Latest news with #BradFinstad
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2025 Congressional Art Competition announced
Mar. 21—Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) today invited high school students from Minnesota's First Congressional District to participate in the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. The contest is open to all high school students (ninth — 12th grade) in Minnesota's First District. All submitted artwork must be original in concept, design, and execution. Submissions, including the entry form, may be mailed or hand-delivered to the Rochester office at 2746 Superior Drive NW, Suite 100, Rochester, MN 55901, or the New Ulm office at 110 N. Minnesota St., Suite 5, New Ulm, MN 56073 by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 25. Further information, including official rules, guidelines, and student release forms for the 2025 competition can be found on Congressman Finstad's website or by calling the Rochester office at 1-507-577-6140. The first-place winner of last year's First District Congressional Art Competition was Dean Wang from Century High School in Rochester, for his piece, "Shades of Winter."
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Brad Finstad owes his constituents some real face time
Mar. 8—Last October, the Post Bulletin endorsed Republican Brad Finstad as he sought a second term representing Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. That endorsement, admittedly, was rather muted. A cynical reader might summarize our position as, "Well, it's too soon to give up on him. Give him two more years." We could easily have gone the other way. We pointed out that nonpartisan evaluators gave Finstad an effectiveness score of zero, indicating that he accomplished essentially nothing during his first term. And, when it came to policy positions, we acknowledged that we liked his opponent's positions at least as much, if not more, than Finstad's. And, most importantly, we pointed out that during Finstad's first term, we heard from many constituents that he was difficult to reach and seldom made himself available for direct interactions in his district. (PB editors seeking interviews with him before the election had similar experiences.) Now, after six tumultuous weeks of the new session of Congress, the chorus of voices asking "Where is Brad Finstad?" is getting louder every day. We see it in our Letters to the Editor — and in letters published in other newspapers, too. We hear it in phone calls we receive from angry constituents. We see it on Finstad's own Facebook page, where even the most innocuous post by the representative immediately attracts dozens, sometimes hundreds, of demands for him to come to Rochester, or New Ulm, or some other city to meet with voters in town hall meetings. Protesters are holding rallies outside his offices across the district. But Finstad has remained largely silent. Yes, last week he and his staff arranged a "Constituent Call Update" in which, according his office, 3,000 people listened to him talk about what's happening in Washington and across the nation. If you weren't on that call, it's not your fault — it wasn't publicized. You couldn't sign up to participate in it. Supposedly, people were called at random and invited to join in. No transcript or recording of the call has been released, and we don't know who, if anyone, was allowed to ask a question — or whether those questions were pre-screened. In other words, this is the kind of event that lets someone claim to have hosted a virtual town hall meeting while avoiding any real interaction with constituents who might be concerned or angry about dramatic shifts in foreign policy, possible cuts to Medicaid, trade wars with Canada and Mexico and a massive overhaul of the federal government under the direction of an unelected billionaire. Don't expect Finstad to face voters or cameras anytime soon. This week, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, told members of his caucus to stop hosting in-person town hall meetings. A handful of such meetings across the country, including some in Wisconsin, have put Republican lawmakers on the hot seat as they defend the work of President Trump, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Some of the events have ended abruptly, amid choruses of boos. Republican leaders justify an end to such gatherings by claiming — without a shred of proof — that Democrats are hiring outside agitators to disrupt these events. We scoff at such notions. At this point, if any member of Congress has an unscripted meeting with a few dozen voters, there would be no need to pay anyone to ask tough questions or express outrage. Plenty of people — mostly left-leaning, but some Republicans as well — are appalled by the ongoing slash-and-burn "reforms" of the federal government. Those constituents deserve to be heard. Finstad, like every other member of Congress, has an obligation to face his district's voters in-person, and to provide meaningful, honest answers to their questions. Granted, such gatherings in today's political climate aren't for the faint of heart. People who are thrilled with their elected officials tend to stay home, while fear and anger bring people out in droves. But that doesn't justify bad behavior. No elected official, regardless of party affiliation, should have to endure verbal abuse or threats of violence. Someone who cuts loose with a profanity-laced tirade at a town hall should be removed by security, as should someone who won't yield the microphone or interrupts other people. But the footage we've seen of the supposedly problematic town hall meetings across the country hasn't shown profane, violent or disruptive behavior. That footage has shown people who don't like the events of the past six weeks, and it's not disrespectful for them to ask "How does cutting $2 trillion from the budget while seeking $4.5 trillion in tax cuts reduce the federal deficit?" It's not unfair to ask, "If states' rights are so important, why threaten to cut federal funding for states that resist an executive order?" And it's not un-American to ask, "Why are thousands of veterans being fired despite great performance reviews?" Sadly, it's risky for embattled House members to provide thoughtful answers to such questions, because re-election is their top priority. (That's true for Democrats, too.) Staying in line, keeping your head down and being mostly silent is increasingly seen as a winning survival strategy for incumbents who are relatively new to D.C. To do otherwise is to risk losing in a primary. Put more bluntly: Finstad knows he could keep his MAGA base and still lose in 2026, but there's no formula in which he alienates that base yet keeps his seat. Therefore, he likely sees little to gain from putting himself in a room filled with people who disagree with him. Those people, however, are still his constituents. Finstad doesn't represent just the people who voted for him. America is a never-ending experiment in representative democracy, which means our chosen leaders are duty-bound to hear and consider opinions contrary to their own. Residents of Minnesota's 1st District deserve a chance to prove that they can ask hard questions in a civil manner. We urge Rep. Finstad to give them that chance — and to prove that he's more than a faithful cog in the party machine. We and the voters showed patience with him in November, but our patience is running out.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House passes budget blueprint that could impact Medicaid and SNAP, deliver tax cuts that favor rich
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a budget framework that could bring massive tax savings that favor the wealthiest Americans, and huge reductions in federal spending that could result in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. The budget resolution includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over the next ten years, a $2 trillion reduction in federal spending, and funding of $175 billion and $150 billion for border security and the military respectively, while allowing for a $3.3 trillion increase in the federal deficit. The budget resolution passed by a 217-215 vote in the Republican-controlled House, with Rep. Thomas Massie the lone Republican vote against. Minnesota Republican Reps. Brad Finstad, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, and Pete Stauber all voted in favor, and Democrat Reps. Angie Craig, Kelly Morrison, Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar (CD-5) voted against. The focus of much of the coverage has been the combination of the extension of the Trump Administration's 2017 tax cuts, and the potential spending reductions in public programs that provide assistance to tens of millions of low-income Americans. The Associated Press reports, citing figures from the Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis, that a 10-year extension of the tax cuts stands to benefit the top 1% of earners to the tune of $314,000 each. It also cited that the Tax Policy Center, which in July said households earning $450,000 or more would receive more than 45% of the benefits from an extension. Democrats proposed amendments to the Senate version of the budget resolution last week limiting the tax cuts so they didn't apply to anyone earning above $10 million annually, then $100 million, then $500 million, all of which were rejected. The New York Times reports that the $2 trillion in federal spending cuts "almost certainly could not be reached without reducing spending" on Medicaid, while leading Republicans have identified food aid programs such as SNAP as other potential savings targets. Medicaid, the nation's largest health insurance program, currently provides medical coverage for 78 million American residents. Initially limited to children, the elderly, the disabled, and the pregnant, it was expanded through the Affordable Care Act to allow low-income adults to join in states that approved expansion. It's being reported that the Medicaid expansion – which now provides insurance coverage to 21 million low-income Americans across 41 states including Minnesota (Minnesota Medical Assistance) – could be on the chopping block to achieve $880 billion in savings required of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the Medicaid program. The nonpartisan Center for American Progress claims that based on the funding reductions passed in the budget resolution, around 197,000 Minnesotans on MA (Minnesota Medical Assistance) or CHIPs (the Children's Health Insurance Program) could lose their coverage. Another potential cut candidate is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, which provides subsidies for food purchases to more than 42 million low-income Americans. The resolution calls on the House Agriculture Committee to find $230 billion in savings over the next 10 years, with much of these savings expected to come from SNAP and other food aid programs. Politico reported this week that Republican House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson claims there would be no cuts to current SNAP benefits, but there has been skepticism that the $230 billion savings can be reached by measures like expanded work requirements for SNAP beneficiaries, and efforts to target fraud and waste. Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-CD7) said the resolution "sets the framework to deliver on one big beautiful bill to extend the tax provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to tax relief to working families, secure the border and unburden American workers from unnecessary federal regulation." She pointed out that the resolution alone does not cut Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security or anything else at this point, but instead instructs Congress "to identify better investments and more savings so the federal government is acting as a good steward of taxpayer dollars." Bring Me The News asked Rep. Fischbach whether she would oppose cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. This story will be updated when we receive a response. Sixth Congressional District Rep. Tom Emmer, the GOP Majority Whip in the House, posted the following in favor of the tax cuts and military and border investments, but didn't touch on the spending cuts: "The American people can rest easy tonight knowing that House Republicans have successfully overcome the first hurdle in putting our country on the path to fiscal sanity. "The Budget Resolution passed by the House without a single Democrat vote will keep Trump's tax cuts in place for American families, provide crucial investments in securing our country's border, and increase American energy production to levels that were previously unimaginable." Rep. Betty McCollum (D-CD4) shared a letter on Monday from 14 state Republicans who were appealing to President Donald Trump and Reps. Emmer, Finstad, Fischbach and Stauber not to cut Medicaid. "Just to emphasize what you already know, Medicaid includes services and care for the seniors and those with disabilities, not just health care for the poor. Additionally, nearly 50% of all Medicaid enrollees are children," the letter read. Rep. Omar spoke before Congress this week, describing the budget resolution as a "blueprint for American decline."
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why is Mayo Clinic cozzying up to the dairy lobby?
The author argues that Mayo should avoid associating with the National Dairy Council. Photo by Getty Images. As a physician with a great deal of respect for the Mayo Clinic's lifesaving work, I was concerned when I learned of an ongoing partnership between Mayo Clinic and the National Dairy Promotion and Research Program, commonly known as the dairy checkoff program, which exists 'to build trust in and sales of dairy.' The Mayo Clinic is promoting a 3-part podcast series done in collaboration with the National Dairy Council. The program features glowing language about dairy products, out-of-date health claims, and exaggerated cautions about nondairy beverages. In addition, Dairy Management, Inc. is a sponsor of Mayo's upcoming conference, 'Cardiology Update at Puerto Vallarta: A Focus on Prevention.' Why is it important to take issue with a relatively small partnership that likely goes unnoticed by most patients? About two-thirds of all Minnesota adults are either overweight or obese. As the premier health provider in our state, the Mayo Clinic should instead spearhead efforts to help Minnesotans improve health and achieve and maintain healthy weight. Milk and other dairy products are among the top sources of artery-clogging saturated fat in the American diet. Milk products also contain cholesterol. Diets high in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease, which remains America's top killer. The National Dairy Council, through collaborating with Mayo Clinic on educational materials, has the opportunity to promote its own industry-funded research, presenting an imbalanced perspective on dairy's role in chronic health outcomes. The dairy industry is taking a multipronged approach to promoting full-fat milk, lobbying Congress for legislation that promotes full-fat milk, exempting it from limits on saturated fat intake. Creating alliances in the medical world to provide a health veneer for its products is smart marketing by the dairy lobby. But for a leading health care, education and research institution, this is an ill-advised partnership . As noted before, dairy products are among the primary sources of saturated fat in Americans' diets, and unbiased research clearly shows this elevates cardiovascular disease risk. The dairy industry was instrumental in the introduction of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act in Congress to allow more sales of high fat milk in schools and exempt dairy from school nutrition guidelines. U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad, who represents Rochester, is a co-sponsor of this legislation. For the benefit of students' heath, I urge him to rescind his sponsorship of this legislation. A 2017 study examined food frequency questionnaires and followed more than 140,000 men and women, finding that those who consumed the most milk had higher mortality rates from multiple conditions, including heart disease. Dairy products are harmful for cardiovascular health, and they have been linked to various cancers, including prostate, breast, and ovarian. Eighty percent of Black Americans and Native Americans and about 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. Surely, Mayo Clinic can partner to promote a food that more Minnesotans can consume without suffering diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain. Medical organizations across the country have been working to eliminate the unethical practice of industry sponsorship, and I urge Mayo Clinic to follow suit. Patients and physicians look to the Mayo Clinic as a source of reliable information. I respectfully urge its leaders to take this responsibility to heart and end the relationship with the National Dairy Council. The Mayo Clinic should leave product marketing to the dairy industry and focus on what it does best: patient care. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
