 Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’ve got a great costume ready for Halloween next week! As a quick reminder, we are now within Minnesota's “Cold Weather Rule” where you are protected from utility shut-offs; visit this site to learn more about these protections.
 It was fun showing the Capital Investment Committee around Burnsville’s water treatment system as we discussed the major upgrades we need to guarantee safe drinking water for all.
We are approaching the fourth week of the Republican shutdown of the federal government in Washington D.C. Republicans control the Presidency and both houses of Congress, and their failure to pass a budget bill with total control is a sign of how far they are willing to let our country slide just to stay blindly loyal to Donald Trump rather than keep the government operating.
Even before the shutdown, Trump made massive federal cuts to food support known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a critical lifeline for families to put food on the table, and these cuts come when hunger is rising rapidly under Trump. More than 440,000 Minnesotans rely on SNAP to put food on the table. If the federal shutdown continues into November, funding will run out for these critical food benefits. For many families, their situations could go from extremely challenging to downright dire.
If you or someone you know needs help with food this fall, Hunger Solutions has a list of statewide food shelves and additional resources here. If you’re able to, please consider making a contribution to a local food shelf. They’re already struggling to meet the demand, and the longer the uncertainty around SNAP continues, the more pressure they will face.
The Minnesota DFL has passed laws that reduce gun violence in Minnesota and is working on additional legislation. As a part of that effort, we created a survey where you can tell us your personal experience with gun violence. Many of the ways in which gun violence impacts our society occur on more personal levels and don’t get a lot of media attention. We are hoping to shine a light on these stories to raise awareness of the full cost of gun violence. Please take the time to fill out our survey if you have been impacted by gun violence.
Dr. Rachel Payne has one such story. She operated on victims of the Annunciations shooting. She helped save lives, she is a hero, but she will still forever be affected by the gun violence of that tragic day.
If you are or know a high school junior or college student interested in the Minnesota Legislature, consider applying to the 2026 House High School Page Program! It’s a great way to get an up close look at how a bill becomes a law, advances out of committee, and passes during a House Floor session. Learn more here, the deadline to apply is December 4.
Stay in Touch
If you have questions, ideas, or feedback that you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Email me at [email protected] or call (651) 296-5387. For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these regular legislative updates if you haven’t already, here, and you can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Kaela Berg
State Representative
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