Dear Friend,

I hope your New Year is off to a great start. The new year brings a new Congress, and we kicked off Sunday in full swing.

We closed out the 116^th Congress with a compromise that resulted in a comprehensive coronavirus relief package. While it was not perfect, I am glad we distributed much-needed assistance to small businesses and individuals in need. The American people and our economy needed this relief to reopen and get back to work.

Today, I’ll be introducing legislation centered around my main priorities this Congress: agriculture, transportation improvements, and mental health care. Keep an eye out for my announcements today by following me on Twitter and Facebook, and this newsletter which I will continue sending out every Tuesday!

Signing my first few pieces of legislation for introduction in the 117^th Congress!

Read on to learn more about my recent work…

Sworn into the 117^th Congress

Being sworn in to the 117^th Congress was a privilege and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to represent you in Congress.

117th Freshman Class of GOP members on the Capitol steps.

I am incredibly excited to serve alongside the diverse and incredibly qualified class of Freshman Members of Congress, especially Minnesota’s own Rep. Michelle Fischbach! The House Republican Conference has more women, veterans, and diverse Americans in background and experience than ever before.

Congressman Jim Hagedorn, Congressman Pete Stauber, Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach, and Congressman Tom Emmer on the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C.

Coronavirus Relief Funding Package Becomes Law:

On December 21, 2020, Congress passed a coronavirus relief package. While I have increasing concerns about our growing national debt, I know our nation needed immediate small business assistance and funding for vaccine distribution, which is why I chose to support this package.

This package did become law, and it included a payment of $600 for individuals who make less than $75,000, $20 billion for the purchase of vaccines to make them free for all Americans, and $8 billion for the distribution of vaccines. It also included $20 billion to assist states with additional testing. Vaccine distribution should be our number one priority in getting America back to normal!

For our small businesses, it included $284 billion to reopen and strengthen the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides paychecks to millions of Americans and $25 billion in rental assistance, and an extension of an eviction moratorium until the end of this month.

Additionally, there were some major developments that my team and I advocated for and were included in the package, such as $10 million provided for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, which I reauthorized in 2018 and have secured full funding for in the past.

Above all else, vaccine distribution should be our goal and getting Americans back to work and our children back to school. These priorities should be at the top of our legislative agenda.

Thanking Our Men and Women in Blue

This weekend, we recognize National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, a day to honor and appreciate our law enforcement who sacrifice their comfort and safety to keep our communities safe. One thing has become clear: Communities need law enforcement to ensure the rule of law is followed.

Measures to defund the police have been spread by a small group of loud individuals, but instead of making law enforcements jobs impossible by stripping their budgets and taking away their resources, we should be thanking our police for everything they do to keep us safe, and ensure they have what they need to protect and serve.

Minneapolis has been the breeding ground for the defund the police movement, with some advocating for the abolition of police. These efforts have emboldened criminals and crime has skyrocketed.

With efforts to attack funding for law enforcement circulating, I have supported commonsense solutions to allocate important funding for law enforcement and their efforts. I am the author of the Community OutPost (COP) Outreach and Engagement Act which would make a local effort from St. Cloud, a national federal pilot program.

Law enforcement is only as effective as their community relations are strong. Communities throughout the Sixth District are shining examples for their efforts to ensure the community has positive and regular contact with the local police and sheriff’s departments.

The COP Act is a great example of legislation which would increase funding for police and promote community relations. This legislation has received several endorsements from stakeholders and community leaders who support this effort and some who see how it works firsthand. Read them here!

St. Cloud invested in a Community OutPost to help law enforcement engage and communicate with residents in their surrounding communities. The “COP House” provides improved community-focused engagement efforts. A COP House is a residential home where nearby residents can receive critical services and build relationships with local law enforcement in that community. With improved police-citizen communication, officers can more effectively establish trust and build rapport with the citizens that they are sworn to protect.

I am committed to ensuring our police have what they need to serve and protect the people in their communities. Without proper funding, community relations efforts are often the first to go in place of major crime apprehension initiatives. Please join me in thanking a police officer today and every day. Their service to us often goes unnoticed but it’s necessary and vital.

Supporting Innovation and Financial Technology

Before 2020 ended, I sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to express some urgent concerns regarding a limited comment period that was issued for individuals to respond to a recently released rule that made significant changes to the regulation of digital assets – a digital asset is anything that exists in a digital format and comes with the right to use.

This new rule would require certain members of the cryptocurrency industry to submit additional reports and keep records relating to customer identities if transactions are made above certain thresholds. I wrote to request a 60-day comment period for public and stakeholder input on the rule before it is finalized, and a potential delay of implementation to allow stakeholders to become compliant.

I support the innovation of the blockchain industry, and as government struggles to keep up, I am committed to ensuring we do not overregulate the technology before it reaches its full potential. You can read my letter here.

In the 116^th Congress, I served as the Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee’s Task Force on Financial Technology. At the end of last year, I joined the Chairman of the Financial Services Task Force, Congressman Stephen Lynch, to introduce legislation that would require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to study the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT).

DLT and blockchain technology continue to show promise in many different areas: from financial services, to supply chain, to identity verification. This important bill will make sure these technologies are considered within the federal government.

Over the past 18 months, the Financial Technology Task Force received considerable testimony on the potential benefits of DLT to increase transaction efficiency, transparency, and security. I will continue to work on these issues, and in the meantime, read more about my work on financial services here.

ICYMI: 2020 in Review!

I shared this with you last week, but in case you missed it… Here’s what my team accomplished last year!

Until next week, if you are in need of assistance or would like to share your thoughts with me, please write me an e-mail here.

To keep up with what we’re doing in Washington, follow me on Twitter and Facebook for more updates!

Sincerely,