OCTOBER 31, 2025

Dear Fourth District Constituent,

I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween. As children enjoy this day of trick or treating, I am deeply concerned about the dangerous tricks being played on Americans by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. We are now in the fifth week of the Trump-Republican government shutdown and the consequences are multiplying for Minnesotans. Tomorrow, 42 million Americans – including 440,000 Minnesota seniors, children, working parents, veterans, and people with disabilities – will lose their critical food assistance they rely on to put food on the table, because President Trump is refusing to release emergency SNAP assistance. Thankfully, two judges issued an order today that the Trump Administration must release this funding to ensure that Americans don't go hungry.

President Trump said he would put America fist, but he's cancelling congressionally-appropriated funds, breaking appropriations law, making health care more expensive, cutting SNAP benefits for children and seniors, and taking a wrecking ball to the East Wing of the White House. Click the video below to see comments I made outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this week or visit my YouTube channel. 

Trump is Choosing to Let Americans Go Hungry

I want to be clear: Funding for SNAP food assistance has not "run out" or "expired" as the President and his spokespeople keep saying. While Trump and Congressional Republicans cut SNAP in their One Big Ugly Bill earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has more than $5 billion in contingency funds provided by Congress to continue SNAP during a shutdown, but President Trump has ordered them not to use it. Just hours ago, two judges ordered that President Trump must pay SNAP benefits out of this contingency fund. This is a major win for Americans who rely on these critical benefits — but it shouldn't have taken a court order to ensure that the White House releases congressionally-appropriated funds that keep Americans from going hungry.

SNAP food assistance keeps food on the table for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. In the Fourth Congressional district alone, more than 26,000 households rely on SNAP each month. Nationally, this impacts:

• 16 million children 
• 8 million seniors aged 60+ 
• 4 million people with disabilities 
• 1.2 million veterans

These are our neighbors, our family members, and members of our community who are working hard but need support to put food on the table. If the president wanted to reverse this harmful decision, he would have done it himself without judges having to order him to do it.

What I'm Doing

I joined my Democratic colleagues in Congress and 86 Minnesota state legislators in demanding that President Trump use SNAP contingency funds in November. Trump’s actions should come as no surprise after he and Congressional Republicans cut this vital food assistance for millions of Americans in his Big Ugly Law. He would rather let Americans go hungry than come back to the U.S. from his trip to Asia and negotiate an end to the Republican-made health care and hunger crisis.

Minnesota Leaders Taking Action to Prevent a Hunger Crisis
Thank you to Governor Walz for directing $4 million to Minnesota food shelves to ensure that Minnesotans still have access to the food assistance they need during the interruption of SNAP funding caused by President Trump.

Additionally, Attorney General Ellison along with 25 other Democratic state Attorneys General successfully sued the Trump Administration for their illegal withholding of SNAP funds. Not a single Republican Attorney General joined this effort.

Yesterday, Washington County board approved $250,000 for food shelves in the county. 

In the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, nobody should ever go hungry. And in Minnesota, Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison, and our county leaders are doing everything they can to prevent the damage caused by President Trump.

If you or someone you know needs food assistance, there are resources in our community that may able to help: Hunger Solutions, 1-888-711-1151.

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you to everyone who's shared their SNAP and health care stories with me. If you are impacted by Republicans' cuts to health care, I want to hear about it. Your voice matters. Please contact my office directly at (651) 224-9191 or click here to share your story. 

Where Are House Republicans?

As these crises worsen, where are House Republicans? Since September 19th — 42 days ago — Speaker Johnson has refused to convene the House to vote or negotiate with Democrats.  

Republicans control the White House, the House, and the Senate. Republicans shut down the government when they failed to pass government funding by October 1st. Unbelievably, the House has only held votes on 12 days since July when they passed the One Big Ugly Law, which stripped away health care from nearly 20,000 Minnesotans and failed to renew the Affordable Care Act tax credits that help over 8,000 East Metro residents afford their care. 

A government shutdown and a growing health care and hunger crisis created by Trump and Congressional Republicans are not good for anyone. I have returned to Washington each week with my Democratic colleagues, ready to work with Republicans. Clearly Republicans need Democratic votes, so they must work with us on bipartisan legislation to reopen government to serve the American people, pay our hardworking federal workers, and fix the Republican health care crisis. It’s time to end the shutdown.

WASHINGTON, D.C. UPDATE

Meeting with Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights

This week my office met with The Advocates for Human Rights, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that has been making a global impact for 40 years. The Advocates have been representing people who are seeking asylum, detained by ICE, unaccompanied children, and trafficking victims. My staff and the Advocates had a wide ranging discussion on the impacts of the One Big Ugly Law has on victims of trafficking, how the Trump administration’s policies are negatively impacting those who have been trafficked, and the Advocates' work consulting with the United Nations.

 

Congresswoman McCollum's Senior Legislative Assistant Sophia Schilling (second from right) met with Advocates for Human Rights board members Emily Wessels (left) and Dan Supalla (second from left), Policy Counsel Lindsey Greising (center), and Advocacy and Outreach Director Madeline Lohman (right).

 

 

MINNESOTA UPDATE

Metro State University Convenes Cybersecurity Discussion

On Friday, I participated in a roundtable on cybersecurity hosted by Metro State University and the Minnesota National Security Ecosystem. In the wake of last summer’s cyberattack on Saint Paul, Metro State is ramping up their efforts to grow the next generation of America’s cybersecurity workforce right here in the Fourth Congressional District.

 

Minnesota Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity members Senator Melissa Wiklund (DFL, left), Senator Eric Lucero (GOP, second from left), Congresswoman McCollum (center), and Congressman Brad Finstad (GOP, right).

For years, I have been proud to provide federal funding that supports the expansion of Metro State’s academic cyber programs. That includes the creation of the Minnesota Cyber Institute, a statewide cybersecurity initiative that is not only developing the cyber workforce of the future but integrating with the public and private sectors in Minnesota.  Metro State is working to make us safer in our communities so that cyber-attacks like the one Saint Paul suffered become rarer and less damaging.

 

Make Your Voice Heard by Voting in Local Elections on Tuesday, November 4

Voters across Minnesota will be casting ballots in state, county, municipal, and school district elections. You can vote early with an absentee ballot at your local elections office. Click here for a list of early voting locations. If you are not registered to vote, you can register at your early voting location – just bring your proof of residence.

 

 

Early voting locations will also be open 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on November 1 (Saturday).
Locations will also be open until 5:00 p.m. on November 3 (Monday). If you plan to vote on Election Day (Tuesday, November 4), you can find your polling location and see what’s on your ballot here. Remember: In Minnesota, you can register on Election Day at your polling place.

For more information, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website at mnvotes.gov.

 

Medicare and MNSure Open Enrollment
Medicare Open Enrollment is underway through December 7th, 2025. Plans change, as do health needs, so it is important for Medicare beneficiaries to compare their 2026 plan options. Visit Medicare.gov, call Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line) at 1-800-333-2433, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for free assistance.

Open enrollment through MNsure begins November 1st and runs through January 15th, 2026.  For coverage starting January 1, 2026, enroll by December 15th. Visit mnsure.org or call 651-539-2099 or 855-366-7873 to shop and compare health insurance plans for next year. As you sign up for a plan, prepare for sticker shock due to major cost increases caused by the Big Ugly Law. Look at plan options early so you can make the right decision for your health care needs. MNsure also provides free assistance and enrollment events across the state for anyone in need.

 

 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Be Aware of SNAP Scam Alert!

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is warning people to beware of a scam text message stating a SNAP recipient’s EBT card has been locked. This is a phishing scam. Do not call or open any links. Contact your local SNAP office to confirm, find your local office here.

 

Apply for an Internship in My Office

An internship in my office provides young people with valuable experience as they prepare for their professional careers. Interns have the opportunity to work with and assist all members of the staff, including legislative, administrative, outreach, and communications duties. Internships are available in both the Washington D.C. and Saint Paul offices.

Applicants should be highly motivated and enthusiastic, as there are far more applicants than available positions. Minnesota ties are strongly preferred and should be noted in the first paragraph of your cover letter. Interns are paid a stipend. In addition, my office is happy to work with your college or university to arrange for course credit. Applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and available hours. Additionally, please indicate any Minnesota ties. Students interested in a Washington, D.C. internship should email [email protected]. For Saint Paul internships, please email [email protected].

 

Constituent Services Office Hours

In addition to serving constituents Monday through Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM at my Saint Paul office, my staff hosts neighborhood office hours at a variety of locations across the Fourth District. Members of my staff will be available to meet with constituents seeking casework assistance on Tuesday, November 4th at 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Stillwater City Hall, 216 4th St N, Stillwater, MN 55082.

Service Academy Nominations Are Due on Monday 
My office is still accepting applications for nominations to the U.S. Service Academies for the Class of 2030 until Monday, November 3, 2025. 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. 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.

Visiting Washington, DC? Here's What's Still Open
My staff have all been deemed essential, meaning my employees in both Saint Paul and Washington, DC continue to work through the shutdown without pay. I encourage you to still visit my Washington, DC office if you are in the Nation's Capitol in the near future. Please note that many things will be closed during the government shutdown. This includes the Smithsonian Museums, which are closed for the duration of the shutdown. The Capitol Visitor Center is closed and tours are on pause until the end of the government shutdown, as well. Despite a Republican health care crisis and government shutdown, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that "the ballroom is really the president’s main priority."

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you to everyone who's shared their health care story with me. If you are impacted by Republicans' cuts to health care, I want to hear about it. Please contact my office directly at (651) 224-9191 or click here to share your story. 

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