About Last Week

Last week, we saw the latest chapter of the crumbling Democrat agenda. The bill to extend government funding until December and avoid a shutdown passed at the very last minute. The fact that it was this hard for Democrats to accomplish their most basic duty, with full control of the federal government, is shocking.

Speaker Pelosi failed to meet her own deadline on an infrastructure bill, in large part because she was unable to convince the radicals of her own party to make any compromises. It seems she would still rather appease those on the fringe than work to make this, or anything, truly bipartisan.

Through it all, even though Democrats are in control of the House, Senate, and White House, President Biden blamed this on Republicans.

This week in Ag

Thursday, I participated in a hearing where I had the opportunity to question Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about why the Department has not responded to several requests for emergency assistance needed due to the ongoing drought across Minnesota.

Background: In July, I wrote a letter with Senator Klobuchar, signed by the Minnesota Delegation, urging Secretary Vilsack to grant an emergency waiver for haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in Minnesota prior to the primary nesting season. Secretary Vilsack did not authorize this without explanation. 

The full exchange I had with Secretary Vilsack can be found here.

A list of federal and state drought resources available can be found on my website.

U.S./Canada Border

The closure of the northern border has been particularly devastating for Minnesotans living in the Northwest Angle. Not only has the prolonged border closure affected the ability of Americans to travel, but it has also impeded the ability of Americans to earn a living, and I am committed to doing all that I can to help their recovery. Recently, I sent a letter with Congressmen Emmer and Stauber to press Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to ensure efficient cross-border commerce at land ports of entry. I will continue to question and push the Biden Administration on this important issue.

Academy Nominations

I have the honor of nominating candidates for appointment to four military academies:

• S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY;
• S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD;
• S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and
• S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY

The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), New London, CT, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment.

 If you or someone you know in the 7^th Congressional District is interested in a nomination, please fill out the application on my website and submit it to the District Office in in Willmar, Minnesota, postmarked no later than October 30, 2021 to be considered for an appointment in 2022.

For further questions, please click here.

Congressional App Challenge

Students from Minnesota’s 7^th District are invited to participate in the annual Congressional App Challenge!

The Congressional App Challenge accepts computer programs (apps) written in any programming language, such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, or “block code,” and for any platform, including desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, raspberry Pi, or other devices. Students may register as individuals, either in the district in which they reside or the district in which they attend school, or as teams made up of no more than four students, though at least half of the teammates must be eligible to compete in the district in which they are participating.

The deadline for submitting an app is November 1, 2021.

 For more information, visit my website, and good luck!

Wounded Warrior Fellowship Opening

We are accepting applications for a two-year paid Wounded Warrior Fellowship in both of our District Offices! Applications are due December 31, 2021.

To apply, and for more information, click here.

Around the District

I was honored to speak at Marshall’s 9/11 Memorial program and meet with several of their fine men and women in service. Thank you Mayor Bob Byrnes and Police Chief Jim Marshall for including me in such a moving event to honor our fallen heroes and their families.

I had a ton of fun touring Far North Spirits near Hallock with Michael Swanson and Cheri Reese. They are one of only a handful of distilleries that actually harvest their own grain, so their products go straight from field to glass!

Thank you Joe Hendrick, Dr. Sandy Kiddoo, and Curtis Zoller for showing me around the Thief River Falls Regional Airport and the Northland Community & Technical College (NCTC) and thank you Mayor Brian Holmer for joining us. The airport is home to NCTC’s nationally acclaimed Aviation Maintenance Program, where students learn how to fix private and commercial airplanes. They also have one of the only accredited Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) maintenance programs in the country.

I had the opportunity to attend the 100th anniversary of First District Association, an independent dairy cooperative in Litchfield. It was great meeting with CEO Bob Huffman and board president Josh Barka and getting to share this exciting milestone with over 500 people.

In Washington, D.C.

I had a great meeting with the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association at my office in D.C. Did you know that Minnesota has the largest number of independent turkey farmers and the largest production of turkey in the United States? And that they’re primarily grown in the 7^th district?

Thank you to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association for coming by my office in D.C. They work towards passing laws that support public safety and against laws that harm the police profession.

Thank you to the Students United board members Clara Kuerschner, Nico Arias, and Victor Ayemobuwa for coming to my office and for continuing to advocate for over 65,000 students attending Minnesota’s state universities.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher and her staff came to my office while they were in D.C.  Thank you for coming by to talk all things highway!

The Transportation Intermediaries Association came to visit my office during their annual fly-in to D.C. They are the only organization exclusively representing transportation of intermediaries doing business in domestic and international commerce.

I also had the pleasure of speaking virtually with the Minnesota Credit Union Network, the Minnesota Orthopedic Society, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteers, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Colonel Karl Jansen, Commander for the St. Paul District Corps of Engineers. Thank you all so much for taking the time to talk to me about the challenges you’re facing and ways we can continue to improve Minnesota’s 7^th District.

Coming Up

This week, I’ll be in D.C. for the first part of the week as the Democrats try to raise the debt limit to pay for their socialist wish list. I’ll then head back to Minnesota to meet with constituents.

fischbach.house.gov

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