MANKATO — Republican Congressman Brad Finstad said he’s paying attention to how federal legislation such as the upcoming farm bill is impacting the region as he continues his tours of industries in the 1st District.
The representative from New Ulm visited the Walmart Distribution Center in Mankato on Monday during his latest stop as he visits local job providers, economic developers and employees during lawmakers’ August recess.
The current farm bill, which passed in 2018, expires at the end of next month.
Finstad said he’s especially paying attention to how the nutrition title, which funds nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, affects places such as the distribution center.
Finstad said he’s looking at what consumers want and need and added that there’s an opportunity to modernize programs like SNAP.
“If you look at meeting consumers where they’re at, a program that’s really about a hand up, not just a handout, in a perfect world, SNAP is for a working family that’s trying to get their way out of SNAP and into a full employment opportunity. Things like covering rotisserie chicken or sliced apples, that’s areas where we can modernize the program — and that’s the type of thing you learn from doing visits like this,” he said.
Finstad, who participated in a farm bill listening session at Farmfest earlier this month, said risk protection and risk management tools are other priorities of his in the farm bill.
“As I toured through here, you saw aisles upon aisles of watermelon, sweet corn, broccoli, all of this produce that, we have a component of that here in southern Minnesota. But globally as an ag industry in this country, it’s important that we keep that secure,” he said.
“I want my broccoli and watermelon, asparagus grown from American farmers. We know that it’s the safest, cheapest, most affordable option, and so food security becomes national security. The farm bill and protecting those risk management tools to make sure farmers have that stability and that ability to continue to operate even when times are tough.”
Finstad added that the farm bill should provide a safety net for farmers who are impacted by events like the drought.
Finstad’s industry tour stops have ranged from agribusiness sites to manufacturing businesses and more in cities such as Fairmont, Faribault, Rochester and across southern Minnesota; he had also made a stop at Kraft Foods in New Ulm.
He said the tour provides both an opportunity to see how different industries are helping the community and learn more about what Congress can do.
Finstad also said he’s heard from constituents about drought concerns in the 1st District, which stretches across the bottom of the state from the Wisconsin border to the edge of South Dakota.
“We had some good rain in that south-central part of the state in August, so hopefully the beans can recover. Corn will be spotty. It’s kind of what I’m hearing all over. Just really depends on where we got those rains, but so far what I’m hearing is that it’s kind of a wait-and-see approach to see how we can come through this harvest.”
Expects budget to pass
Finstad and other lawmakers will return from recess in mid-September, when they’ll continue work to pass a federal budget before the end of month deadline; the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
As lawmakers work to avert a government shutdown, Finstad said he hopes and expects that lawmakers will get their work done.
He also said he supports the different approach lawmakers are taking to pass spending; Congress is voting on 12 different bills instead of a larger omnibus bill.
“In the past, specifically maybe the past eight years, we’ve seen more omnibus bills, more super-funding bills where everything is put into one. We’ve said no, we want to be more transparent with the American public,” he said.
“With that comes hard work, and that hard work is in front of us right now. We have a month to do it. In the House, we’ve passed one appropriation bill. We have 11 more to go, so we’re going to come back in September and get to work on that.”
When Finstad was asked whether he would support former President Donald Trump as the Republican presidential candidate following his indictments, he replied: “As of right now, just watching how it all plays, I mean here’s the bottom line. When Donald Trump was president of this country, we had amazing results. Those results I don’t think anybody can deny. If we focus that conversation on the results, and if he has the opportunity again to have his day in court, and we’ll see where that all lies … the judicial system needs to work evenly and fairly for everybody, and that’s what I want to see happen.”
He added, “If he’s our candidate, I’m supporting him.”