Dear Friend,

After the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the world watched in horror as the Taliban seized control of Kabul. As the airport was closed, many fearful Afghani were left stranded, some of whom had helped our American forces for two decades.

Last month, I sent a letter to President Biden urging him to evacuate our Afghan partners who assisted the United States Armed Forces in Afghanistan with interpreting and translating services. This failed to happen, and many have been left in danger from the Taliban.

Jacquie and I will continue to pray for those in Afghanistan, and for the American soldiers who served in country over the years as they continue to watch this tragedy unfold.

Veterans, as the heartbreaking situation in Afghanistan carries on, please seek assistance if you are in need. Please call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 or text 838255 or visit: https://veteranscrisisline.net

Read on to learn more about our work on infrastructure and supporting our troops…

Supporting the 133rd Airlift Wing’s Mission

The C-130 Hercules aircraft has been a mainstay of our military. Known for its ability to take off and land just about anywhere, the C-130 flew its first mission for the United States Air National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 21, 1971. For fifty years now, the C-130 has remained an important component in a multitude of operations, including responses to floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.

Unfortunately, the Air Force recently announced its intention to reduce the size of its C-130 fleet from 300 military planes down to 255 between fiscal years 2021 and 2025, a decision that would have a potentially devastating impact on our state. This decrease could see Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing lose its status as one of the most successful airlift wings in the country.

Last week, I led a letter with my Minnesota colleagues in the House to show our united support for the current mission of the 133rd Airlift Wing. You can read that letter here.

I shared my concerns on KSTP regarding this potential decrease in the C-130 fleet and the negative impact that would have on Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing. You can read and listen to this interview here.

I hope that the Air Force will reverse this decision and continue to operate the C-130 fleet to its full capacity.

Investing in Critical Roadways

This past week, I traveled to Carver County to visit two important projects. The first was in the City of Carver to assess the needs of their levee.

In 1965, following a series of destructive floods, the city built a levee to protect downtown Carver from future flooding of the Minnesota River. Unfortunately, this important piece of infrastructure has gone far past its designed lifespan.

Over the last four years alone, the City of Carver has spent $1.5 million dollars attempting to maintain the outdated levee. In order to protect the city’s overall economy and save 61 buildings in downtown Carver, an investment must take place soon.

Not to mention, Carver has 90 properties on the National Registry of Historic Places, meaning an investment in this city would ensure an important part of our state’s history is preserved as well.

After my visit to Carver, I traveled to see the progress that has been made to sections of U.S. Highway 212, to turn a rural two-lane undivided highway to a four-lane divided expressway. They broke ground on part of this project back in May, and it was great to see that they are already 30% done with this section between Carver and Cologne. 

During this visit, I surveyed the new section of this project— which would run from CSAH 34 in Norwood Young America to CSAH 36 in Cologne, and construct a Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI) and a grade-separated interchange, eliminating a freight bottleneck and improving roadway safety. This road carries more than 1,300 trucks daily and is in dire need of improvement.

It was great to see firsthand some of the important infrastructure needs our District has. We will continue our work to help prioritize funding for these and other important projects around the Sixth District.

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,