Dear Friends,
Monday was World Downs Syndrome Day where we celebrated all of our loved ones with Downs Syndrome. This week was also National Agriculture Week. Thank you farmers for all you do to keep our community, state, and nation running!
Resolution to Make America Energy Independent
I am a coauthor on a resolution calling on President Biden to make America energy independent. The conflict in Ukraine has only emphasized the need to make sure we no longer rely on other countries for critical resources that we need to power our nation. Our country is rich with oil and natural gas. Instead of shutting down pipelines, we need to continue using them and construct new pipelines. This will support American energy leadership, security, and progress.
This resolution follows the recent letter that I sent with my colleagues to President Biden urging him to make the U.S. energy independent and resume mining of precious minerals that Minnesota is so rich in.
Rise in Avian Flu
I am monitoring the rise in avian flu that has been spreading across the upper Midwest since November 2021. While avian flu does not pose a food safety risk, it is a highly contagious disease that is often fatal to chickens. Back in 2015, 9 million birds in Minnesota were killed by the virus or euthanized to slow its spread.
The 2015 outbreak was devastating for the agricultural community. In response, the legislature provided significant funds to help deal with the emergency and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) instituted numerous biosecurity measures meant to slow the spread of avian flu if another outbreak came to Minnesota. These biosecurity measures have us in a much better place this year compared to 2015.
I encourage you to visit the Board of Animal Health’s website for information on resources for preventing outbreaks.
Standing Up for the Unborn
I learned a troubling statistic this week. In 2020, Minnesota taxpayers paid Planned Parenthood $730,559 for a record-high 3,422 abortions. Tax-funded abortions are up 296% since 2011.
Your tax dollars should not be going to Planned Parenthood and funding abortions. I will continue fighting for the rights of the unborn and work to stop state funding of abortion.