Dear Friend, 

Congress is away from Washington this month, but that doesn’t mean our work stops! For example, last week we co-led an effort to roll back outdated COVID restrictions that have hindered our state’s economic recovery. Representative Michelle Fischbach and I led a letter along with Representatives Pete Stauber and Brad Finstad urging President Biden to end all COVID-related travel restrictions for Canadians visiting the United States.

Canada, our state’s closest trading partner, ended its COVID-related travel restrictions on October 1^st. However, our trade with Canada—which amounts to nearly $2.6 billion in goods per day-- continues to be bogged down by unnecessary requirements that are not supported by science. Slowdowns of this nature are the last thing America’s already-strained supply chains need. Even President Biden has said that the pandemic is over; it’s time for his administration to free up travel and trade across our northern border.

While Congress is out of session, my team in Washington is still hard at work. This weekend, they had the opportunity to welcome Minnesota veterans in town for their Honor Flight. Honor Flights give veterans the opportunity to see their monuments in our nation’s capital.

Members of Emmer’s team attend the 2022 Honor Flight Twin Cities

Veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam were accompanied by volunteers and loved ones for the trip. As the first Honor Flight for Minnesotans in three years, this was a particularly special event. Thank you to our veterans for their service, and the Honor Flight team for arranging this important milestone.

Sincerely,