October 27, 2025

Dear John:

I was grateful for the opportunity to be able to connect with over 11,600 constituents in the Seventh Congressional District during my telephone town hall last week. I provided an update on the current federal government shutdown. We also discussed how our agriculture communities and rural healthcare are being affected. Thank you all for your questions and for taking time out of your week to listen in to the discussion.

Shutdown Update

At the end of last week, Senate Democrats voted for the twelfth time to keep the government shutdown. TWELVE times they have had the opportunity to re-open the government, continue our work, and do the job our constituents sent us to Washington to do.

We did our job in the House. We passed a clean continuing resolution (CR) so we could finish our work. The House had already made great strides in passing all 12 appropriation bills out of committee. We are ready to continue our work, but that can't be done until the government is re-opened.

The right thing for the American people is for the government to be re-opened and for Democrats to stop holding America hostage.

In the coming days, the shutdown has the potential to affect even more American families. SNAP and WIC benefits could run out of their funding, blocking families and those in need from the benefits they count on each month.

The solution is simple. The Senate needs a total of 60 votes to pass the House's clean CR. Fifty-three Republicans and three Democrats in the Senate have voted to pass it. Four Senate Democrats stand in the way of re-opening the government - just four more Democrats voting yes will end this government shutdown so we can get back to working for the American people and stop the partisan games that the Democrats are playing.

CDFI Fund Letter

Last week, I was able to meet with the Initiative Foundation and other constituents in my D.C. office. Thank you for coming out and for sharing with me about the needs you are seeing firsthand. After this meeting, I joined over 100 of my colleagues in both the U.S. House and Senate in writing a letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, and the Office of Management and Budget Director, Russell Vought, reaffirming our support for the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The letter urges the Administration to continue carrying out the statutory obligations of the Fund. It also emphasized how elimination of the Fund would negatively impact the economy long-term.

As we stated in the letter, "CDFIs play an important role in supporting economic development in rural, tribal and other under-served communities in our states. They enhance the viability of community development
projects, especially in rural areas, by offering flexible financing tools such as longer loan terms and interest-only repayment periods...

"While we understand difficult decisions must be made amid the ongoing Democratic government shutdown and our nation’s unsustainable fiscal trajectory, eliminating all work done by the CDFI Fund will negatively impact our economy long-term. We stand ready to work with the Administration to make additional improvements at the Fund..."

Supporting American Beef

I recently joined seven of my colleagues in Congress in writing a letter to President Trump to urge him to give American producers an opportunity to meet increased demand following reports that the United States may import beef from Argentina.

I believe that our American ranchers have dedicated their lives to delivering the highest-quality beef while upholding the gold standard in food safety. No one creates a better product at a better value than American farmers and ranchers. Prioritizing America’s food producers is essential to an America-First agenda, which I will continue to support.

As we stated in our letter, "America’s producers can compete with anyone in the world. If given an opportunity, they will continue to respond quickly to the market demand for more quality American beef in our grocery stores."

On the Air This Week

I enjoy the opportunity to share live updates on our local radio stations about what is going on in D.C. Lately, a lot of our conversations have been about the shutdown, as well as other issues that are affecting constituents.

Here is a clip from my time on KROX radio in Crookston this week.

Mobile Office Hours in Northern MN

My staff will be holding two mobile office hours options in November in the northern part of the Seventh Congressional District.

On Wednesday, November 5, my staff will be in Fosston, from Noon to 3:00 p.m at the Fosston Public Library, 403 Foss Ave N, Fosston.

On Thursday, November 6, they will be in Warren, from Noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Godel Memorial Library, 314 E Johnson Ave, Warren.

This is an opportunity for you to connect with my office, share your comments or concerns on policies, and ask questions. They can also help you with any issues you might be having with a federal agency. For questions regarding the mobile office hours, please contact my office at 320-403-6100.

What matters most to you?

Thank you for reading!

As always, my office is open and ready to serve constituents of Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District! Please do not hesitate to get in touch if there is anything I can do to help. Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Michelle Fischbach

Member of Congress

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