As Minnesota’s Mayor in Washington, my priority is to get things done for the people of our great state. From helping out our vets who are struggling to stay on top of their mortgage payments to fighting for lower taxes for our working families to ensuring our Somali population can continue to live safe, happy lives,

March was filled with great success for the people of Minnesota. I invite you to read my March newsletter to learn more about what I’ve been doing in both Minnesota and Washington. As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff concerning these or other issues. Additionally, you can find more information by visiting my website at www.coleman.senate.gov.

Addressing the Economic Downturn
I remain extremely concerned about the effects our slowing economy is having on Minnesota’s families and small businesses. I’ve said I believe we’re in a recession because the Minnesotans I talk to have told me their personal accounts of the downturn. Food and gas prices are up, home values are down, the credit market is strained and jobs are harder to come by. One major challenge in slowing economic times is maintaining consumer confidence – a key factor when it comes to a strong economy. Fortunately, Congress has responded to that reality by passing a bipartisan economic stimulus package, but we can and need to do more – particularly in the area of housing. We also need to be mindful of inflation and work to promote a strong dollar.

With that said, I am disappointed the Senate passed a budget resolution this month that ultimately will hit the pocketbooks of middle class families and seniors by subjecting them to the largest tax increase in history, while failing to address the long-term solvency of programs like Medicare and Social Security. I could not support this budget because I believe that in challenging economic times we need to keep money in folks’ pockets and provide certainty and confidence in the economy by making critical pro-growth tax relief permanent -- which this budget does not do. Simply put, families across Minnesota have to make tough choices to live within their budgets. The federal government should be expected to do the same.

Helping the Troops Brave the Economic Storm
The housing crunch , which is a source of many of our economic woes, is often hitting our returning veterans and their families particularly hard. To give returning veterans and servicemembers additional protection from foreclosure, I included a provision in the Security Against Foreclosure and Education (SAFE) Act that would double the current grace period of three months to six months, giving them additional time to work out any mortgage difficulties they may have encountered while serving of our nation. These brave men and women have made incredible sacrifices on behalf of our nation. They shouldn’t be penalized by the threat of losing their home because of difficulties they faced in their service abroad. I’m hopeful that the Senate will be able to act quickly on this common-sense proposal.

Fighting for Minnesota’s Farmers
Senate and House negotiations on the Farm Bill continued this month. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am proud of the bill we emerged with, as it builds and improves current farm policy instead of tearing it down. During Committee negations, I was proud to have fought hard for increased sugar loan rates; the creation of a sugar-to-ethanol program; increased funding for nutrition programs; increased supports for wheat, barley, soybeans, and other crops; an improved MILC program; and a new permanent agriculture disaster assistance program, among other Minnesota priorities. These are all critical to Minnesota’s growers and producers, and it is my hope we can use this extension to come together and produce a bill that can be agreed to by Congress, the Administration and, most importantly, Minnesota’s farmers.

Protecting American Tax Dollars at Home and Overseas
I have always made preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in government operations a top priority and it's important for the rest of Congress and the federal government to do so as well. Accordingly, I was extremely concerned when I first heard about a potential change in State Department policy that could leave government spending in Iraq more vulnerable to waste and abuse by removing the investigators and auditors for U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Inspector General from Iraq. An organization that is responsible for distributing aid to developing nations, USAID has been allocated $6.7 billion to reconstruct war-torn areas of Iraq. Without a strong oversight presence in the country, these American tax-dollars would be vulnerable to abuse and reconstruction efforts in Iraq could be severely hindered.

In response, I sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this month urging the Department to keep these investigators on the ground. The good news is that Iraqi Ambassador Ryan Crocker promptly responded and indicated that he will allow USAID investigators to remain on the ground in Iraq. This is the right decision; not only will it protect taxpayer dollars, it also supports additional projects that are critical to both Iraqi reconstruction and America’s success in Iraq.

Good News for Minnesota’s Somali Community
This month, the Department of Homeland Security extended Temporary Protected Status for qualified Somali citizens for an additional 18 months. This means they will be allowed to continue to live and work here legally. For years, violence and humanitarian crises have plagued the people of Somalia, causing many to take refuge in the United States, particularly in Minnesota. This extension was absolutely necessary, since political unrest has caused Somalia to become even more dangerous since last year’s extension. Sending them home would only add to the instability in Somalia and put these individuals at risk. Going forward, I will continue fighting for Somalis living in my home state and for the establishment of a peaceful, democratic and functional Somali government.

Fighting Against U.N. Racism
American tax dollars should not be used to support an international platform for hateful, anti-Semitic propaganda. Alarmingly, that is exactly what it will be used for if the U.S. participates in the United Nations Durban II Anti-Racism Conference. During the last conference, the United States and Israel walked out after it was suggested that Palestinians are victims of Israeli racism in the official declaration, referring to Israel as a “racist apartheid state”. The late Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), a Holocaust survivor and U.S. delegate, was part of the walk-out, calling it the most sickening display of anti-Semitism since the Nazi period.

The first Durban conference was bad enough. With Libya in the Chair and Iran as a Vice-Chair, Durban II will likely be even worse. This month, the Senate unanimously passed an amendment I introduced to the FY09 Budget Resolution to deny U.S. taxpayer dollars from supporting the conference, and instead will direct this funding toward the needs of our veterans. It is my hope that the passage of this amendment will send a clear message: we will not dignify this hypocrisy with funding and we call on the State Department to formally reject U.S. participation in it.