Friday, June 10, 2022

Fischbach's Misalignment of Words and Actions

 

Fischbach’s Misalignment of Words and Actions



Our 7th District’s freshman member of Congress, Michele Fischbach, appears to be suffering from political schizophrenia.  Too often, her words say one thing—but her actions (her votes!) say the opposite.

In her May 16, 2022 letter to constituents in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, she berated President Biden regarding the current shortage of baby formula:  “…Parents across Minnesota are scrambling to find baby formula, and we still haven't seen a sense of urgency from the liberal elites….I pray for a swift and decisive end to this catastrophe.”

It’s fine for Rep. Fischbach to pray, but why don’t her prayers inform her actions?  The “Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act” passed in the House with 219 Democrats along with 12 of Fischbach’s Republican colleagues.  (Fischbach, however, voted against this Act.)  If passed by the Senate, this act will free up $28 million in emergency funding to increase the number of FDA inspection staff, provide resources for personnel working on formula issues, help the agency stop fraudulent baby formula from entering the US marketplace, and improve data collection on the formula market, according to a release from the House Appropriations Committee.

Here’s a second example of Fischbach saying one thing but turning around and voting against the same thing.   In her May 16th letter Rep. Fischbach proclaims:   “Rural broadband is a top priority of mine.”     But has she voted in ways that support this “top priority?”   Not when it really mattered last November with the passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.    Fischbach could have joined the 13 Republican members of Congress who voted in favor of this landmark legislation—which included $65 billion to bolster the country's broadband infrastructure and help ensure that every American has access to high-speed internet—including rural areas like the 7th Congressional District.   But no!   ln voting against the infrastructure bill, Fischbach voted against her “top priority,” rural broadband.

A third example points to one of the most burning issues in our country right now:  mass shootings.  While Fischbach frequently proclaims her strong “pro-life” stance, apparently that doesn’t translate into action when addressing our country’s grievous epidemic of gun violence—the most horrific of which was the recent shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.    When the U.S. House passed its “Protecting Our Kids Act” this past Wednesday (June 8), by a vote of 223 to 204, Fischbach failed to join the five Republicans who voted in favor of this wide-ranging package of common sense gun measures.  So much for being “pro-life!”