Dear Neighbors,
As we enter the 2026 session there is a lot that we need to take on in order to improve the lives of Minnesotans. Whether it’s addressing fraud, holding ICE accountable, or taking action to reduce gun violence, my DFL colleagues and I are ready to get to work. By standing up to authoritarianism and greed we can make a better Minnesota. If you have any state-level issues or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out this session.
While I’m excited to get to work this year, we did start off on a solemn note. This is the first session in 20 years where Melissa Hortman will be absent. She leaves behind a legacy of fierce advocacy for the average Minnesotan and I hope we will honor that legacy this session.
Standing up to ICE
Our state has been devastated by Operation Metro Surge. I never thought I’d see the day where our federal government is blatantly breaking the law, killing our neighbors, and lying about it. We must employ every tool we can to stand up to these unconstitutional actions.
This week, we hit the ground running with bills to deliver rental assistance to impacted families and ban federal agents from our schools without a judicial warrant. We are also ready with many more bills, like banning federal agents from masking their identities and requiring an independent investigation into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
While state government has certain limits to how much we can do to push back against Trump’s unconstitutional actions, we must do all we can.
Countering Fraud
The ongoing fraud issues hurting our state are infuriating. Every dollar taken from a public program is a dollar that doesn’t go to housing the disabled, educating kids, or caring for our elderly. These services are critical and we must restore their integrity.
Unfortunately, Republicans would rather play political games than work together on real solutions. On Thursday we brought forward a bill to create a new government office charged with preventing and investigating fraud. But they refused to even hear it, something that is almost never done.
Only by working together honestly can we get this situation sorted and get things back on track.
Stay in Touch
If you have questions, ideas, or feedback that you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Email me at rep.kaela.berg@house.mn.gov or call (651) 296-5387. For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these legislative updates if you haven’t already, here, and you can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Kaela Berg
State Representative