Issues Around Us
Lowering the costs of essential goods
Here in Southern Minnesota, families work hard and should be able to afford everyday essentials like gas, groceries, housing, and childcare. In Congress, Rachel will work to keep our economy on track for the middle class. She’ll tackle the issues that keep prices high, like global supply chain disruptions and artificial price inflation by corporations, and she’ll push for investments in things like affordable housing, childcare services, and an expanded child tax credit so that folks in our district can afford their lives.
Health Care
Rochester, Minnesota is known throughout the world for being one of the best places to receive health care. We can be proud of this accomplishment and for the residents of Southern Minnesota who work in health care and strive to provide the best care possible. But even as Rochester is a destination for health care, there are too many residents in smaller communities who don’t have access to the health care they need, especially seniors.
When it comes to health care, workers, families, farmers, seniors and small business owners can count on Rachel to work hard for the affordable and accessible healthcare they need.
Where has Representative Finstad been for the American people? Fighting progress. His goal is to deny healthcare to those who need it more, drive up insurance costs and provide tax breaks to Big Pharma. He voted against a $35 monthly cap on insulin prices and opposes giving Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices to keep the cost of prescriptions low.
We deserve a member of Congress who will fight not only to lower health care costs for everyone, but for expectant mothers who have to drive long distances for prenatal care and delivery; nursing home workers who care for our loved ones and the nursing homes that employ them; and for the success of our local healthcare providers and hospitals whose care we desperately needs.
Local Business Support
Southern Minnesota needs a voice in Congress that will protect our hard-working families, farmers and small-business owners. No one should be left out or left behind as our economy continues to grow.
Rachel knows that businesses that come from our communities help our communities, and that prosperity for our Main Streets lies with the people right here in Southern Minnesota. In Congress, she will do everything possible to support small business owners, including fighting the monopolization that drains the vitality of homegrown businesses.
Farming
Agriculture is the bedrock of Southern Minnesota, and our farmers’ success directly impacts our communities’ success. The nation’s top lawmakers, including Representative Finstad who proudly sits on the Agriculture Committee, have not passed a Farm Bill that will set the future for agriculture and nutrition policy.
Our farmers must be a priority to our representative in Washington, D.C.; not a rhetorical tool. Farmers want to live and do work in healthy communities and be a part of creating those communities, but need federal support to do it successfully. Farming conservation programs are woefully underfunded; farmers are begging for support to meet consumer desires around sustainably produced farm and ag products; and we need investment in these programs in the Farm Bill–which, despite sitting in the Republican Majority, Representative Finstad hasn’t done.
It is inexcusable that food and agriculture products from MN01 reach so many people beyond Southern Minnesota, yet we have children in our communities who go hungry. Their families need a Farm Bill to provide food stamps and Women, Infant and Children (WIC) support.
We should also continue to grow the ethanol industry with corn that doesn’t contaminate the water or deplete our rich farmland. The Farm Bill should provide resiliency tools to farmers, and in Congress, Rachel will be a champion of doing so.
And, the federal government should follow the lead of farmers who are working with regenerative farming and provide incentive structures for agricultural producers who undertake regenerative practices. We need to keep phosphorus out of our water and improve soil health but not put so many restrictions on farmers that they are unable to farm. Farmers know what they need to be successful. We must listen to them and follow their lead.
Clean Environment
The climate crisis is a real public health and safety threat for families right here in Southern Minnesota. We must take steps so that our children, grandchildren and generations to come have a planet where they can live. Worldwide we are seeing an increase in natural disasters; this extreme weather is impacting vulnerable communities.
Congress must act to keep our air and water clean by investing in green technology and working with other world leaders to fight the climate crisis. Only by getting the lead out of the water our children drink, cutting carbon pollution, bringing clean energy manufacturing jobs to America and sharing with others the success of the commitment to sustainability throughout Southern Minnesota will we make the progress necessary to protect our families’ futures.
Immigration
Immigrants have long strengthened the communities in Southern Minnesota. Small business owners bring vitality to main streets, children revitalize schools; and workers are vital to the tough work required by the agriculture industry.
The current immigration system isn’t working. There must be common sense, bi-partisan work that provides smart management at our country’s borders while allowing people who want to live the American dream and build better lives for their families to live and work in America.
Public Safety
Members of Congress play a unique role in that they are involved with national security as well as the security of the residents they represent. As a former assistant county attorney, Rachel knows firsthand what it means to keep our communities safe on the ground.
On the national front, America must continue to confront terrorism at home and abroad. This means supporting the brave men and women in the armed forces not only when they are actively serving our country, but also when their service ends. We can never forget the sacrifice our veterans and their families make to protect our freedoms.
The nation also faces uncertain times when it comes to the issue of cyber attacks. Congress must not only prevent breaches of our current national security but also invest in training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals who will protect our country from harm.
On the local level, the support for our first responder services, including emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, can no longer be moved to the back burner.
Women’s Reproductive Choice
Taking away the right to make a choice about having a baby left victims of rape and incest and, in some states, women whose pregnancy was putting their lives in danger, in an unimagineable position.
Attacks on women’s freedom and confusion about what is allowed in each state have intensified over the last few years. Even now, access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and fertility treatments are in jeopardy and in April, the Arizona Supreme Court outlawed abortions, with the exception of when a pregnant woman’s life is at risk.
Protecting access to reproductive health is a top priority for Rachel. Decisions about how and when to have a baby must be made in consultation with loved ones and doctors, not in Congress.
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