District Work Period Recap | January 15–21, 2023
Here’s a look behind the scenes of our district work period last week.
Monday
I attended the 33rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It was great to be in community with fellow Minnesotans to celebrate his enduring legacy.
Tuesday
I started out the day at Sabathani Community Center. We talked about their environmental justice energy project aimed at improving air quality and reducing asthma rates for our communities — largely BIPOC. Last year, we secured $500,000 through Community Project Funding to repair their 100-year-old commercial building and upgrade their energy system. Community centers like these help Minnesotans strive for a more inclusive, heathy, and safe community.
I hosted our annual Legislative Luncheon for Minnesota’s Fifth District, where we celebrated legislators from our district who are filling prominent roles in the Legislature this session, including the President of the Senate, Bobby Joe Champion, the Senate Majority Leader, Kari Dziedzic, and the Speaker of the House, Melissa Hortman. I can’t wait to see the amazing things they will accomplish for our district.
Next, I attended a press conference to celebrate the incredible work the Next Step violence prevention program does to stop the cycle of violence and help families in our communities heal. I’m proud my office was able to help secure a $500,000 federal grant to help them continue their important work to provide resources to those who have become victims of gun violence.
Wednesday
I visited Shiloh Cares Food Shelf alongside Mayor Jacob Frey to serve meals, tour the food shelf, talk with staff, and learn about the overall operations. Shiloh Cares works to eliminate food hunger in North Minneapolis, and Hennepin County, by providing residents with meals and nutrition education. As someone who experienced hunger, fighting food insecurity remains one of my top priorities in Congress. Last year, I secured $1 million in federal funding to Shiloh Cares Food Shelf. You can watch a video recap of our visit, here.
Then, I particapted in one of Councilmember Andrew Johnson’s monthly senior town halls at Nokomis Square Senior Co-Op to answer questions and provide an update on our work, including the $24.7 million in community project funding we secured.
Thursday
I joined other elected officials to celebrate city, state, and federal funding to equip all 42 MPHA high-rises with fire suppression systems. I partnered with Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Tina Smith to secure $2 million in federal funding to accelerate the installation process for fire sprinkler systems, following the tragic fire at a Cedar-Riverside high-rise building in 2019. Since the horrific incident, I have fought for increased federal funding to improve public housing for Minnesotans.’
Next, I visited Fridley High School and Fair Middle School in Crystal to particapte in a Q&A with students. School visits are my favorite district week activity. I love meeting with our incredible educators and the next generation of leaders. Since getting elected to Congress, I try to meet with as many students as possible every district work period.
After that, I had a meeting with our US Postal Service Regional Manager to receive an update on the recent delays people have been experiencing with their mail services.
Later that night, I hosted my first town hall of 2023 in Brooklyn Center. I discussed the community project funding my office advanced for the district and the start of the new Congress. If you missed it, you can watch our livestream here.
Friday
I started out the day with a press conference with Senator Amy Klobuchar in Richfield at Wood Lake Nature Center to celebrate the $3 million in community project funding we secured. The funding will go towards making the building ADA-accessible and energy efficient to enrich the educational experience of visitors. This is one of fifteen projects that was included in the House-passed 2023 appropriations government funding package.
That’s a wrap!
In Service,
Ilhan Omar
