March 2023: Congressional Update

Dear friend,

I hope you and your family are staying safe during these winter storms. I wanted to update you on some of our work these past few weeks. My office hosted a Community Resource Fair with special guest COPAL (Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina) at Primero de Mayo Worker’s Center on Lake Street. This is a quarterly event my office hosts. It’s designed to be a one-stop-shop for community members to get connected to government resources for any issue they’re having with Medicare, Social Security, the VA, immigration, and more. To learn when the next event is happening, please make sure you subscribe to our newsletter. You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also email my District Office with any questions here.

Chatting with Senator Amy Klobuchar

I was recently joined by my friend and fellow Minnesotan, Senator Amy Klobuchar, for a Coffee and Kulan conversation on Instagram Live to dig a little deeper on what we’re working on in Congress. For those of you who don’t know, the word “kulan” means meeting in Somali. This time, we had the chance to chat about antitrust policy, breaking up Ticketmaster, and some of our favorite Minnesotan musicians. You can watch our full conversation here.

Meeting with U of M Alum

It is a joy to represent the University of Minnesota in Congress. I had the honor of attending the U of M Alumni D.C. network reception at the Capitol and discussed some of my legislative work in Congress. It’s always incredible to see the amazing things Minnesotans are accomplishing in the nation’s capital.

Commemorating the 58th Anniversary of the Selma March

In Selma, Alabama, I joined civil rights leaders at the Edmund Pettus Bridge to commemorate the 58th anniversary of the Selma March. All these years later, the work of the Civil Rights Movement is not complete. Voting rights are under assault. Hate and extremist violence are on the rise. The work of John Lewis and the marchers in Selma remains more relevant than ever, and I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act into law.

Fighting to Cancel Student Debt

A few weeks ago, I joined some of my constituents in front of the Supreme Court to discuss reforms to current education policy in relation to President Biden’s executive order. The executive order will benefit over 111,600 Minnesotans in our district, who will be eligible to have part of their student loan debt cancelled under the president’s plan. When I got to Congress, I introduced the first bill to cancel student debt and began pushing the next president to take action — under his clear statutory authority. President Biden and his Education Department listened. I remain confident we will prevail, and will continue to fight until every cent of student loan debt is canceled to provide borrowers with the relief they need.

Receiving Oxfam’s 2023 Champions of Equality Award

On International Women’s Day, I received Oxfam’s 2023 Champions of Equality award as a result of my work in Congress. I look forward to continuing my work in Congress fighting to end hunger, poverty, and injustice at home and abroad.

Meeting with Uyghur Women Concentration Camp Survivors

I met with Uyghur women who are survivors of concentration camps to hear their personal stories. The United States must stand against human rights abuses wherever they are committed, and I am proud to have led a letter condemning American companies’ use of forced Uyghur labor in China. I will continue to stand up to human rights violations. You can read my full letter here.

In service,

Ilhan Omar