our America First agenda, but I wanted to take a moment to update you on the important work we are doing to advance our conservative values.
It’s been over a week since Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries started holding our federal agencies hostage. My Minnesota Republican colleagues and I wrote a letter to our state’s Democrat Senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, urging them to end the government shutdown. The clean, continuing resolution passed in the House two weeks ago would fund all federal agencies until mid-November. As Members from both parties support this resolution, it is extremely disappointing that Schumer is putting a challenge to his leadership position before the interests of the American people. That’s why the Minnesota Republican delegation called on our state’s Senators, and by extension all Senators, to end the shutdown so the federal government has the funding for important services while we negotiate on appropriations.
President Trump has again stepped up where weak governors have failed—this time, ordering National Guard deployments to Chicago. For months, Governor J.B. Pritzker has stood in the way of law enforcement, illegally blocking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from doing their jobs. This has allowed violent, anti-immigration mobs to attack federal personnel and destroy federal property. His refusal to uphold the law has turned Chicago into a sanctuary for chaos. Because of Pritzker’s failure to lead, the Texas National Guard is standing by to deploy on a 60-day mission to help Chicago by removing dangerous illegal immigrants and criminals who should have been detained long ago. This is exactly why I support the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act, introduced by Rep. Nick LaLota. States that defy federal immigration law should not receive a dime of federal taxpayer money. Illinois is not an isolated case; it’s part of a pattern of lawlessness that puts American lives at risk. President Trump is right to act, and I applaud his continued leadership to restore order, enforce the law, and keep our nation safe.
I joined more than 45 members of the House and Senate in a bipartisan letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urging them to finalize their rule on imported Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and enforce their proposed biofuel diesel volumes. The American Farm Bureau Federation, National Oilseed Processors Association, American Soybean Association, and the National Sorghum Producers endorsed the letter. Our farmers and ranchers don’t need to continue relying on foreign fuels and feedstocks; rather, they need the EPA to uphold its promise to prioritize domestic biofuel production. The import RIN reduction puts America's farmers first and provides significant support to our farm economy. I will continue to urge the EPA to allow our homegrown biofuels industry to do its part to help strengthen U.S. energy security.
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. If the shutdown is affecting you or your business personally, please call our office at 320-593-3145.
With gratitude,