Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, we rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation to honor three heroes from my Minnesota community: Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth. These three public servants gave their lives protecting us on February 18.

Officer Ruge is remembered as quick to lend a helping hand and make his community a better place.

Officer Elmstrand is described by his loved ones as a man with a servant's heart. Putting others first was never a choice for Paul. It was just who he was.

Firefighter/Paramedic Finseth, who gave his life trying to save his colleagues, was a caring husband, brother, father, and friend, who spent decades serving his community and his Nation in Iraq.

There are no words to describe the void that this loss has left for their families, Minnesota's law enforcement community, and for the city of Burnsville and our entire State.

Nothing we say today will bring Paul, Matthew, and Adam back. They

gave their lives to save seven children from harm in that house that awful morning. Nothing could be more heroic.

We can honor their lives by giving the police officers and first responders who keep our communities safe the respect and the support they deserve.

I ask Members to join me in a moment of silence from a grateful Nation to honor the lives of Paul Elmstrand, Adam Finseth, and Matthew Ruge.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate outgoing Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) President Bob Worth.

Bob has served more than two decades with the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association in various roles: beginning as a volunteer, treasurer, secretary and lastly as president. MSGA is our nation's longest-running state soybean association, and Bob is the only Minnesota farmer to have served multiple, two-year terms as president. Bob also has worked on his father's corn and soybean farm in southwest Minnesota for more than 50 years with his wife Gail, their son Jon and Jon's family.

I'm thankful for our strong working relationship during his time with MSGA. During his tenure, Bob has become a national spokesperson for rural mental health awareness; in this role, he's bravely shared his story and encouraged his fellow rural residents to rally around each other. Bob is also a strong advocate and leader in expanding and protecting renewable biofuels. Thanks to the hard work from leaders like Bob, Minnesota became the first state to require biodiesel in our diesel fuel blends when Bob first served as MSGA president.

In Congress, I am proud to be a co-chair of the bipartisan House Biofuels Caucus and a strong advocate for renewable biofuels. In particular, I have urged the FDA to consider how biofuels can address climate change and improve emissions factors. Homegrown biofuels are tools we have at our fingertips right now to help address climate change, thanks to leaders like Bob.

I'm grateful for our partnership, and I wish Bob and his family the best in his next chapter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate outgoing Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Chairman Keith Anderson on a successful four years as Chairman of SMSC's Business Council.

Chairman Anderson served for five terms on SMSC's Business Council. I'm thankful for our strong working relationship during his time as Chairman and it is a privilege to represent the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Congress. In particular, I'm proud to have secured $2.5 million in federal funding to help complete a clean water reclamation system at SMSC's new organics recycling facility, Dakota Prairie Composting.

Chairman Anderson continued SMSC's strong national presence having served as co-chairman of the Native Farm Bill Coalition, advocating for native farming practices and serving as board chairman for Koda Energy, a partnership between Rahr Malting and SMSC that creates energy by burning dry biomass fuels. As a member of the Business Council, he also helped oversee the construction and opening of Hocokata Ti, SMSC's cultural center and museum. I'm grateful for our partnership and wish Chairman Anderson the best.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank and congratulate Caleigh Gumbiner for five years and more than two full sessions of Congress as a member of my district office staff.

Caleigh has been with my office from the very beginning. They started our casework operation in 2019 with virtually no resources and have elevated to the role of Director of Constituent Services. For years, Caleigh has worked tirelessly to serve the constituents of Minnesota's Second District.

They've overseen the building up and training of a constituent services team that has returned more than $4.5 million to constituents and closed over 4,200 cases. Caleigh's been vital to training other congressional offices having worked with the CAO Coach program. They led our district office team through the pandemic and all the various programs Congress passed to serve our constituents and have worked day and night during global conflicts to ensure constituents' safety.

I'll always be grateful for Caleigh's service to my team and our constituents in their various roles over the years and wish them the best in their new role with Second Harvest Heartland--I'm confident they'll continue to serve Minnesotans with exceptional service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of Minnesota heroes.

Earlier this month, the Washington County Drug Task Force, made up of law enforcement from Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington Counties, successfully executed the largest fentanyl seizure in Minnesota history.

The officers seized over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills and charged six individuals for their role in trafficking these drugs. It is difficult to comprehend the devastation that could have befallen these families if those pills had reached our community.

In Minnesota, we know that fighting the fentanyl crisis will require all members of our communities to do their part.

From those dedicated members of Minnesota law enforcement to the parents and advocates who have shared their stories with me, to the educators working to raise awareness about the dangers of illicit drugs, we all have a

role to play in saving lives and addressing this crisis. That is why I am working across the aisle to expand overdose prevention tools and hold drug traffickers accountable.

A grateful community thanks every member of law enforcement for the work they do every day to keep our communities safe.

Israeli Hostages

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of Naama Levy. Naama is just 19 years old. Before October 7, she was full of joy with dreams of helping people in need.

She was last recorded on a cell phone being dragged by her hair at gunpoint, injured and bound by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. On October 7, Naama and more than 240 other men, women, and children were kidnapped from their homes and their communities, as even more innocent people were killed, sexually assaulted, and tortured.

Naama and 135 other hostages are still being held captive in Gaza, enduring unspeakable trauma at the hands of Hamas who refuse to let them go.

I stand here today to demand that Hamas release Naama immediately with all of the other hostages, and I stand with Israel as it works to destroy Hamas and free Naama and its other citizens wrongfully held by this terrorist group.

It is past time that we bring Naama home. We must bring them all home.

Support for Credit Unions

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the more than 4,700 credit unions across the country, including 86 chartered in my home State of Minnesota.

As not-for-profit, member-owned financial institutions, credit unions work every day to improve the financial well-being of American households and communities, including the nearly 300,000 credit union members in Minnesota's Second District.

It is estimated that Minnesota credit unions have provided more than $227 million in direct financial benefit to our State. Local branches in the Second Congressional District have done important work helping customers gain early access to their paychecks, supporting local school athletic programs and veterans' organizations, and hosting community events. Our credit unions have put community and customer trust first.

This month credit unions in Minnesota and nationwide will be represented by the newly launched America's Credit Unions to better serve the more than 140 million people who rely on them for financial well-being.

I am a proud supporter of Minnesota and America's credit unions in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sheriff Tim Leslie on his retirement from the Minnesota Sheriff's Association and wish him well as he begins his next chapter.

After getting his start in law enforcement with the St. Paul Police Department, Tim went on to be appointed Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. He then served within the Dakota County Sheriffs Office for over 20 years and spent the last year helping the Minnesota Sheriffs Association with government affairs work in St. Paul after a decorated law enforcement career. It was my honor to work with Sheriff Leslie during his tenure as Dakota County Sheriff.

Sheriff Leslie served as Sheriff of Dakota County from 2015 to 2022, where he led the department through challenges with the opioid epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic and increased community policing efforts. He remains a pillar of the Minnesota Law Enforcement Community. I'll always appreciate Tim's advice and counsel on law enforcement legislation and am proud to have worked together to pass the bipartisan Public Safety Officer Support Act in the 117th Congress.

I wish him the best in retirement and hope he can spend some more time with his grandkids and a little more time fishing.

Mr. Speaker, too many American families know the immense heartbreak of losing a loved one to an overdose, but overdose deaths are preventable, and we have a responsibility to do everything we can in this body to save lives.

That is why I introduced my bill, the bipartisan RECONNECTIONS Act, to get overdose education and prevention tools like naloxone into the hands of all of those who need it and to ensure that the opioid crisis is treated like the public health crisis it truly is.

I am proud that my colleagues have recognized the urgent need to expand access to these lifesaving overdose prevention resources, but we must continue our bipartisan work to keep our community safe.

Mr. Speaker, I thank so much my mental health and substance use advisory council, a group of law enforcement officers, educators, parents and community members who I work with regularly to find ways to address the opioid crisis in our home communities and across this great country.

Your stories, and especially the memories of your loved ones, that you have shared with me over the years have truly touched my heart. It is these stories and memories that have informed the policies that we champion here and are at the top of my mind as this bill stands on the House floor today.

Thank you for your tireless drive and dedication. You are helping to make our community safer.

We have so much more work ahead of us as a community in Minnesota 2 and as a Nation. If it helps to save just one life, it is worth doing the work.

Thank you to the Members who are coming together on both sides of the aisle today to support this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, on October 23, 1983, the United States of America suffered an unspeakable loss as 220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors, and 3 Army soldiers were killed in a horrific act of violence in the Marine barracks at the Beirut airport.

My heart is with every American grieving the loss of a loved one. Each of those 241 Americans represents the best of our country: brave, selfless, and dedicated.

We must recommit ourselves to working to defend democracy at home and around the world. That is how we rightfully honor the legacy of the 241 heroes we lost that day. That is what we owe all of the servicemembers, family members, and loved ones whose lives were changed forever those 40 years ago.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome our guest chaplain, Reverend John Matthews. I thank Reverend Matthews for that beautiful and hopeful prayer at the conclusion of a tumultuous time in this Chamber.

Reverend Matthews has served as a United States Army chaplain and as a police chaplain. He has been a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Park, and Memorial Lutheran Church in Afton. Finally, he has pastored over me and my family at Grace Lutheran Church in Apple Valley.

John built bridges across religions during his career, as well as assisting in the drafting of ``A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community,'' which is now part of the permanent display on anti-Semitism at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

It is my honor to represent Reverend Matthews and his family, and I thank him for his contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to congratulate Shakopee Brewhall--Taproom & Coffeehouse as the Midwest regional finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's America's Top Small Business Award.

Shakopee Brewhall was selected as one of seven finalists out of a total of over 15,000 small business applicants for the annual Top Small Business Award. At its inception in 2018, the brewhall operated modestly with a nine-member team, opening its doors for just 41 hours across five days each week. During that time, the team focused on brewing and, as demand grew, distributing its unique beers. Today, they employ 27 workers, with over half of the original staff still remaining on the team and have grown their customer base and expanded their offerings to include morning coffee and espresso over 86 hours every week.

I'm grateful for co-founders, Ryan Lindquist and Damon Schuler's role in the revitalization of downtown Shakopee by turning their historic space into Scott County's first taproom and coffeehouse. Their leadership of the brewhall showcased necessary innovation when pivoting to distribution during the pandemic and working with other local small businesses. I've also appreciated their ``Share More Than A Beer Day,'' which creates awareness and financial support for partnering organizations and has led to more than $50,000 in donations to local non-profits.

It was a special honor to join Shakopee Brewhall's Caitlin Drayna at the Chamber's Awards Gala on October 19th. It is my privilege to represent Shakopee Brewhall in Congress and I look forward to sharing a beer together soon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bill and Wendy Wustenberg and Windswept Hill Farm & Studio as the 2023 Dakota County, Minnesota Family Farm of the Year.

Bill and Wendy Wustenberg spent the last 33 years restoring 12 acres of fallow pastures into a productive place to raise kids, invest in sustainable living, and grow Bill's medical device consulting business, Mycroft Medical, LLC. A key partnership with Northfield Wi-Fi solved rural internet access problems and allowed the business to stay home- based and expand internationally with flexibility for family and community involvement.

Their farm is designated as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and just ended a Minnesota Department of Agriculture Sustainable Ag Demonstration Farm grant. They are home to a flock of Leicester Longwool Sheep, produce USDA-processed chicken and lamb, have a hydroponic GroShed to produce vegetables, herbs, and microgreens year-round, and produce solar energy under a co-generation contract with Dakota Electric.

It is truly an honor to represent the Wustenberg family and I'm thankful for their advocacy for conservation and sustainable agriculture.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of Conservation Beyond Borders and support their mission to combat illegal poaching. Their work helps to also combat other illicit activities including the trafficking of humans, arms, and narcotics across the globe.

I am proud that this important organization is led by an outstanding Minnesotan, Dr. Nicole Benjamin-Fink. I'm especially grateful for

the approach Conservation Beyond Borders and Dr. Benjamin-Fink take to incorporate rural communities that live alongside wildlife into their work.

I commend Conservation Beyond Borders for their tireless work and advocacy to ensure wildlife across the world have the opportunity to flourish. I look forward to continuing to work with Conservation Beyond Borders and Dr. Nicole Benjamin-Fink.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of the Regional Leadership Council. My colleagues and I just got back to D.C. after an extended work period in our districts. It was a busy, busy time in the south metro of Minnesota but also across the Midwest.

To me, being busy is a really good thing. Busy means things are happening, small businesses are opening roundtable discussions, ribbon cuttings, shovels in dirt, townhalls, and, yes, a whole lot of harvesting is about to be happening across the Midwest, including corn and soybeans across my congressional district.

However, this work period was busy for a very particular reason. We passed the 1-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, and we were able to celebrate the benefits that this legislation has already brought home, and, in particular, to rural communities.

I am going to take a minute and put this legislation into perspective about what it has already done and what it will continue to do for Midwest communities. Let me start with the Inflation Reduction Act's historic investment in homegrown biofuels infrastructure, the largest this Nation has ever made. E-15 and biofuel production are key for our ag communities and environments. They expand markets for family farmers and support economic growth in rural communities. They are a solution that we have available today to help us address climate change.

Across Region 3, these credits are providing family farmers and producers with the support and resources that they need to sustain and grow their operations, enabling them to continue feeding and fueling our country.

Earlier this summer, the Department of Agriculture awarded their first awardees for the IRA's Higher Blend Fuels Infrastructure Program. Half of the awards went to States in Region 3 alone.

The signing of the Inflation Reduction Act also signaled a historic investment in our Nation's infrastructure. Infrastructure investments are a win-win for America's workers, businesses, and communities. They just make sense.

Here in Minnesota, we have received $3.8 billion in infrastructure and clean energy investments, including Federal dollars to make our roads, our bridges, public transits, and airports safer, deploy clean water projects, and provide broadband funding to make sure our rural communities can access the high-speed internet they deserve. These are investments we are building on right here in Region 3.

We have about $1 billion heading to Wisconsin. If you know anything about Minnesota, we are very competitive with Wisconsin, but as a Region 3 representative, I am so proud to say that those dollars are going to the Midwest through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program to provide high-speed internet to 253,000 homes and small businesses; $73 million heading to Michigan through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Bridge Investment Program to replace the 85-year- old Lafayette Avenue Bridge, which serves as a critical passage point in the State's economy, and the list, of course, goes on.

Each of these infrastructure projects will play a critical role in building a safer, stronger America. I personally cannot wait to see every single one of them come to life.

Mr. Speaker, I will end with a personal privilege.

I spent about 20 years working in the medtech industry, and since entering Congress, working to lower healthcare costs have been one of my highest priorities.

Given that, I thought I would just end my remarks by sharing a story of a constituent of mine, a man named Bob Miller.

Bob relies on Medicare, and for years, about a decade, he has relied on a prescription drug to treat his debilitating MS flare-ups. For over a decade, Bob has seen the price of his drug skyrocket and was ultimately forced to stop taking the drug that he relies on because even with insurance, the price of that drug was just too expensive.

Bob's story is heartbreaking but unsurprising. We all know people across America who have to make those same critical decisions each and every day. Because here in the richest country in the world, people like Bob have been forced to make the decision to forego life- sustaining medications because it is just too expensive.

When we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, we allowed Medicare the power to start negotiating drug prices across our country; good old- fashioned competition to help lower drug costs for our seniors.

I don't understand for the life of me how my colleagues cannot be in favor of good old-fashioned competition.

Many American seniors are now and will be able to live happier, healthier lives as a result of this legislation.

That, Mr. Speaker, deserves to be celebrated. I look forward to continuing to see the benefits of all of these important pieces of legislation, and I thank the gentleman from Maryland for convening us.

Mr. Speaker, today's debate is perhaps one of the most dangerous games to be perpetrated in my time in Congress by the radical right.

This bill risks our economy, our Nation's credit rating, American jobs, retirement savings, and healthcare access.

Mr. Speaker, there is a proposal on the table, raise the debt ceiling, full stop, just like we did under the former President. Then let's have a robust debate about spending in a budget debate and in the appropriations process.

But that is not what the radical right has put on the floor today. I cannot support a bill that would cut funding for our Nation's veterans, would cut funding to Minnesota public schools, would cost jobs, and economists say would increase the likelihood of a recession.

This is not a serious bill from the radical right, and there is no more serious issue facing our country right now than the prospect of defaulting on our debt.

This is a dangerous game my colleagues are playing, and it needs to be cut out.

Mr. Speaker, this Friday is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a time each year when we uplift and recognize the strength and resilience of the trans community.

The United States is home to 1.6 million trans youth and adults--1.6 million siblings, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, coworkers, and loved ones.

At a moment when trans-Americans are under direct attack in States across our Nation and in this body, I am here today to honor and celebrate each of these courageous, inspiring human beings just trying to live and be treated with dignity and respect.

I am here to say to each of you, no matter what you are hearing in your communities or from some Members of this body, you are loved, you are valued, and you are worthy.

Over the past 40 years, our country has made progress, but this is a moment and a critical reminder that we still have work to do.

As we mark International Trans Day of Visibility, we also remember that we must never take our feet off the gas pedal when it comes to this critical fight.

Please know I am always in your corner.