Kathleen McQuillan

Many people in northern Minnesota recognize the name Pete Stauber. But recently, I’ve discovered that a lotta people don’t. Some folks say that they “kinda know who he is,” but then admit that they’re not really sure. I think it’s important that all of us get to know him.
Pete Stauber is a member of Congress. He was elected to represent and defend our needs and interests in Washington D.C. Believe it or not, he holds a lot of power over our lives. That became very apparent earlier this month when he cast a “Yes” vote to pass a massive piece of legislation which the president had dubbed his “One Big Beautiful Bill.” For this read, let’s just call it the “BBB,” a 1,000 page document comprised of Trump’s favorite policies that he’d previously rolled out in hundreds of executive orders. The BBB was approved by both the House and Senate, and is now permanent under law.
Even though this may seem like old news, the effects will not be known for quite some time, much it slated for enactment beginning in 2027, after the next election. I’d still like to share a related story. It shows how Congressman Pete Stauber voted against the interests of the people he was elected to represent, despite them doing everything possible to make sure that he was well-informed of their needs and wishes.
The so-called Big Beautiful Bill was controversial from the start. Partly because it was so big! And partly because Republicans employed a loophole in the rules to speed up its passage just to meet Trump’s demand that it be on his desk for signing by July 4. Many lawmakers complained that they hadn’t realized what they were voting for because they hadn’t had time to read it. Pete Stauber was not one of those who complained. He gloats, “victorious.”
The bigger controversy involved its contents. The BBB tampers with agencies, processes, and services that will eventually affect every American. It includes huge cuts to some of our most important programs. In fact, every department of government, excluding defense and border security, took major hits. One of those proposed funding cuts resulted in the gutting of Medicaid, a federal program that provides health care coverage for millions of people.
On the evening of June 18, over 40 members of our community met with administrators from the Cook Hospital and Care Center and Scenic Rivers Health Services. They explained how passage of the BBB would affect our hospital and clinic system. People were shocked by what they learned.
The CEOs, accompanied by representatives from their boards of directors, informed the audience that the majority of patients and residents they served relied on Medicaid coverage for their care. Most are elderly, disabled, or low-income individuals or families who cannot afford private insurance and who qualify under federal guidelines for Medical Assistance. They listed the negative impacts that the proposed Medicaid cuts would have on the Cook Hospital, clinic, and long-term care center. There was no doubt this loss of funding would lead to drastic reductions to services, or worse, facility closures. It was a dire warning.
Many people did not know that the Cook Area Hospital and Scenic Rivers Clinic are the community’s largest employers. Closure would mean the loss of 135 skilled, good-paying jobs. The ripple effect on the local economy would likely be felt by every business. And the loss of emergency room services would have a profound negative effect on tourism. The institution hardest hit would be the Cook Care Center, as the vast majority of its elderly and disabled residents are covered by Medicaid. Its closing would require families to relocate loved ones to other towns for their long-term care or have to provide that care themselves. Listeners’ reactions became visceral as the implications sunk in. Questions rang out over what could be done to change the course of events. The panel’s response was unequivocal. “Spread the word. Educate the community. And contact your congressman soon.” Representative Stauber was the person in Washington who would cast our vote, either Yea or Nay, for these disastrous cuts. So, this became our challenge, to find a way to embolden Pete Stauber to stand up and defend rural health care. We needed him to prove that he’s listening and really cares.
Discussion suddenly shifted to ideas about what we could do. Somebody shouted out, “Let’s do a petition.” Then, the room lit up! A small group of people crafted the document and within days the petition was circulating throughout the community. To beat the Congressional vote before the president’s July 4 deadline, things had to happen fast. Folks set out to inform businesses. Many owners grasped what it would mean if Cook lost its hospital. They agreed to share the petition with their customers. The local grocer granted petitioners permission to stand outside the store to offer people the opportunity to sign. Evidence of community support to save the hospital became clear when 468 signatures were collected in four days!
Now they had to get to Stauber’s desk in time. Hand delivery to his aide at the Hermantown office seemed like the most reliable plan. A request for an appointment to drop them off was made but rebuffed by the on-site staffer. “We don’t have time for that,” he said. We assured him they would only take minutes to deliver. His answer? “Don’t come here. The doors will be locked.” We were told to mail them. We doubted they would arrive in time. We then decided to send them via overnight delivery with “signature and return receipt requested.” We enclosed a cover letter stating our plea. “Would he please vote against the $800 billion funding cut to Medicaid to save our rural hospital.” We’d done what we could and had proof that the petitions arrived on his desk before the vote was called.
Despite our best effort, the Big Ugly Bill did pass with Pete Stauber voting in favor of the final version that included a whopping $1 trillion cut to Medicaid. He had ignored our plea.
These funding reductions won’t go into full effect until January 2027. We mustn’t forget that Stauber and other Republicans wrote and passed this monster bill. He’s currently serving his third term in office and will be up for reelection on Nov. 3, 2026. We have time to prepare for the worst that’s been predicted when the cuts go into effect, while we hold onto hope for the next election. That’s when we can cast our vote for either an official who cares about us, or one who cares only about placating a vindictive president and the mega-donors who support him and his loyal Republican minions. Pete Stauber knew full-well the harm this bill would inflict. He chose to do what the president wanted instead of what his constituents needed.
The disastrous trillion dollar cut to Medicaid will leave over 12 million people without health care coverage. This was just one of many cruel acts predicted to befall the voters here at home. Pete Stauber cast his vote, along with 214 other Republicans, to not only gut Medicaid but to also cut in half the federal government’s contribution to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as well as reducing funds for rental and fuel assistance. The effects of these cuts are complex and far-reaching, making life much harder for our most vulnerable citizens. And for what purpose? To give a huge tax break to the wealthiest Americans, increase our national debt by $5 trillion and pour on more stress for already struggling working-class households trying to make ends meet, young families, and people who have the least among us. Shame on those who supported this awful bill!
We still have the power of our voices. Between now and the next national election on Nov. 3, 2026, we mustn’t forget what Pete Stauber and the Republicans did when they sold out on the needs of the people. And then postponed its implementation, with all of its disruption and painful effects, until after the 2026 elections. Again, shame on them.
To hold them accountable we can’t forget to vote. That will be our day to make a little DOGE of our own and eliminate some real waste, fraud, and abuse!