Second rally planned at Rep. Brad Finstad's Rochester office
Feb. 26—ROCHESTER — A self-described "progressive" organization hopes to send a message to U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad. So far, an organizer claims, he's not present and not listening.
The Rochester chapter of Indivisible.org, a grassroots organization with a nationwide reach, will host a rally at noon on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Rochester office of Finstad, the 1st Congressional District representative and Republican who represents southern Minnesota.
This is the second rally within the last two weeks that will occur at Finstad's office in Rochester. On Feb. 18, a group organized by ISAIAH, visited Finstad's office with the message "Medicaid Matters."
A statement from Finstad said, "Since President Trump took office, we've been seeing increased engagement with our office from both ends of the political spectrum. We're getting a lot of communication from constituents who are eager to see the fraud, waste, and abuse cleaned up and their federal tax dollars used respectfully, and we're also hearing from constituents who are concerned with the administration's actions."
John Shaffer, one of the organizers of Thursday's event, said while Finstad won't be in Rochester, he hopes the congressman will hear the concerns of people in Minnesota about issues ranging from Elon Musk's leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency and the recently passed budget resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"We hope he hears that he is supposed to serve all of his constituents, not just his Republican buddies," said Shaffer. "We want him to have a town hall to actually listen to our concerns. We hope he comes to understand how his choices are going to hurt regular Minnesotans."
Shaffer said the "recent vote to gut Medicaid is on my list" of items where he believes Finstad isn't representing Minnesotans.
On Tuesday, the House voted mainly along party lines to support a budget bill that Democrats and some Republicans believe could lead to the cutting of $880 billion from Medicaid though 2034.
The House bill would need to be reconciled with any bill passed in the U.S. Senate, so no changes have been made yet.
"Medicaid is the largest single source of health insurance in Minnesota. which plays a huge role in MN's all-time low uninsurance rate of 3.8%," Shaffer wrote in an email to the Post Bulletin.
Shaffer said 60% of Medicaid spending in Minnesota helps the state's most vulnerable people.
"It covers half of long-term care costs for Minnesotans," he said. "Medicaid pays for more of our mental health services than any other payer. ... Deep cuts to these systems will impact almost every Minnesotan, especially the less fortunate amongst us."
Finstad said the concern over the budget framework passed this week is mainly due to misinformation about the nature of cuts to Medicaid benefits.
"According to President Trump, only fraud and improper payments within these programs are being targeted and those who need Medicaid services will have them," Finstad said.
The congressman pointed out that Tuesday's vote in the U.S. House was "procedural, and no cuts have been made to legitimate recipients of Medicaid benefits."
"The Trump administration is taking steps to root out the waste, fraud and abuse that exists within programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, allowing us to make sure they're truly serving the individuals who depend on them," Finstad said.
A January story in the Post Bulletin noted that about 80 million individuals nationwide receive health care benefits from Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program. In Minnesota, 18% of residents get their health insurance from Medicaid.
A statement from Minnesota Sen. Liz Boldon, DFL-Rochester, noted that 83,000 individuals across the 1st Congressional District receive Medicaid or CHIP benefits.
"Shameful. At a time when we should be bolstering our social safety nets and protecting the most vulnerable people in our communities, Congressional Republicans are doing the exact opposite and advancing their chaos agenda," Boldon wrote. "In Minnesota, we care about our neighbors, and stand up for them."
Boldon sent a letter to Finstad expressing her concern and asking Finstad to "reconsider this harmful budget resolution as soon as possible, and act in the best interests of your constituents who rely on these programs."
Allen Kern of Faribault, Minnesota, said he plans to attend Thursday's rally in Rochester.
If he had a chance to talk to Finstad, Kern said he'd ask the congressman to stand up to Trump, especially with regard to "drastic cuts to Medicaid" and tax cuts that benefit wealthy Americans.
"I'm going to be, soon," Kern said when asked if he uses Medicaid. "I'm 64 and can apply soon, assuming that it's still there."
Kern said he doesn't have a problem with cost-cutting or even reducing the federal workforce, as long as it's done by an appropriate government agency, and done in a systematic way. The Musk-led DOGE effort, he said, doesn't meet that criteria.
As for concerns that he's not listening to his constituents, Finstad balked at such a claim, saying he's always open to hearing comments and concerns, and responds to people who contact his office.
"We may not agree on every issue, but we respond," Finstad said.
Finstad added that when not in Washington, D.C., he travels across southern Minnesota, meeting with individuals, public officials, commnity groups, first responders and business owners.
"Since taking office, I have visited all 21 counties multiple times and will continue to do so regularly. We routinely highlight our work in both D.C. and the district on social media and our weekly email newsletter," he said.
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