Brad Finstad

Top priority: If elected, what is your top priority for the 2023 Congress? Why are you running for offi ce?

Family pocketbook issues. That’s what I am hearing across the district. From Luverne to La Crescent and from teachers, plumbers, doctors, and everyone in between we are seeing the damaging effects of infl ation, being energy reliant, rampant supply chain issues and more. We need to act and get these issues resolved. I am running for re-election because I look at my 7 children and wonder if we are truly leaving the world better for them than we found it. I am committed to continuing to put in the work for children across southern Minnesota to leave the world better than we found it.

Economy: Inflation is at record levels. Do you support the Federal Reserve’s actions to try to control inflation? What measures can Congress take to stabilize the economy?

The failure of the Biden administration to push us into all of these economic problems is where this issue starts. The lack of leadership is startling and instead of doing something to fi x these issues the Democratic leadership in Washington decided to spend almost a trillion dollars on my fi rst day in Congress. I proudly voted no on that bill and will continue to stand up for common sense solutions to problems rather than just throwing money we don’t have at problems. Congress can get the government out of the way and allow companies to do business by removing burdensome regulations and also promote investment in our communities rather than just seeing entrepreneurs as potential businesses to tax.

Gun reform: Congress passed legislation in the wake of the school shooting at Uvalde, Texas. Should additional specifi c measures be taken to curb mass shootings?

Specific solutions to these horrible acts can be sharing of juvenile records with other governmental agencies as well as more mental health help for those who need it.

Health care: The overturning of Roe vs. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court has put abortion law back in the hands of lawmakers. What action should Congress take?

Congress should not take any action. The Supreme Court has sent the issue back to the local level where the conversation belongs.

Education: What is the role of the federal government in ensuring that high school and college graduates are prepared to help companies compete in the global economy?

The federal government shouldn’t be in the business of educating our children. Those decisions are best made at the local level, not from bureaucrats in Washington DC. Our schools do need to do a better job training our most valuable asset, our people, for the ever changing workforce. We need to be able to have our education system meet the needs of our workforce. One example of a school doing a great job of this on a local level is South Central College in Mankato.

Environment: Should the mining of precious metals be allowed in northern Minnesota? With or without environmental regulations?

Yes. If we are going to be energy independent we need to use our own resources that we have in our backyard. Nobody is saying we shouldn’t protect our land in the process of mining but the issue becomes when federal regulators push burdensome regulations and then lawsuits that last years, that isn’t a good process for those trying to do business in our state.

Immigration: What should be the key principles of any immigration reform legislation?

We need to remove the politics from the immigration conversation. We are a nation that was built on immigration, we need immigrants. We also need a system that works and is easy to understand. We also need a border. It is past time Congress came together to come up with reforms that include strong border security but also a system that those in our country and those who want to come into our country understand.