Dear Friend,

We’re back in Washington this week. The House of Representatives is debating another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine, and President Biden has doubled down on reversing important measures to stem the flow of illegal immigrants coming across our southern border (Title 42)—despite a 542% increase in border crossings over the past two years.

We’ll be spending some time in the Financial Services Committee this week for several hearings, including one with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra on Wednesday at 9am Central. Hope you can tune in if you have the chance!

Read on to learn more about what’s coming down the pipe or hear about our time in Minnesota last week…

Another successful town hall

Town halls remain one of my favorite ways to interact with constituents in the Sixth District. While I prefer to host town halls in person, telephone town halls offer the opportunity to bring in the perspectives of experts and leaders from around our community.

Last week, we held an ag-focused telephone town hall. We were joined for the event by Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing and MinnStar Bank Senior Vice President Kent Thiesse. Both Dan and Kent were able to offer unique insights into the problems our ag community is facing, like avian flu and high fertilizer and feed costs.

If you weren’t able to join us on Wednesday, you can email me at any time through my website, here.

Working with Sixth District law enforcement

During my time in Minnesota last week, we had the opportunity to sit down with Captain Patrick O’Malley, Wright County’s Jail Administrator. Jails are a key part of our criminal justice system, and the safety of our communities depends on our local jails being able to operate safely and effectively.

Congressman Emmer meets with Wright County Jail Administrator, Captain Patrick O’Malley and Wright Country Sheriff Sean Deringer 

Sadly, many of our local jails are forced to serve in roles beyond their design. In the absence of adequate accessible mental health treatment, those struggling with mental illness often find themselves in jail. In fact, more than 20% of the inmates in our nation’s jails suffer from mental illness or substance abuse disorder (SUD.)

Earlier this year, we introduced the bipartisan Due Process Continuity of Care Act. This legislation addresses the strain of mental illness on our local jails by allowing pre-trial detainees to continue already-established routines of care. This legislation will help at-risk patients remain on the path to healing while taking pressure off already-stressed jail health systems.

You can read more about the Due Process Continuity of Care Act here.

Getting dangerous drugs out of our communities

Anyone who takes opioids is at risk of developing an addiction to these drugs. Regardless of whether they are obtained legally from a doctor, purchased illegally, shared, or stolen, opioids are responsible for the majority of overdose deaths in the United States.

The only way to be completely sure that the drugs in your medicine cabinet won’t fall into the wrong hands is to dispose of them safely and responsibly. Twice a year, our Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On these days, the DEA hosts sites in communities across the country where Americans can dispose of their prescription drugs. Since 2010, the DEA used these events to take more than 15.2 million pounds of prescription medication off the street.

You can read more about this event here, and find prescription drop off sites in your neighborhood here.

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,