Representing Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District has been the honor of my life. As a little girl huddled in a refugee camp, displaced by a civil war that tore my birth country of Somalia apart, I just wanted to survive. I could have never imagined that I would have the privilege of representing the community that welcomed me with open arms; it is truly beyond my wildest dreams.
Over the last five years serving you in Congress, we have changed the arc of what is possible. I campaigned for transformative, bold change that our community could feel. And we have been successful in that mission. Just a few years ago, I was one of the lone voices calling for student debt cancellation, universal school meals, and the Green New Deal.
To date, President Joe Biden has canceled nearly 146 billion dollars in student loan debt for 4.75 million borrowers and an additional 30 million people are in the pipeline to get their debt canceled. At town halls and community events, I have countless Minnesotans come up to me and share how student debt cancellation has changed their lives. They tell me that now they can open that business they always dreamed of or finally start their family or pursue their dream of homeownership.
We also passed my bill, the MEALS Act during the pandemic that fed nearly 30 million children across the country during the pandemic. Now because of the success of that program, Minnesota became the fourth state to pass legislation to provide universal school meals. I am incredibly proud that Governor Tim Walz signed this bill into law to ensure no student across our state will go hungry.
To combat the climate crisis, I am proud to have played a leadership role in passing the most ambitious climate bill ever with the Inflation Reduction Act. Over the next decade, this bill will reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent, create 10,000 new green jobs every year, and invest $60 billion into communities disproportionately hurt by climate change. They told us these ideas were too unrealistic, naive, and outside the realm of what was politically possible. But we made the impossible possible.
We didn’t back down on fighting for the values of the Fifth District. Values like standing up for working and middle-class Minnesotans and taking on corporate greed. Values like fighting for a more just and peaceful world. Values like making sure every single Minnesotan can thrive, regardless of who they love, how they pray, the color of their skin, or their political views. And values like rejecting corporate PAC money.
Our society was not built for most people to succeed – it was designed to allow the rich to get richer and the powerful to maintain their power. That’s why I reject lobbyists’ money and corporate PAC money. Because I don’t work for corporations or special interest groups but for you. I am one of the few Members of Congress who acts as an independent voice because I am not beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups. When I cast a vote in Congress, every decision I make is deeply rooted in the needs of our community.
And we don’t just lead with our values, we lead with co-governance at the forefront. Together, we held nearly one hundred town halls and roundtables across every corner of the Fifth District. We delivered over 54 million dollars back home through community-centered projects to address affordable housing, climate resiliency, food access, workforce development, and healthcare investments. We also helped over four thousand constituents with casework on issues such as social security, immigration, veterans’ benefits, and taxes—even gaining national recognition for our success in serving our district.
Every single day our team has used this seat to improve the lives of residents across the Fifth District. We never forgot our mandate to bring the hopes and dreams of every resident to the People’s House.
Now our progress is at stake. Donald Trump is the Republican nominee and tied with President Biden in the polls here in Minnesota. If he wins that means abortion will be criminalized. It means another Muslim ban. It means tax loopholes for billionaires. It is a direct threat to our democracy.
To combat this, we need record voter turnout in the Fifth District like we have never seen. And that starts with winning the primary on August 13th. Early voting has begun. I promise to always have your back, and I look forward to earning your vote.
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About Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
Rep. Ilhan Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. She is the first Black person born in Africa to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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