MARSHALL — There will be some big tasks ahead for members of Congress this fall, Rep. Michelle Fischbach said Friday. Legislators will be trying to tackle a government funding bill and a new Farm Bill ahead of November’s elections.
Fischbach said inflation and government spending were still issues of major concern for her constituents.
“That is one of the things that I hear about up and down the district, about how, you know, groceries cost more, gas costs more,” she said. “We have to do something about that.”
Fischbach, who is running for re-election in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, had a meet-and-greet with members of the public at the Lyon County Republican headquarters in Marshall on Friday. Fischbach gave an update on what’s ahead for Congress starting next week, and took questions from the audience.
“We’re going back to (Washington) D.C. We have a couple of things that we have to deal with,” Fischbach said. One was passing legislation to continue funding the government. “We’ve got the continuing resolution to deal with, because all of those appropriations expire on September 30.”
Fischbach said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, also planned to attach a bill known as the SAVE Act to the continuing resolution.
“What the SAVE Act does, is it’s actually going to require someone to prove their citizenship, if they check that box before they vote,” she said. “So we’re going to do that, and I’m pretty sure it will pass off the House floor, and we’ll send it to the Senate and see what they do with it.”
The SAVE Act “makes sense” for Minnesota, because the state allows people to apply for IDs regardless of citizenship, Fischbach said.
“We need to make sure we have that proof of citizenship along with that,” she said.
Another major piece of legislation Congress will need to tackle is the Farm Bill.
“We have to deal with the Farm Bill,” Fischbach said. “With prices, and the kinds of things that farmers are dealing with right now, we’ve got to get that taken care of. The House Ag Committee did pass it out of committee, and it was bipartisan. This is a good bill … The farm groups and farmers that I have talked to appreciate this bill. It has a lot of their priorities in it.”
Fischbach said Senate Democrats would be the problem in passing a Farm Bill.
“Senator (Debbie) Stabenow has put out a framework, but has not provided a bill, has not moved forward a Senate bill. And she needs to, because we need to get to the table and talk about these things.”
“We’re going to be pushing everything we can,” Fischbach said.
When it came to easing the effects of rising inflation and costs for Minnesotans, Fischbach said it would be important to keep tax cuts and other measures from the 2017 Jobs Act.
“If we let those expire, it will be devastating. It will ruin the economy,” she said.
Fischbach said Republican legislators are trying to reduce spending in the upcoming appropriations bills.
“I sit on the Budget Committee, and we are looking for creative ways to make it work, to try to cut things,” she said. However, more long-term budget reform was needed, she said. “It’s not necessarily an overnight solution.”
As Fischbach spoke about rising costs, area residents also raised concerns about the cost of Minnesota’s green energy initiatives.
“Why is there such a disconnect between politicians and real world science, such as the energy industry?” asked one audience member.
“My argument would be that, for the Democrats, it’s because they are pushing a social agenda that they want, and they’re not very concerned about the cost of it to the individual,” Fischbach said. She added that she would rather see more flexibility in energy policy. “I think instead of mandating, ‘do this and do that,’ we should be looking at everything.”
November’s presidential elections were another major priority for Republicans, Fischbach said. She encouraged area Republicans to get out the vote.
“We’ve got to work hard, to make sure we’re doing everything we can. Because we’re missing a lot of Republican votes in Greater Minnesota. We’re not turning them out,” she said. “There’s a lot of Republicans who are not voting, and for every extra vote that we get out, it offsets the numbers in the cities.”
Fischbach said Donald Trump was building a coalition including former Democrats, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard.
“And those Democrats recognize what’s happening with the country,” she said. “They recognize the law and order issues, the out-of-control spending, the things that are going on that are bringing the country down.”
