| I was raised by a single mom and grew up in a mobile home park. I watched my mom work hard and complete her teaching degree over nine years while raising three kids with the help of my grandmother - who herself worked in a union shoe factory well into her 70s. These strong women showed me what grit and determination look like.
Like my mom, I worked two jobs and took out a little in student loans to put myself through state college. I started my career as a newspaper reporter and worked my way up over 20 years in business to lead a workforce of 16,000 for a major Minnesota manufacturer. Today, my wife and I are moms to four amazing men. My oldest is now a proud trade school graduate and has worked as a machinist. Two have now graduated from four-year colleges and our youngest is a college junior. In the past few years, we've added two daughters-in-law and two grandsons to our family.
I worked hard to get where I am, but I was pretty lucky, too. For too many Americans, hard work doesn't pay off like it used to. College is unaffordable and technical training is unavailable. Healthcare costs too much. Incomes aren't keeping up with the costs of groceries and prescription drugs. We can do better.
That's why I ran for Congress, and that's what I'm working on day-in, day-out since being elected. It's disappointing that so many politicians seem content to sit back and do nothing but fight among themselves over petty politics.
Instead, I've prioritized listening to the concerns of the citizens I represent and working across the aisle to create stronger communities and an economy that works for every Minnesotan.
Since coming to Congress, I'm proud to have-
Had bipartisan legislation signed into law by both Republican and Democratic presidents
Been ranked in the top 2% of all bipartisan members of Congress
Hosted more than 60 town halls in all five counties in CD2
I'm working hard to bring costs down for working families and lower prices at the gas pump and the grocery store.
I'm also fighting to make healthcare more affordable for Minnesota families. That's why I wrote and passed the bill to cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors on Medicare because it is unacceptable that patients are forced to ration the life-saving medication they need when the cost is too high. Now I'm working to pass $35 insulin for everyone. I also succeeded in pushing the Administration to fix the Family Glitch in the Affordable Care Act, reducing premiums and expanding healthcare to 5.1 million more Americans. I also helped introduce legislation that would empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices and cap out of pocket costs for folks on Medicare Part D.
And this year, President Biden signed my bipartisan bill into law to help stop the smuggling of illicit fentanyl into our country - because we've got to treat the fentanyl crisis like the public health and safety emergency it is.
I've championed education equality in Minnesota. I worked across the aisle with Republican Rep. Pete Stauber to expand resources for apprenticeship and job training programs across our state. And I've worked to introduce the 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act, which will give students the career skills and technical education they need to help fill the thousands of good-paying, skilled job openings in Minnesota right now.
I've prioritized Minnesota's family farmers and supporting biofuels markets. I am the first member of Congress to ever get year-round sales of E-15, or Unleaded 88, passed in the House. And I am focused on ensuring that family farms can be passed on to the next generation of farmers.
And now that I've seen how things usually happen out in Washington, I'm determined to fight for change that prioritizes the voices of my constituents over special interests. That's why I've fought so hard to make the U.S. Postal Service work for you and why I authored a bill to permanently ban Members of Congress from serving as lobbyists or trading individual stocks. I will continue to prevent Members of Congress from receiving a pay raise until we've demonstrated that we can deliver bipartisan results for the American people.
You'll find more about what I believe in on the issues pages.
My wife, Cheryl, and I chose Minnesota as our home because as Minnesotans, we uniquely understand the importance of family, community and caring for each other. I'm a Rotarian and have served on several local boards over the years.
I will never give up on the Minnesota and America that we can create by working together. I humbly ask for your vote to continue to represent you in Congress and advance this important work representing you. |