FinstadWatch: Some context for Finstad’s scolding of Democrats for voting against the Continuing Resolution: When Biden was President, Finstad voted to close DC down, against a Continuing Resolution in late September 2024 and also one in November 2023. Not that he’s a flaming hypocrite or anything!

FinstadWatch: Meanwhile, the visible effects of the One Big Billionaire Bailout and the Republican refusal to address the coming elimination of the ACA premium subsidies are drawing closer and closer. When health insurance premiums skyrocket, most people will know who to blame: People like Finstad!

FinstadWatch: Polls: Who do Americans blame for shut down? Washington Post: 47% blame Trump/GOP; 30% blame Dems. Marist: 38% blame GOP; 27% blame Dems. New York Times/Sienna: 26% blame Trump/GOP 19%; blame Dems. Morning Consult: 45% blame GOP; 32% blame Dems.

FinstadWatch: The top headline in this week’s Congressman Finstad newsletter “Finstad Far Afield” is: “Democrats Shut Down the Government.” They are trying to blame the Democrats, but it doesn’t seem to be working according to the polls. You can fool some of the people some of the time. . . .

FinstadWatch: The Trump farmer bailout (demanded because of the tariff damage) is facing some headwinds because the USDA coffers are low, the shutdown sidelined many USDA employees, and to be legal they need both House and Senate to approve. Leverage for Dems? www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

FinstadWatch: While the government shutdown continues with Trump pledging to target “Blue States,” all which incidentally have a lot of “Red” voters, construction on the White House ball room vanity project is unaffected. You OK with that Cong Finstad? people.com/white-house-...

FinstadWatch: Come on Congressman Finstad, tell us what you think about bailing out Argentina. www.centralnebraskatoday.com/2025/10/02/d...

PBS News Hour did a nine minute story tonight on Hormel Foods and Austin, Minnesota, from the 1985-86 P-9 strike to today. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

FinstadWatch: Congressman Finstad, the Trump Administration is planning to bail out Argentina to the tune of $20 billion through the Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund. Meanwhile Argentina has a deal to buy their soybeans from China. Are you and other Minnesota Republicans supporting this?

#FinstadWatch With a government shutdown pending, the #MAGA-controlled House shutdown all business (no votes or hearings on #RepFinstad's priorities) So what does multi-millionaire #BradFinstad do with his time ? Issue a last minute appeal for more campaign contributions #TimeForChange in #MN01

FinstadWatch: The Congressman Finstad/Speaker Johnson/Senator Thune/President Trump Federal Government shutdown is coming in just 8 hours. Why do Republicans hate America?

FinstadWatch: According to Trump, farmers will be made whole by using the tariff “windfall” and turning it into payments (welfare) for farmers. But he’ll need Congressional approval to do that. Hopefully the Democrats, whose votes will be needed in the Senate, will require more than just welfare.

FinstadWatch: Per the Trump tariff theory, farmers will suffer a little pain before the “tariff benefits kick in.” I’m wondering if any reporters are asking Finstad and the other rural Republican Representatives for their estimates of when the tariff benefits are going to kick in for rural America.

FinstadWatch: China, which has been the largest purchaser of US soybeans for the last few years, has bought zero US soybeans so far this year, thanks to the Trump/Finstad trade war. Are the farmers in his district starting to catch on to how awful Republican farm policies are for them? Maybe.

FinstadWatch: The Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism reported in 2024 that for the third year in a row all ideological-related killings that year were done by white supremacists or anti-government extremists, yet Cong. Finstad and President Trump keep pointing fingers at “the left.”

FinstadWatch: In Friday’s newsletter “Finstad’s Fielding Errors,” the Congressman is demanding that the Minnesota State University system fire an employee for violent rhetoric about Charlie Kirk and Health United. He hasn’t brought himself to condemn Trump’s violent rhetoric yet, however.

FinstadWatch: Cong. Finstad wants opponents to cool their rhetoric. Meanwhile his colleague, Cong. Gillette from Arizona said that U.S. Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who urged people to nonviolently protest the Trump regime, should be executed. Watch Finstad call out his colleague! Waiting . . .

FinstadWatch: Here comes the big farm welfare bill. Watch all the “deficit hawks” scurry to obey Trump. www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

FinstadWatch: The Senate Democrats are asking for an extension of the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies as one condition for voting for a Continuing Resolution. The Republicans aren’t willing to negotiate. Why do Republicans like Finstad hate health care? minnesotareformer.com/briefs/close...

FinstadWatch: To illustrate how poorly the Finstad loyalists understand their opponents, the three people who shouted at the protesters out of their car windows said, “Get a job,” “Lost souls,” and “Read your Bible!” The last one cracked us up. Trumpists promoting reading the Bible.The Irony hangs!

FinstadWatch: This afternoon 30-40 citizens showed up to protest a Congressman Finstad fundraiser in very Republican, Lewiston, Minnesota. During the first hour at least, there were more protesters than people attending the fundraiser. More positive reactions than negative from passing drivers.

FinstadWatch: To understand how completely lost Congressman Finstad and the Republican Party is today, one needs only to listen to President Trump’s speech to the UN today. Any respectable political party would have quietly steered the man into a nursing home where he belongs.

Global embarrassment!

FinstadWatch: Remember to come out to protest Cong. Finstad at his fundraiser today, 4:30 at the Heartland Country Club’s Bogey’s Sports Club Bar at 19917 US-14 near Lewiston, MN. You won’t even need to pay the $5,000 that’s required to get him to pay attention to you. You can protest for free.

FinstadWatch: From time to time it’s important to remind a Congressman like Finstad of the words of arch-conservative (but respecter of the Constitution) Liz Cheney, “There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain," Finstad won't get rid of the stink of dishonor.

FinstadWatch: We keep getting reminders of the corruption of the Trump Administration of which Finstad is so supportive. MSNBC reported that an FBI sting operation caught “ border czar” Tom Homan accepting $80,000 in cash in exchange for “favors,” but that the Trump DOJ dropped the investigation.

FinstadWatch: Don’t forget that Congressman Finstad is hosting a fundraiser at the Heartland Country Club’s Bogey’s Sports Club Bar at 19917 US-14 near Lewiston, MN, Tuesday September 23 from 4:30 till 6:30 p.m. Winona Indivisible has scheduled a protest of his votes and policies there.

FinstadWatch: Last week, without taking into account the requests of the Senate Democrats, some of whom will have to vote for a Continuing Resolution, the House passed a temporary funding bill on a party line vote. Their propaganda machine will blame the Democrats for the coming government shutdown.

FinstadWatch: In last week’s newsletter “Finstad in Right Field,” the Congressman again eulogizes Charlie Kirk and urges us to “recommit to respectful dialogue.” We are supposed to believe that when Kirk said, President Biden “should face the death penalty,” he was engaged in respectful dialogue.

FinstadWatch: Congressman Finstad is hosting a fundraiser at the Heartland Country Club’s Bogey’s Sports Club Bar at 19917 US-14 near Lewiston, MN, Tuesday September 23 from 4:30 till 6:30 p.m. Winona Indivisible has scheduled a protest of his votes and policies there, since he avoids town halls.

China purchased 54% of US grown soybeans last year for $13.2 billion China has purchased $0 in US soybeans this year #ArtOfTheDeal

FinstadWatch: The Republicans are trying to figure out how to tee up some welfare funding for farmers, which might be a tough sell, since the Trump Administration feels free to not spend any appropriated money that they don’t like. This fight will bear close watching. thehill.com/homenews/adm...

FinstadWatch: In some positive news the Minnesota State Senate is going to be studying the impact of the Big Billionaire Bailout on the people of Minnesota. Hopefully, they will be providing well-researched accurate information to counter Finstad’s bullshit. minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/09/s...

FinstadWatch: Speaking of Charlie Kirk, the Rochester/Winona bishop, Robert Barron announced that he had scheduled Kirk, whom he called a “passionate Christian” to speak locally. I’m fairly sure these right-wing Catholics, would be the first demanding immigrant Jesus be deported should he return.

FinstadWatch: In last week’s newsletter “Finstad Far Afield,” the front-page picture is of a smiling Finstad with his buddy Charlie Kirk, To his very minor credit, at least Finstad didn’t blame Kirk assassination on “the left” like President Trump did. But Kirk as a model of “civil discourse?” No!

FinstadWatch: Will Congressman Finstad step up to take the lead on real immigration reform? Don’t count on it; this past week he’s been too busy blaming the cuts to SNAP that he championed on the states’ mismanagement. For Finstad the buck always stops on a Democrat’s desk when it’s bad news.

FinstadWatch: “The U.S. agricultural workforce fell by 155,000 — about 7 percent — between March and July, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.” Now farmers want the Republicans they voted for to do something about it. Finstad? www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

FinstadWatch: Who knew that Minnesota has real air quality problems caused by a failure to regulate the release of toxins? You won’t see Finstad doing anything about this-he who was so quick to demand action from Canada about their wild fires! minnesotareformer.com/2025/07/24/t...

I really don't get it. These farmers got exactly what they wanted. Trump told them exactly what he was going to do. Project 2025 was clear. And now they want to complain that there is no labor to do the work and they are losing their farms. This is what they voted for.

To learn more, please read indivisible.org/commitment-n...

Albert Lea has some of the highest rates of air toxins in the entire nation. ICYMI On June 16, the #TrumpAdministration reinstated the National Coal Council as a advisory comm Expect the House to vote on #HR3015 National Coal Council Reestablishment Act soon. minnesotareformer.com/2025/07/24/t...

From @mehdirhasan.bsky.social saying the same thing....

FinstadWatch: There was a great crowd of several hundred people last night for the Winona County DFL picnic, The crowd heard Jake Johnson explain in forceful detail why Cong. Finstad is “fireable.” Dan Wilson and Jack Hedin made compelling cases for why they should replace MN Rep. Aaron Repinski.

FYI Mayo Clinic Health Systems is closing 4 facilities in #MN01 : Northridge (North Mankato), St Peter, Caledonia and Wells. Plus two in bordering MN02 (Belle Plaine and Montgomery) So expect more Urgent Care visits to MCHS' Mankato facility (if they have the staff who are shared with New Prague)

FinstadWatch: Who does crop insurance benefit. The Environment Working Group points out that one-third of all crop insurance subsidies flow to massive insurance companies and agents, not farmers. And the farmers who benefit the most are the large farms growing commodities like corn and soybeans.

FinstadWatch: It is always helpful to compare Finstad’s non-existent concern about waste and fraud in the programs he supports, like crop insurance, versus those he doesn’t, like SNAP. Finstad has championed increasing subsidies for crop insurance, a program that also has “error rates.”

FinstadWatch: The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the Republican budget will cut 3.2 million people off SNAP nationwide, but for Finstad, these numbers are just “fearmongering.” Don’t forget that Republicans needed these huge benefit cuts to pay for huge tax cuts for the wealthy.

FinstadWatch: It is generally acknowledged, except by Republicans trying to cut SNAP, that most of the “error rate” is the result of unintentional errors by recipients and program administrators. The idea that there is currently fraud equal to the proposed budget cuts is a Finstad fantasy.

FinstadWatch: Cong. Finstad misleadingly equates the USDA estimated “error rates” with waste and fraud. Minnesota has about a 6% estimated overpayment rate and a 3% underpayment rate leading to an overall 9% “error rate.” Overpayments, when identified, are currently clawed back by the state.