John,
It’s been another long week waiting for Democrats to end the Schumer Shutdown, but I wanted to take a moment to update you on the important work we are doing to advance our conservative values.
The Minnesota State Capitol once displayed a statue of Christopher Columbus—that is until far-left protestors tore it down in 2020. In honor of Columbus Day, I wrote a letter alongside Rep. Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad, and Pete Stauber to Governor Tim Walz, urging him to locate and make plans to redisplay the Columbus statue. History is history. Erasing the good deeds and accomplishments of Columbus based on the moral standards of modern times is dishonest and pure revisionism. Simply put: the events that led to the founding of our great nation are monumental, courageous, and are the very essence of our country’s intrepid spirit. Restoring the Columbus statue would show that Minnesotans still honor bravery, vision, the pioneering spirit, and the Italian-American community who installed the statue on our state’s Capitol grounds.
This week, we celebrated the people who keep food on our dinner tables: America’s farmers. We are grateful every day for all of the hard work they do to keep our country fed and fueled. Unfortunately, our rural communities are being hit hard by the Schumer Shutdown. As Democrats continue to hold our nation hostage, USDA funding that our farmers and ranchers rely on has been cut off—making it increasingly difficult for them to make ends meet. I am furious at the number of lives Schumer’s shutdown is affecting. Between first responders, our brave service members, and our farmers not being paid—the politics of the obstructionist Democrats needs to stop. Once again, I call on all my Senate Democrat colleagues to put their political interests aside, do the sensible thing by passing our clean continuing resolution, and reopen the government at once.
My fellow Minnesota Republican colleague, Rep. Brad Finstad, introduced the Fraud Accountability and Recovery (FAR) Act, after millions of fraudulent dollars in the Feeding our Future scandal were sent to Kenya without any legal mechanism to recover them. This commonsense bill makes clear that no president can send U.S. financial assistance to countries that refuse to extradite criminals who defraud our citizens or return stolen funds. American taxpayers should not bankroll nations that shelter criminals or enable fraud. The FAR Act ends this practice by requiring full cooperation on extraditions and the return of stolen money. This is about accountability, fairness, and protecting U.S. tax dollars. I’m pleased to support this bill and look forward to seeing it passed into law.
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.
With gratitude,
