The country just averted a government shutdown, but it was no thanks to Michelle Fischbach. She voted against the short-term funding bill, aligning herself with the far-right faction of her party. It wasn’t the first time. She also voted against the bipartisan funding bill that got Kevin McCarthy in hot water with his caucus. No great loss there, but a voting record to the right of McCarthy and Mike Johnson ought to tell you all you need to know about Fischbach.
One of the right’s objections to the bill was that Johnson, in order to secure passage, left out a provision that would impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration. It’s no surprise that Fischbach would support a measure to put barriers in front of voters. She has been unwavering in her support of the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, starting with her vote against certifying the election result. She is also a cosponsor of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The only thing might would be saved by the SAVE Act is the Republican majority in the House. One of the bill’s provisions would allow any citizen to bring a frivolous lawsuit against election officials they suspect of allowing noncitizens to register. With many election officials already fearing for their safety because of threats from wingnuts on the right, the bill would only add fuel to the fire.
Fischbach represents an overwhelmingly rural district, so you’d think she would support measures to benefit rural residents. Not so much. One of the great needs in rural Minnesota is reliable broadband, but Fischbach voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill that has delivered $895 million for broadband in Minnesota. Big corporations and the ultra-rich can count on her though. She strongly supports renewal of the 2017 tax bill that gave them massive tax cuts.
Fischbach has also opposed almost all government regulations, although she would jump at the chance to regulate women’s bodies. When it comes to protecting the environment and fighting climate change though, forget about it. She supports legislation to codify the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Chevron doctrine and undermine the rule-making role of government experts. You like clean air and clean water? Think we should promote energy efficiency and renewable energy? Don’t look to Michelle Fischbach.
Speaking of women’s bodies, Fischbach, who is co-chair of the Pro-Life Caucus and married to the head of Minnesotan Citizens Concerned for Life, is the author of legislation that would guarantee federal funding for so-called crisis pregnancy centers. Such centers are notorious for peddling misinformation about abortion. And here’s the kicker. Funding for those centers would come from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, the main means-tested federal welfare program. If Fischbach had her way, women would be forced to bear children they can’t afford and then face even less access to government assistance.
I could go on to topics like Fischbach’s full-throated support of Netanyahu’s genocidal war against Palestinians, but you get the picture. Michelle Fischbach is a threat to our freedom, our health, and our democracy. After facing a primary challenge from a candidate even further to the right, she probably believes her political future rests on cozying up to her party’s extremists. Let’s prove her wrong. Vote for AJ Peters on November 5.
Paul Harris
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