U.S. Rep. Emmer speaks on Soleimani, tax cuts, dementia, SHIELD Act at town hall

ZIMMERMAN — Minnesotans asked Congressman Tom Emmer, R-Delano, to back policy changes on topics ranging from horse racing and dementia to the postal service, election protection and patent reform. One asked him to account for the cost of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. 

Emmer's constituents filled Zimmerman City Hall Friday evening to raise these issues and others, at the same time the U.S. Senate voted down witness testimony in President Trump's impeachment trial in Washington D.C. 

RELATED: Final vote in Trump impeachment trial will occur Wednesday. Closing arguments Monday

At the town hall, the congressman touted the president's new North American trade deal and expressed support for Trump's decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. 

"The trade deal will give more access now to Canada that was missed in the NAFTA deal," Emmer said.

Because it was an official event, Emmer could not speak about 2020 campaigns even though one supporter asked Emmer to share his strategy. He chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to increase the number of GOP representatives in the U.S. House.

In addition to serving in Congress and the NRCC, Emmer is running for his fourth term. 

RELATED: Professor: Minnesota's Rep. Tom Emmer enters 3rd term as a Washington 'power broker'

He held 12 town halls last year, according to his office. The Zimmerman event was the first of 2020. 

Local officials were there too, including Zimmerman Mayor Nick Stay and state Sen. Andrew Matthews, R-Princeton. 

One attendee asked for Emmer's opinion on Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang's proposal to provide $1,000 a month to every American adult. 

"Sounds great. I started growing a money tree," Emmer quipped and then became more serious. "If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true."

Another attendee from Monticello asked Emmer to sign onto a bill with U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat based in the metro area, that prohibits the use of taxpayer money for the military detention of children in Israeli-occupied territory. 

Emmer has reviewed the policy and said he doesn't want to sign anything that would affect Israel's ability to defend itself. 

"This is something I'll look into more, when you talk about the abuse and the atrocities that I am not familiar with," Emmer said. "We will do that homework, and if there's an alternative we'll be happy to sit down and talk about it."

The congressman declined to support the SHIELD Act, short for the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy, when asked Friday. Emmer lumped it in with other Democratic bills. 

"These are partisan messaging bills," Emmer said, as the man who asked the question shook his head. "Why do we need the SHIELD Act when there are already laws on the books?"

Foreign interference in elections came up again as a woman asked Emmer to comment on whether he would take foreign funds. 

"I would never take any foreign money into a campaign. It's illegal," Emmer said.

Foreign governments will try to interfere in U.S. elections, he said. "To me it's not a Democratic or Republican thing."

RELATED: Only 17% of Americans expect to pay less in taxes under Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Wesley Scott, an attorney from Clear Lake, challenged Emmer for supporting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and supporting aid for farmers hurt by the trade war, which Scott said helped increase the federal deficit. 

Emmer defended the move to provide relief for farmers while the administration got China to commit to part one of a new trade deal, and he defended the tax policy as a "middle-class tax cut."

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After the town hall Scott was not persuaded on Emmer's stance, he said. "He's part of the spending problem that he says Washington has." 

Several of the constituents knew Emmer from previous meetings, including Kanada Zimmerman, who spoke on behalf of a House bill that could improve access to critical treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Zimmerman asked for Emmer's support in the form of a floor speech. 

Emmer was amenable and said the bill would save money in the long run. He joked: "I'm so quiet. It'll be hard for me to give a floor speech."

Nora Hertel is the government watchdog reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8746 or nhertel@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @nghertel.

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