Dear Friend,

While August is usually spent away from Washington, it looks like the House will be back in session this week to vote on the latest iteration of the Biden Administration’s proposed spending bill, the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act.” This bill passed through the Senate this weekend without a single Republican vote, and for good reason: the legislation includes tax hikes during a recession, spending to equip the IRS with 87,000 new agents, and over $350 billion in “Green New Deal” initiatives.

Instead of reining in federal spending and empowering small businesses, this legislation significantly expands the size and scope of the federal government and will only make inflation worse.

Read on to hear about my work this week…

Remembering Representative Jackie Walorski

Before we talk about the week ahead, I would like to take a moment to recognize the loss of a close friend and colleague. Last week, Representative Jackie Walorski and two members of her team were killed in an accident while working in her home state of Indiana.


Jackie was a great advocate for the people of Indiana’s Second Congressional District, and I will cherish the time that we spent together in the House of Representatives. She will be truly missed.

Attending Farmfest

Every year, I look forward to Farmfest, one of Minnesota’s best events. Like Machinery Hill, which you might remember from our state fair in years past, Farmfest is a dedicated day to celebrate and showcase Minnesota’s ag community.

We had a great time at the 2022 Farmfest last week. It was great to spend time with farmers and producers discussing the issues impacting the industry, like rising input costs, encroaching foreign actors and the future of our ag workforce.

We also had the opportunity to speak with some of Minnesota’s leading ag media networks. You can listen to my conversation with Ag News 890, and read about some of our work to secure American farmland here.

A Mental Health-Focused Young Women’s Leadership Program

Last week, we held the second session of our Young Women’s Leadership Program (YWLP) at Professional Counseling Services in Delano. This mental health-focused event brought together women leaders from across the mental health field and high school-aged girls from the Sixth District.

Congressman Emmer at the second session of the Young Women’s Leadership Program in Delano.

The program provided an opportunity for participants to hear about the types of continuing education they might need for a career in mental health, which areas of the industry are still lacking in female representation, and how to achieve a work-life balance in such a demanding role.

We’re grateful to all our panelists for the day, including Sue Abderholden, Executive Director of National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota, Dr. Lois Schlutter, owner of Schlutter & Associates LLC, Northern Integrated Health, Inc, and Professional Counseling Centers, Sara Johnstone, M.A., Ph.D., and Julia Messenger, School Social Worker in the Anoka-Hennepin School District for offering their expertise to the 2022 YWLP Class.

You can read more about the Young Women’s Leadership Program here.

Making Mental Health Care Accessible 

Approximately 50 million Americans are battling a mental illness—roughly one in five. Mental health concerns are common, and while they are nothing to be ashamed of, it is essential that we provide care to those in need. Read more about my work to secure mental health access in my latest blog, 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,