Dear Friend,

We hope that you were able to fit in an extended trip to the cabin this past weekend. Congress returns to Washington next week for its final stretch of votes before the end of the fiscal year. Speaker Pelosi has yet to outline her priorities for the month, however, I hope we get a chance to vote on legislation that will address inflation and the pain Americans are still feeling in the grocery store and at the pump, among many other issues. Regardless, we’ll keep hammering away at these problems, bringing Minnesota solutions to the national stage to address rising costs, rising crime, and a growing mental health crisis that desperately needs our attention.

Read on to hear about my work this week…

Recognizing Labor Day

Watch a Labor Day message from Congressman Emmer above.

Continuing the push to bring home Americans and allies

One year ago, the war in Afghanistan came to a tragic end which included the needless loss of thirteen American service members and left thousands of American citizens and our Afghani allies behind to face the Taliban. Since the final American plane left Kabul, we have heard little from the Administration about the conditions and efforts to rescue the Americans and Afghan partners who were left behind.

In July 2021, we sent a letter urging President Biden to plan and expedite the evacuation for Afghan partners ahead of America’s withdrawal from the region. The Biden Administration never gave a substantive response to this letter.

Approximately 81,000 Afghans had pending Special Immigrant Visa applications in August 2021, and it is estimated that 78,000 were left in Afghanistan. And despite being told by the State Department one year ago that approximately 100 Americans were left in the country, we now know that number was much higher as 800 Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the final withdrawal. We still do not know the number of Americans still left in the region, or President Biden’s plan to get them out, and we cannot wait any longer.

Last week, I sent another letter to the Biden Administration inquiring about the number of Americans and Afghan partners waiting to be evacuated from the region. We will not forget the tragic loss of Afghanistan to the Taliban and will ensure that President Biden does not forget, either.

Defending our Food Supply

For most of us, navigating sky-high prices at the grocery store has become a way of life over the past two years. Groceries alone now cost 10.4% more on average, the highest year-over-year increase in over forty years. Some of us have tapped into our savings to make up the difference; others are cutting back on purchases entirely.

Congressman Emmer visits FarmFest in August

Approximately one in five American adults are now dealing with food insecurity. This figure is unacceptable. We have the ability to ensure food security here at home by supporting American farmers and producers. This means bringing down the price of input costs, like feed, fuel, and fertilizer, which have skyrocketed in recent months.

We’ve long been working to bring down these input costs: in April, I was joined by 96 of my colleagues in a letter to the Biden Administration urging action on rising fertilizer during the spring growing season, and last month I joined a resolution in support of American-produced energy. 

Last week, I joined my colleague, Representative Andy Biggs's letter to Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland asking for the Biden Administration’s plan to relieve the burden placed on American farmers and producers by the rising costs of agricultural inputs. Our farmers are essential to securing our food supply and bringing down grocery prices; we must ensure they have every tool available to do so.

Investing in the next generation of American workers 

As over half of American small businesses struggle to fill empty jobs, it is more important than ever to ensure new workers have the skills and training they need. Read more about my work to develop our workforce 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,