Dear Friend,

This week, the House of Representatives is back in session. Unfortunately, the House is not slated to vote on any legislation that will address the rising inflation and energy costs impacting every American and their families, the ongoing crisis at our southern border, or the recent actions by the Biden Administration that put our freedom of speech in jeopardy. These issues are top of mind for me and my team, which is why we have introduced legislation to rein in out-of-control government spending, joined efforts to bolster American energy independence and sent a letter urging action on the fentanyl crisis at our southern border. These are real issues impacting all Americans that cannot be ignored.

Read on to learn more about how we’re pushing back against the Administration’s latest efforts to establish a “Disinformation Board”, and get a better idea of the other items we’re working to tackle some of our nation’s most pressing challenges…

Defending our Freedom of Speech

Our freedom of speech is the right that defends all others, and it is crucial we protect it. Late last month, the Biden Administration announced that they would be forming a “Disinformation Governance Board” under the Department of Homeland Security to counter misinformation that they find to be a threat to the United States.

The membership of the Board includes several entities from within the Department of Homeland Security, and will be led by Nina Jankowicz, someone with a concerning history of political partisanship. What’s more, though the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has said this “Disinformation Board” will only focus on foreign sources of “disinformation”, he has repeatedly failed to articulate how a domestic law enforcement entity like DHS will do this without unlawfully censoring Americans.

The Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Mayorkas have repeatedly demonstrated their inability to secure our border and protect Americans. Expanding their authority to potentially police the free speech of Minnesotans and every American is beyond concerning, which I co-sponsored the Protecting Free Speech Act led by Representative Lauren Boebert (CO-03) to disband the board and prevent the use of government funds from being spent on anything similar. Additionally, we sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas questioning the legal authority of the Biden Administration to establish the board.

We cannot allow any Administration to stifle Americans’ right to free speech, and we will continue to keep you updated about our work on this issue.

Fed raising interest rates 

Last week, the Federal Reserve announced that they planned to raise interest rates 0.5%, the largest increase since the year 2000. While this may seem small, this action will have an enormous impact on our economy. This increase will mean an additional interest payment of about $100 billion to the national debt—the cost of all federal housing programs.

This means that the United States will soon be hit with a double whammy, with expensive debt payment rates and spiraling inflation. The answer is clear: we must rein in government spending.

Our Responsible Budget Targets Act presents a possible solution. This bill ties our government’s spending to the expansion and contraction of our economy, so inflation like the kind we are experiencing now would be met with common-sense spending reductions. If followed, the model laid out in this bill could balance our federal budget within fifteen years. You can read more about this bill here.

Recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, when we recognize the importance of quality, accessible mental health care. In 2019, more than 20% of Minnesotan adults reported having a mental illness. While some mental illnesses can be managed through healthy practices and prevention (you can read about some of those practices here), mental health care is essential.

We have worked in Congress to make treatment for mental health available to all. In too many cases, our nation’s jails have become the primary providers of mental health care. Our Due Process Continuity of Care Act would allow pre-trial detainees to continue existing routines of mental health care and give individuals the chance to heal. We also cosponsored legislation to make the number 9-8-8 the dialing code to route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This bill became law, and the code will become available nationwide on July 16, 2022.

You can read more about the mental health resources available to Minnesotans here.

If you or a loved one are facing a mental health crisis, support is available. Call **CRISIS (**274747) from a cell phone or Text “MN” to 741741 to talk to a team of professionals who can help.

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,