Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Eagan Police Chief Roger New on his retirement after thirty-one years with the police force. From a young age, Chief New knew he wanted to be in law enforcement. After graduating with a social science degree from Concordia College he joined the Eagan Police Department as a Community Service Officer in 1994. Over the next two decades, he took on several roles with the department including as a DARE officer, School Resource Officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant. New also earned a master's degree in public administration from Metro State University and graduated from the FBI National Academy.

In 2016, New became a Deputy Chief before being named Eagan Chief of Police in 2018. As Chief, New prioritized building strong community partnerships, implemented innovative practices and invested in officer mental health and well-being.

I am proud to have worked with Chief New and the Eagan Police Department on trying to secure funding for the Valley Acres Range. I'll always remember touring and shooting rounds at the facility myself.

I am grateful for Chief New's public service. He has created a lasting impact in Eagan and across the state of Minnesota. He isn't just our Chief, but a dear friend. I will continue to seek his input and guidance on law enforcement and mental health policies. I wish Chief New the best in retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Officer Karl Haugen, who passed away recently while off-duty.

As early as high school, Karl expressed an interest in becoming a first responder. After attending the Law Enforcement Program at Alexandria Technical College and earning his Bachelor's Degree from Mankato State University, he began his public service career, working at the Minnesota Forensic Hospital in St. Peter. He later worked at the MN Correctional Facility--Faribault and served for two years as Henderson Chief of Police.

In 2008, he became an officer with the Le Sueur Police Department. Officer Haugen was well-known in the community for his humor, generosity, and compassionate approach to law enforcement. Despite the challenges and sacrifices of rural policing, he remained dedicated to public service and demonstrated a talent for seeing the good in people.

I offer my deepest condolences to Officer Haugen's family--his wife, Morgan, and his young children, Griffin, Aurora, and Teddy, and I thank him and the entire Le Sueur Police Department for their service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Sergeant Donald ``Donny'' Grundhauser, who recently passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.

Sergeant Grundhauser joined the Saint Paul Police Department in 1994, proud to serve the area where he was born and raised. Over the course of his 30-year career, he served in a wide range of demanding assignments, including SWAT, the Homicide Unit, the Gang and Gun Unit, ATF Federal Task Force, East Investigations as an Acting Commander and the Special Operations Unit. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Sergeant Grundhauser received three Unit Citations, three Medals of Commendation, two Unit Letters of Recognition, and five individual Letters of Recognition.

Sergeant Grundhauser was deeply respected by his neighbors and colleagues for his courage, selflessness, and commitment to helping others. Known to his fellow officers as ``Grundy,'' he was a mentor and friend to many, and he lived by the belief that it never cost anything to be kind. His family carries on his legacy of service, with his son, Nicholas, and his two brothers, Mark and Keith, also serving in the Saint Paul Police Department.

I offer my deepest condolences to Sergeant Grundhauser's family--his wife, Kelly, and his children, Jacob and Nicholas. Sergeant Grundhauser represented the best of law enforcement, and I thank him and his family for their service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, every summer, grains planted by hardworking Minessotans cover around 40 percent of my district.

U.S. grain standards are a key component of foreign trade and the promotion of American agricultural exports. The inspections and certifications done by the Federal Grain Inspection Service, states and private agencies provide foreign importers with certainty regarding the quality of the grain bought from U.S. farmers.

With parts of the existing U.S. Grain Standards Act set to expire on September 30, 2025,

I am proud to be the lead Democratic cosponsor to reauthorize and improve this law.

This bill before reauthorizes annual appropriations for standard development and maintenance, USDA's authority to collect fees for supervision of inspections and weighing, an administrative/supervisory cost cap and the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee. All important components of the existing law.

It also makes key improvements, not least of all directing the USDA to prioritize the modernization of grain grading technologies. The U.S. grain inspection system is known around the world for quality and reliability. By focusing USDA's attention on modernization, we can continue to hold our place as the world's gold standard in grain inspection.

Reauthorizing the U.S. Grain Standards Act is important for our farmers and their customers, and I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Minnesotan, Joan Growe, ahead of her 90th birthday on September 28, 2025.

Born Joan Ruth Anderson in 1935, Joan was introduced to public service early in her life. Her father, Arthur Anderson, served as mayor of her hometown of Buffalo, Minnesota, where she would later graduate from Buffalo High School. She then went on to earn a teaching degree from St. Cloud State University and spent the following years giving back to her community as a teacher and a homemaker.

In 1972, Joan launched a bid for an open seat in the Minnesota State Legislature. While critics mocked her ``Housewives Campaign'', she embraced the network of women she'd met through the League of Women Voters. She met people where they were, attending coffee parties, book clubs, and PTA meetings. This coalition carried her to victory, and she spent her time in the Minnesota House fighting for election integrity and voting access. She championed Minnesota's same-day voter registration law, the first of its kind in the Nation.

Her election as secretary of state in 1974 made her the first woman in Minnesota's history to win a statewide election without prior appointment. Her 24-year tenure also made her the second longest serving secretary of state in our state's history. During this time, she found creative ways to encourage voter participation, from voter education campaigns to friendly contests between cities. As a result, Minnesota was named the Nation's ``Votingest State'' under her watch-- beginning a legacy of strong voter turnout that continues to this day.

Since leaving public office, Joan has worked tirelessly to ensure that all elections remain accessible and secure. She has been selected to serve as an official election observer in various foreign elections and served on the advisory committee for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Her expertise in voting and elections is known worldwide, and she continues to make our state proud wherever she goes.

I thank Joan for everything she has done for our shared democratic values, for every glass ceiling that she's broken, and for being such a dear friend. I wish her a Happy Birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rasmussen University on their 125th anniversary.

Founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 1, 1900, Rasmussen University has spent 125 years building a powerful legacy of opportunity. What began as a small business school has grown into a regionally and nationally recognized institution committed to career- focused education that transforms lives and strengthens communities.

Rasmussen has long served students who are often underrepresented, underserved, or overlooked by traditional higher education--providing the support, flexibility, and access they need to pursue a brighter future. Over the last 125 years, they've helped students prepare for careers that truly matter in health care, business, public service and beyond.

I am proud to represent Rasmussen's Eagan campus, recognized as a national leader in nursing education. They are a Minnesota staple with other locations in Bloomington, Eagan, Brooklyn Park, Mankato, St. Cloud, and Moorhead.

Rasmussen University serves more than 3,000 currently enrolled Minnesotans and has proudly graduated over 28,000 students from across the state.

I congratulate Rasmussen University and I look forward to their continued success.

Mr Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Terry Nelson on his retirement as Co-Chair of the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest (FTIUM), following over four decades of leadership and advocacy in the labor industry.

After graduating from Minnesota's own Hennepin Vocational Technical Education Center, Nelson began his career with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) in 1982.

In 1992, Nelson began the first of numerous leadership roles, when he was elected as a trustee for the Minneapolis Painters Health and Welfare Fund and the Minneapolis Painters Pension Fund. He served in several roles within IUPAT including as President of Local Union 386 and Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer for District Council 82. In this role, he helped the Council remain solvent during the Great Recession, led negotiations for stronger contracts and worked with a developer to create a software program to streamline the reporting process for prevailing wage concerns. He went on to continue serving his union as a Chairman of the General President's Advisory Committee and Special Assistant to the General President. Nelson also helped mobilize members to advocate for union priorities and has been a strong partner for my office in advocating for organized labor.

Since 2007, Terry has served as the co-chair of the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest (FTIUM), helping FTIUM gain accreditation in 2018. He has long advocated for expanding educational pathways for trade students and I had the pleasure of working with him on my bipartisan Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act.

Nelson leaves a tremendous legacy as a public servant--in fact, Governor Walz even declared August 11, 2025 ``Terry L Nelson Day'' in Minnesota. I am grateful for his leadership and dedication to ensuring workers receive the pay and benefits they deserve. It has been an honor working with Terry over the years and I look forward to a continued friendship with him.

Mr. Speaker, soon, the Minnesota Lynx will play the New York Liberty at home in Minneapolis.

As some Minnesotans may remember, I made a friendly wager with a New York Member of Congress last year at the beginning of the Minnesota Lynx-New York Liberty WNBA final series. That bet included that I would don a Liberty jersey and give a speech congratulating them from here on the House floor if they won the series. I would have, but I won't. Why won't I? Because the truth is that Minnesota didn't lose game five.

I was there in New York. The Liberty didn't win. The WNBA gave it to them.

Let's stop pretending that what happened in game five of the WNBA finals was just a bad call. It wasn't.

The Minnesota Lynx clawed their way through the playoffs. They defied the odds. They outworked every team and every narrative. In the final seconds of a championship game, on the biggest stage, they didn't get outplayed. They got erased.

Even from the House floor, right here in the Chamber, I can hear the New York fans protesting, but I know them well enough from Madison Square Garden that night to know that if this had happened to them, their outrage would be the same with much more colorful language.

A phantom foul, five seconds left, Alanna Smith playing legal defense on Breanna Stewart, who, let's be honest, is the league's marketing golden girl. The contact? It was embellished, marginal at worst, but the whistle blew. The game and the title were handed to New York on a silver platter.

When the Lynx challenged the call, the officials reviewed themselves. The same people who made the call decided to stand by it.

That is not accountability. That is the system protecting itself. That is the fix being called in.

Meanwhile, Napheesa Collier, the heart of the Lynx, an All-Star, a force in the paint, didn't shoot a single free throw the entire game. Now, tell me,

how does a player so dominant in the lane never draw contact? Because she was erased from the whistle.

Let me just say it out loud right here from the House Chamber: The WNBA wanted the Liberty to win--a big market team, superstar faces, a tidy storyline for the league office and the league commissioner, who literally wore the New York skyline on her dress that night.

Minnesota? We were the wrong script--too gritty, too real, too inconvenient.

The league talks about fairness. The league talks about lifting women up. Pay them what they deserve if you want to lift women up in the

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of nearly 44 million American consumers who have invested in, traded, or used digital assets. That is one in five Americans. The public interest in these markets is already here, and it is not going away.

Under the status quo, there is a gap in regulation for the digital commodity asset market. Our work here today could begin to provide the protections that American investors are accustomed to in traditional financial markets that are regulated by the CFTC.

Regardless of whether Congress acts, these markets will continue to grow. The only question is whether we will begin the hard work of developing regulation or refuse to begin.

The CLARITY Act would put consumer protections in place for the first time for this industry. Consumers will finally be protected by the same sort of guardrails that protect investors in other sectors of the economy: segregation of customer deposits, consumer disclosures, mandatory recordkeeping, and examination by regulators. We do not want another FTX.

The 2022 collapse of the world's third largest cryptocurrency exchange wiped out an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion in value, leaving American consumers holding the bag. The CLARITY Act would have largely mitigated or avoided this crisis entirely.

Former Biden administration CFTC Chairman Russ Behnam testified yesterday before the Senate Agriculture Committee:

`` . . . inaction will only result in greater risk to our financial markets and investors, through lack of market transparency, fraud, market manipulation, corruption, and conflicts of interest.''

That is lack of action.

Mr. Speaker, let me address the elephant in the room: the First Family's involvement with digital assets and personally profiting from them.

It has rightfully raised questions of impropriety and alarmed government ethics watchdogs. The First Family's personal financial involvement in other sectors, such as telecoms, should ring alarm bells, as well, loud and clear as it comes to ethics in our country.

There is a time and place for holding the powerful accountable, and that must happen. We should address executive branch corruption independently, and it should apply to all sectors.

Today, we must focus on regulation and protections for consumers because, today, one in five Americans, and growing, lack those protections and lack any guardrails. It is our job to start putting them in place.

Is this bill perfect? No. Can it be improved upon? Absolutely, and I encourage my Senate colleagues to keep working on those outstanding issues.

This bill deserves our support, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Davis), my distinguished colleague and the ranking member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. McDonald Rivet), my distinguished colleague who serves on the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.

Ms. McDONALD RIVET. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice support for the CLARITY Act. While there is still work to be done, it is an important step in providing crucial and clear regulatory framework to the crypto industry.

Let's break it down. Today, one in six U.S. adults, 17 percent of the population, are invested in or use cryptocurrency. That is 55 million Americans. There is more than $3 trillion invested in the industry. It is dangerous and irresponsible that a market of this size and scope is currently operating without a clear regulatory framework. For consumers, innovators, and the stability of our Nation's economy, the CLARITY Act is an important first step forward.

It protects consumers and equips assigned agencies with the appropriate authority to provide efficient and thorough oversight over digital asset markets. It also provides desperately needed certainty so that businesses can grow and evolve.

I will be clear: If the CLARITY Act had been in place, the FTX market crash that caused their customers to lose $8 billion would not have happened.

This bill strengthens our national security by giving regulators the tools they need to track cross-border transactions and stop digital assets from being used to evade sanctions or fund our adversaries.

The bill is not perfect, and it does not resolve every issue. Like many of my colleagues, I am deeply concerned about the Trump family's potential conflicts of interest in using crypto to profit from the Office of the Presidency. That is why I voted for amendments to impose guardrails to stop elected officials from improperly profiting off trades, and I will continue to push strongly for solutions to this problem.

However, we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We stand at a critical moment where market structure is critical for our consumers, economy, and security, and the CLARITY Act moves us meaningfully forward.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures), my distinguished colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), my distinguished colleague who serves on the House Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at the moment. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Chairman G.T. Thompson, and his team for working on this consumer protection legislation in a bipartisan manner.

I believe bipartisan legislation is always preferable to partisan legislation. It is stronger. It is harder to undo when it has broad support and leadership changes overnight.

I heard my chairman talk about the farm bill. I regret that it wasn't a bipartisan path through reconciliation for farm bill provisions, but I am optimistic that we can work together in many other areas.

While I wait to see what the gentleman has in store for us for farm programs left behind, I, too, agree that rural development is incredibly important, Mr. Speaker. I hope that the bipartisanship shown through the CLARITY Act process can act as a reminder that we accomplish more and we go further when we work together.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, this Republican budget is a betrayal of the American people.

It puts in jeopardy food assistance for 42 million Americans. That is children, seniors, the disabled, and working parents.

Mr. Speaker, 1.2 million veterans rely on SNAP for their food. This budget turns its back on them. Mr. Speaker,

270,000 veterans, homeless, and former foster youth will lose their food assistance entirely.

The vulnerable are left behind. The middle class gets screwed in favor of the ultrawealthy. I am a hell no.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Sergeant Keith Deutsch, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sergeant Deutsch enlisted in the United States Army in the summer following the attacks of September 11, 2001. He rose through the ranks quickly, earning five promotions and receiving the Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart.

In 2003, Keith was wounded by an enemy-fired rocket-propelled grenade while serving as an M249 SAW gunner. His squad leader, Staff Sergeant Mark A. Lawton, was killed in the same attack. Staff Sergeant Lawton died never having lost a Soldier under his command. He ran toward fire, shielded his Soldiers, and led from the front. A proud former Marine, the Army was Staff Sergeant Lawton's retirement position.

After recovering from his injuries, Keith helped pioneer the sport of adaptive snowboarding, competing on the World Cup Tour and in the Winter X Games using prosthetics developed with the Department of Veterans Affairs support.

Keith later returned to New Prague, Minnesota, and reopened his father's business, Ron's Cycle Shop, as a Service-Disabled Veteran- Owned Small Business. Today, it supplies electric bicycles to government agencies under contracts with the State of Minnesota and the Department of Defense. He is also the founder of the New Prague Area Mountain Bike Park.

In October 2025, Keith will run both the Army Ten-Miler and the 50th Marine Corps Marathon as an above-knee amputee in honor of Staff Sergeant Mark A. Lawton.

Sergeant Deutsch's life and career is characterized by great personal sacrifice and exemplary service. He represents the best that this country has to offer. I thank him for his service and dedication to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor two incredible Minnesotans and friends who were taken from us too soon: Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman.

We lost Melissa and Mark two weekends ago in an unthinkable, politically motivated attack that also threatened the lives of State Senator John Hoffman; his wife, Yvette; and their daughter, Hope.

Like many Minnesotans, I have struggled to come to terms with this tragedy and to make sense of it, but I found comfort in community and in sharing stories of my friends, Melissa and Mark.

Today, I will remember the Hortmans for the people that they were and the legacy that they will leave behind. Anyone who knew Melissa and Mark knew that, together, they were a force for good. Melissa was a dedicated public servant, and both she and her husband devoted their lives to improving the lives of Minnesotans.

Personally, Melissa and I shared a love of golden retrievers. We often exchanged stories and photos of our beloveds. She adored her golden retriever, Gilbert, and he adored her.

Professionally, I had the privilege of working with Melissa over the years and watching her excel as speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. I had always admired her work and her ability to work across the aisle and make tough decisions when she needed to. She was a true leader, and she led by example.

Recently, Melissa had to take a tough vote that she personally didn't agree with, but it was the best deal that she could get. In my last conversation with her, I told her that I was proud of her. I was proud of her leadership. Standing here today, I am so glad that I did.

It is still difficult to comprehend the violent attacks on the Hortmans and Hoffmans, but what I do know is that we got here, in part, because of our divisive rhetoric that we have allowed to seep into our politics and into our communities.

It will take our entire community coming together. We must hold ourselves and each other accountable. It is the only way forward, and it is how we honor the legacy of Melissa and Mark.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 159.

Mr. Chair, overdose deaths are preventable, and we should be using all the tools at our disposal to save American families from the pain of losing a loved one to opioids. It is past time we treat the opioid crisis like the public health crisis that it is.

My bipartisan RECONNECTIONS Act will do that by helping get overdose education and prevention tools like naloxone into the hands of those who need it. I am proud that my commonsense bill is included in the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025.

It is great to see my colleagues recognizing the urgency of the crisis, but we have to be clear-eyed about the moment we are in. Medicaid is the country's single-largest payer of both mental health and substance use services, and it is on the chopping block if my Republican colleagues' budget bill is signed into law.

We have to protect Medicaid at all costs. I will continue standing up against any cuts to these lifesaving benefits.

Mr. Chair, I thank everyone who has been part of this fight. This bill will save lives.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Police Week and recognize the law enforcement officers and first responders who put themselves in harm's way each and every day to keep our community safe, we must remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

I rise today to honor three fallen heroes from Minnesota's Second Congressional District who lost their lives in the line of duty last year: Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Firefighter/ Paramedic Adam Finseth were shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call in Burnsville.

Their deaths have left a gaping hole in the Burnsville community and especially in our local law enforcement agencies. They will never be forgotten.

However, telling their stories is not enough. As Members of Congress, we must also recommit to making sure our officers have the resources they need to stay safe on the job so that a tragedy like this never happens again.