Is it in the public interest for Congress to complete its work in the dead of the night? The Republican majority in the House of Representatives seems to think so. Just weeks ago, Republicans chose 1:00 AM to meet and debate procedural rules to advance President Trump’s massive budget reconciliation tax and spending package, also known as The One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Now as Congress approaches its most important role — passing appropriations to fund the government — Republicans are holding more hearings while Americans are sleeping. But Democrats are fighting back. I was in committee until 2:30 AM on Wednesday morning to oppose their bill that guts the VA, and until 1:00 AM on Thursday morning to push back on their bill that cuts the Food and Drug Administration by over $300 million. Democrats are forcing votes on amendments to strip out the most harmful provisions, but our Republican colleagues refuse to budge. I will continue to oppose all Republican attempts to take food, healthcare, veterans benefits, and basic services from Minnesotans. 

Donald Trump and his Republican followers in Congress are holding late night sessions and creating crises and chaos to distract Americans and hide their big ugly truth: Their big radical agenda makes devastating cuts to services Americans rely on — cuts implemented through unlawful Executive Orders, DOGE, Reconciliation and rescissions. The big ugly truth is that Republicans’ agenda is leaving American families with less money in their pockets — while billionaires are getting massive, permanent tax cuts.

 

Next week, I look forward to hearing from Minnesota community members at a listening session I’m convening at the State Capitol to learn more about how the cuts being made by Republicans are impacting the partnerships and services that our community relies on. 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. UPDATE

 

Questioning Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about the Defense Budget

On Tuesday, I led House Democrats on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in demanding answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the budget. Starting from the day President Trump nominated him, I have been sounding the alarm that Secretary Hegseth is unqualified for this position. On Tuesday, we saw clear evidence of that fact: He was unable to answer a single budgetary question during the committee hearing. When I pressed him repeatedly to disclose the cost of the deployment of American Marines to Los Angeles, he couldn't provide an answer. Watch below:

 

Congresswoman McCollum leads House Democrats in questioning Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the Trump Administration budget request during a hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. 
 
Defense Appropriations Bill Markup
In the Appropriations Committee on Thursday, I led House Democrats in our fight for transparency in President Trump's trillion-dollar defense budget. The White House is responsible for sending detailed funding requests that outline exactly how every dollar of the defense budget will be spent. Instead, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have sent us absolutely nothing — requesting only a dollar amount. No details, no transparency, no accountability. There are serious consequences to not following the standard operating procedure for building a budget, and those consequences will be borne out by American taxpayers whose hard-earned tax dollars are not being used efficiently. 

 

Read my opening statement in the Appropriations markup here.
 

On the left: The FLRAA budget request in 2024, which included detailed instructions, analysis, and directions for how every penny of Congressionally-approved funds would be spent. On the right: The FLRAA budget request in 2025, which is a single line with a dollar figure.

 

Military Construction and Veterans Administration Budget
House Republicans' Military Construction and Veterans Administration appropriations bill underfunds the infrastructure that supports our service members and their families. It also fails to rein in President Trump's extreme plan to fire 80,000 employees at the VA. These reductions will mean cuts to doctors, nurses, and administrative staff all across the country.

Congresswoman McCollum spoke out against Republicans' plans to cut VA benefits, and shared the story of Minnesota's own Joy Marver during a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee.

Agriculture Appropriations Bill Markup

This week the Appropriations Committee marked up Republican’s Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill. I spoke out against the administration’s illegal cancellation of grants that are used to purchase food from small family-owned farms and the Republican’s devastating cuts to the Food and Drug administration. These cuts come while the administration doubles down on its attacks on established public health science. Watch my remarks on Facebook and read my opening remarks here.

 

MINNESOTANS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

 

Governor Walz Testifies at House Oversight Committee
I was glad to welcome Governor Walz to Washington on Thursday. But why was he there? Because House Republicans wanted to attack Democratic governors in order to distract Americans from their tax cuts for billionaires in the Big Beautiful Bill, which strips away healthcare from our neighbors.

 

From left to right: Governor Tim Walz, Governor JB Pritzker (Illinois), and Governor Kathy Hochul (New York) are photographed ahead of their testimony at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

 

Minnesota is a great place to live. We're #1 in health care, #2 in economic opportunity, #3 in homeownership, and #4 in quality of life. But Republicans in Congress are attacking Minnesota because they don't like our Governor, who has a 58% approval rating. House Republicans do not share our Minnesota values.

Congressional Art Competition Winner Rachel Lee Visits Washington, DC

Each year, I have the distinct privilege of honoring a piece of art to represent our district in the Capitol, painted by a student from the fourth Congressional district. This year's winner was Rachel Lee from Roseville Area High School, with her painting No Appetite. 

 

Congresswoman McCollum (left), Fourth Congressional District Art Competition Winner Rachel Lee (center), and her aunt celebrated Rachel's accomplishment during a visit to the Hill this week.

 

Minnesota is national leader in the arts, and each year I am amazed by the talent and creativity of young artists here in the Fourth District. Congratulations and thank you to all the students who took this opportunity to showcase their talents to our community!

 

MINNESOTA UPDATE

 

News on the Boundary Waters

Amid all the bad that happened, there was one very important piece of good news this week: Thanks to the leadership of Senator Tina Smith, Congress has removed a provision from the Big Ugly Bill that would have put the Boundary Waters at great risk. Section 80131 would have handed out permits to multinational mining conglomerate Antofagasta for public lands within the watershed of the Boundary Waters — all while blocking federal courts from reviewing the decision. This removal of this provision is a major win for clean water and for all Americans in the fight to protect our fresh water and our public lands from the greed of right-wing billionaires who want to sell off Minnesota's national treasure to a giant foreign corporation.

 

Unfortunately, the Trump Administration immediately responded to this news. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced hours later on Twitter that the Trump Administration would initiate the process to cancel the mineral withdrawal in the Rainy River watershed. This is unacceptable, and I will continue to fight back to protect the Boundary Waters from the hazards of copper-ore mining.

 

Constituent Services Office Hours
In addition to serving constituents Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm, at my Saint Paul office, my staff holds neighborhood office hours at a variety of locations across the Fourth District. Members of my staff will be available to meet with constituents seeking casework assistance on Tuesday, June 17th at 10am-12pm at the Maplewood Library, Board Room A - 3025 Southlawn Dr, Maplewood, MN 55109.

 

Seeking Fall Interns in My Saint Paul and Washington DC Offices

Although summer has not yet officially begun, my Washington, DC and Saint Paul offices are hiring Fall Interns. An internship in my office provides college students with valuable experience as they prepare for their professional careers. Interns have the opportunity to assist all members of the staff, including legislative, administrative, casework, outreach, and communications duties. Internships are available in both my Washington D.C. and Saint Paul offices. The deadline to apply to both offices is July 15th, 2025.

Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and available hours. Additionally, please indicate any Minnesota ties. College students interested in a Washington, D.C. internship should email [email protected]. For St. Paul internships, please email [email protected]. 

 

Read more about internships in my office here. 

Now Accepting Applications for the 2025 Congressional App Challenge

I’m excited to announce my office’s participation in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge! Middle and high school students in the Fourth District with an interest in coding are encouraged to create and submit an app to solve a problem, or provide education or entertainment. Learn more about the rules and important deadlines here. 

 

Thank you to the hundreds of new subscribers to my weekly newsletter! This update is designed to provide timely information about my work in Washington and Minnesota, and to provide resources that can be helpful to you. As always, please stay in touch: Share your feedback on this newsletter, voice your policy opinion, ask for help with a federal agency, or find all of my recent statements

 

As always, please stay in touch: Voice your policy opinion, ask for help with a federal agency, or find all of my recent statements at mccollum.house.gov.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Betty McCollum
Member of Congress