Latest news with #Fischbach
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Some northwest Minnesota residents worried for proposed federal budget cuts' impact on Medicaid
May 3—CROOKSTON, Minn. — A provider of mental health and substance use disorder services hosted U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach and members of a regional organization that has concerns about potential federal budget cuts. The visit allowed a conversation between the organization and Fischbach, R-Minnesota, to address worries from northwest Minnesota, said Michelle Van Camp, chief marketing and communication officer at Alluma. "She did a lot of listening," she said. "From my perspective, watching it happen, it was great." Fischbach visited Alluma's Northwestern Apartments in Crookston. She toured the apartments and spoke with members of the Northwest Minnesota Council of Collaboratives, which is made up of different organizations across eight counties. Education and social services representatives were some of those present for Fischbach's visit, Van Camp said. The council had sent Fischbach a letter voicing worries over the proposed $880 billion in federal budget cuts targeted through the Energy and Commerce Committee. Member concerns focused mainly on Medicaid in rural Minnesota, Van Camp said, though touched on other topics such as education and elder care. About 60% of Alluma's clients use Medicaid and would struggle without it, Van Camp said. Alluma provides mental health, substance use, crisis and housing support services. The Northwestern Apartments have 14 beds and are used by people in recovery or transitioning between levels of care. Usually, people spend six to nine months at the apartments, she said, but recently the stays have increased up to a year and a half. In a press release, Northwest Apartments Supervisor Amy Hillebrand said people have been staying longer because there aren't enough housing options offering the proper level of care, and some return later because there aren't other available housing options that are safe, affordable and appropriate for the individual. "Sometimes Northwest Apartments is still the best place for them to be safe, well and supported," she said. Shauna Reitmeier, Alluma's executive officer, added, "so many people we serve don't qualify for disability benefits. ... Disproportionately, mental health and substance use care depend on that Medicaid expansion to gain access to health care." In regards to the $880 billion in proposed cuts, Reitmeier said, "it's hard to see how they will do that without touching Medicaid." Van Camp said Fischbach spoke to members of the northwest council to try and give them a better understanding of what's been happening, and how there are decisions to be made at federal and state levels. Now is the time to prepare and wait to see what happens, Van Camp said. Alluma is using the time to work on opening up a fourth bed after opening three at a new residential property.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig continues town halls as GOP colleagues seek ethics review
Apr. 24---- Just over two months after protesters who gathered outside U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach's office in Willmar called on her to hold a town hall meeting to hear their concerns, one of the Republican congresswoman's Democratic colleagues in the U.S. House is planning exactly that. Democrat and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Angie Craig hosted town halls in Grand Rapids on Monday and St. Cloud on Wednesday. She is hosting a town hall Thursday evening in Willmar that represents her third out-of-district town hall in the past week. She is scheduled to be in Mankato on Friday. "I just wanted to show you what it might look like for a representative to actually show up and do their job of representing their constituents," Craig told about 80 people attending her meeting Wednesday at Ritsche Auditorium on the St. Cloud State University campus, according to a St. Cloud Live report. Craig's Minnesota Republican colleagues in the U.S. House sent a letter to the House Committee on Ethics and the Committee on House Administration urging them to review potential violations of House rules by Craig, according to a news release. In the release, Fischbach, Congressman Tom Emmer, Congressman Brad Finstad and Congressman Pete Stauber say that House ethics rules "prohibit members of Congress from using official resources to promote political events." They argue that Craig is "using her taxpayer-funded congressional office to further her political ambitions by publicizing campaign-sponsored events and soliciting donations for political fundraising." Craig answered by telling reporters Wednesday evening in St. Cloud that none of this is being paid for by a single taxpayer dime, St. Cloud Live's Trent Abrego reported. Craig said the letter only provides her with "another opportunity to talk about the fact that they won't come talk to their constituents," according to St. Cloud Live. Protesters had gathered outside of Rep. Fischbach's office in Willmar in frigid weather Feb. 19 to voice concerns about President Donald Trump's federal budget cuts and immigration actions, and they urged Fischbach to oppose them. They also called on her to hold town hall meetings in her district. Fischbach hosted a telephone town hall meeting on March 25, according to an announcement from her office, and said that some 14,000 people participated. Local members of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party said Thursday afternoon that they are expecting a good turnout for Craig's visit later in the day. Fernando Alvarado, of Willmar, a DFL Party leader in Kandiyohi County and former state legislative candidate, told the West Central Tribune that he expects the main topics in Willmar to be what he described as the "chaos in Washington" and concerns about the potential of cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and programs for veterans, along with tariffs.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hundreds gather in Hands Off! rally and DFL town hall in Willmar, Minnesota
Apr. 6---- The Willmar town hall hosted by the Congressional District 7 was standing room only. Attendees packed the cafeteria of Lakeland Elementary on Saturday evening, with many wrapped around corners leaving little view of the stage where invited speakers answered questions. "The chaos and confusion coming out of Washington really has people concerned, and I think scared. What they are doing is they're finding a space and a place where they can come together and talk to one another about what is going on and how to make sense of it," Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said in an interview with the West Central Tribune. The town hall in Willmar, also held in conjunction with one of many Hands Off! demonstrations across the country, was described by organizers as a response to U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach not appearing at in-person town halls in the Minnesota 7th District she represents. According to event organizers, they had personally reached out to Fischbach, a Republican from Regal, to invite her. "She is making decisions in Washington that are incredibly hurtful to the people of Willmar. She refuses to show up and explain herself when she chooses to vote to support Medicaid cuts," Carlbom said in an interview. Fischbach in denied that the House budget resolution cuts any provisions to "Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, or anything else." She called it a "blueprint instructing committees to identify better investments and more savings." The Republican budget resolution calls for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid, to find $880 billion in spending cuts. Democrats and others say that figure cannot be reached without cutting Medicaid. A projected the budget outlays for those 10 years, excluding Medicaid, would total $581 billion through 2034. U.S. Rep. Fischbach has hosted a telephone town hall with 14,000 people tuned in, according to from her office, saying constituents by and large agree with efforts to "eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse from the federal government and think that this country is headed in the right direction." The absence of in-person town halls by the congresswoman was not the only grievance discussed at the event Saturday in Willmar. Speakers included Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish and Carlbom. These three took time to talk about the impact of the current administration. In their speeches, they argued that the actions of President Donald Trump have weakened the public services available to citizens. Calls for continued action went out to the crowd as attendees were asked to contact their elected representatives to tell them their thoughts on what is happening at both the state and federal level. "No matter what side of the aisle you are on, let them know. That helps them do their job too. Tell them your stories. A lot of times the stories make a difference in getting legislation changed or adopted. That does make a difference," Wertish said in an interview. Prior to the town hall, many gathered in the parking lot of the school in one of scores of Hands Off! rallies conducted nationwide. that Hands Off! organizers said more than 1,300 rallies of varying sizes took place on Saturday across the country. Hands Off! website posts described the events as a protest against "the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies." Decorated signs at the Willmar rally stood out from the crowd alongside American and Ukrainian flags. Attendees joined in chants like "hands off," which called for an end to federal interference in public funding and services. "I see a lot of damage being done to some of the programs that have benefited the kinds of farming practices that I want to have and the kind of society that I want to live in and I want my kids to be able to live in," farmer, artist and musician Malena Handeen, of Milan, said. Rally speakers included Dr. Kathryn Nelson-Hund, a retired doctor who said she had done research at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., and at the EPA Freshwater Lab in Duluth. Nelson-Hund called for maintaining funding for medical research. "Because of the recent slashing of money and personnel across all institutes, research has been devastated. Scientists are leaving for other countries, graduate programs are being canceled," Nelson-Hund said in her rally speech. NIH is the largest source of funding for medical research in the world. The Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division laboratory in Duluth, as it is formally known, is part of the Environmental Protection Agency. It is known for developing scientific protocols used worldwide to measure how toxic chemicals affect the environment, according to about the lab's uncertain future amid proposed staffing and other cuts. Other speakers at Saturday's outdoor rally, like Minnesota DFL Senate District 16 Chair Fernando Alvarado and Morris nurse Erik Stoeckeler, called out potential cuts to federal programs like Social Security and Medicare. "You can't chase the American dream if your retirement is at risk, your health care is uncertain, your rights are under attack, or the sacrifices of our veterans and women are ignored," Alvarado said in his speech. The Willmar town hall was the third and final event of the day hosted by the 7th District DFL, which had gathered earlier in Detroit Lakes and Alexandria. Across the three events in District 7, more than 1,000 people gathered in protest and to ask questions of people in power, according to event organizers. As some 700 people like Handeen attended the event in Willmar, the Kandiyohi County DFL estimated, more than 25,000 people gathered around the State Capitol building in St. Paul, according to that attributed the figure to Minnesota Capitol Security. More protests took place across the state in several cities including St. Cloud, Bemidji and Brainerd.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Entries sought for 2025 Congressional Art Competition
Mar. 25—GRAND FORKS — High school students in Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District are invited to submit entries in the 2025 Congressional Art Competition, U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach has announced. Entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. April 16. The winning entries will be displayed in Fischbach's offices in Willmar, Moorhead and Washington, D.C., and the first-place entry will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The first-place work hung in the U.S. Capitol will be seen by members of Congress, their staff members, and thousands of visitors from throughout the world, Fischbach said. The art displayed in the Capitol represents the winning artwork from all participating districts around the country. This long-standing, nonpartisan tradition is a wonderful opportunity for students from across the district to showcase their creativity and hard work, Fischbach said in the contest announcement. Students can submit their artwork for the competition by sending a picture of their arts along with a student release form. All entries must be original in concept, design and execution, and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws. The Seventh Congressional District covers the majority of western Minnesota. In this area, the district includes Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau counties. For more information, visit . Since 1982, more than 650,000 high school students from across the nation have participated in the Congressional Art Competition.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Cloud State alumna Fischbach announces 2026 US House of Representatives reelection bid
U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., on Monday launched her campaign to continue representing the North Star State in Washington, D.C. Fischbach, 59, represents Minnesota's seventh congressional district, which includes the western part of Stearns County. She is currently serving her third term after winning her 2024 bid with more than 70% of the vote. "It is a new day in Washington, D.C., with President Trump in the White House and republican majorities in Congress,' Fischbach wrote in a statement. 'We have been given an opportunity by voters to do the things that are needed to save our great nation." The congresswoman is a St. Cloud State University graduate and received her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. She currently resides in Regal. Environmental politics: Conservation efforts are underway in Stearns County Since her 2020 campaign, Fischbach has advocated for reduced government spending and peeling back federal regulations. She is currently on the House Ways and Means and Rules committees. Fischbach was Minnesota's 49th lieutenant governor. Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@ This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: US Republican Rep. Michelle Fischbach launches 2026 reelection campaign
