As the weather starts to shift and another Minnesota winter creeps closer, infrastructure safety is critically important.

Last week, I announced a $15 million dollar investment in Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District for Hwy. 10 improvements. From Anoka to St. Cloud to Waconia, investments in our roads and bridges reduce congestion and provide the means to make our economy stronger than ever.

Transportation

Infrastructure

Last week, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation awarded $15,000,000 for an infrastructure project in Anoka. The project will construct a replacement of the Rum River bridge on Hwy. 10 as well as the replacement of an adjacent 4th Ave. bridge over Hwy. 10. The project also includes a reconfiguration of the Hwy. 10, Hwy. 47 and U.S. 169 Interchange.

I am grateful to Secretary Chao and the Dept. of Transportation for their attention and investment in Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District. Earlier this year, they invested an additional $40 million dollars to improve Hwy. 10, and they continue to show their commitment to infrastructure development with another $15 million for the Rum River Bridge Project.

Earlier this year, I introduced the National Bridge Replacement and Improvement Act, which prioritizes funding for bridge improvements to ensure safety and address America’s deficiencies in bridge infrastructure. My priority is and will always be to ensure our roads, bridges, and transportation infrastructure are safe and efficient.

Homeschool Families

We received great news from the Social Security Administration last week. After my colleague, Rep. Tim Walberg and I urged action, the Social Security Administration announced that they will extend survivor’s benefits to the homeschooled children of deceased workers who qualified to collect Social Security after retirement.

Previously, students over the age of compulsory school attendance (age 17 in Minnesota), who were homeschooled were deprived of these benefits.  Now, they will be eligible until age 19 or their graduation.

Homeschooling your children is a noble choice, and these children deserve the same opportunities and benefits afforded to others. I have long supported school choice, and this is an important step towards homeschool families receiving fair treatment under the law.

Retirement Savings

Many Americans invest in mutual funds as part of their savings portfolio. In fact, over 56 million of us are invested in mutual funds — often through a 401(k) or some other retirement savings account. These advisors that manage your retirement savings, often must litigate frivolous lawsuits, costing millions of dollars — and it is the investor that is typically forced to pay the price.

Last week, I introduced the Mutual Fund Litigation Reform Act which seeks to reduce frivolous litigation against mutual fund companies and pass on those savings to your retirement. Your retirement saving should not be impacted by these instances. Not only do these cases distract from serving your best interests, but these cases have been known to divert $10-$20 million in fees, resulting in additional burdens on those we entrust to build for our financial future. Your retirement saving should not be impacted by unnecessary litigation like this.

Sanctions on Iran

Recently, Sec. of State Mike Pompeo committed to imposing sanctions on Iran following the United Nation’s rejection of a continued arms embargo against Iran.

I applauded this effort in a letter to President Trump, because we all want to see a free and democratic Iran. However, until they provide that opportunity for their people, the United States should continue to take steps to deter the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Iran poses a nuclear threat, and until Iran fully complies with denuclearization, the United States should remain strong in their opposition. I recently signed a bicameral letter to President Trump that acknowledges and applauds the administration’s decision to “snapback” sanctions against Tehran that existed prior to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Following this “snapback,” Iran partially agreed to reverse course and allow additional inspection of nuclear sites. This is a huge win for the United States Dept. of State and the American people in our effort to spread democracy. Continued pressure could lead to denuclearization of Iran.

The “snapback” sanctions included an indefinite embargo on the transfer of conventional arms to and from Iran; a ban on a missile program in Iran; a prohibition on all testing and development of nuclear-capable missiles; the banning of all enrichment-related activities; and travel and asset bans for sanctioned individuals.

Coronavirus

I recently advocated for unique ways to combat the Coronavirus. As a member of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, I sent a letter to President Trump and federal regulators encouraging the use of blockchain solutions to respond to and mitigate the Coronavirus outbreak. Blockchain could assist with many of those concerns, like identity protection and identification, securing supply chains, and authenticating registries, among other use cases.

I urged federal regulators to shed the bureaucracy and implement new solutions. This crisis is an opportunity to focus on building stronger processes to better protect the American people from the challenges we face.

Young Women

Leadership Program

I recently hosted the final event for my annual Young Women’s Leadership Program. My role as a member of Congress gives me the opportunity to help connect young women in the district with women who are leaders in their respective fields and who can share their insights, experience, and advice as these young adults look to further their education or begin careers of their own.

As the father of a daughter whose career was just beginning when I started this program, I was getting a glimpse of the challenge’s young women in this country encounter as they pursue their professional dreams.

This month, Lt. Lori Ellering of the St. Cloud Police Dept. shared her insights with our participants. As a female law enforcement officer, Lt. Ellering has a unique set of experiences and skills which she was able to share with these young women.

Stem Cell Research

Last week, I signed on to a letter to President Trump expressing my gratitude for his Administration’s pro-life policies, and urging him to end taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research at the National Institutes of Health. 

Recent scientific advances promise even more benefits from the use of adult stem cells, which have treated more than one and a half million patients. The use of embryos defies the sanctity of human life and is not the only option for stem cell research.