Dear Friend,
February was an eventful and productive month. I had the honor of attending President Trump’s historic State of the Union address to Congress, where American exceptionalism was on full display. His focus on securing the border, unleashing American energy, delivering tax relief for everyday people, and restoring peace through strength has helped turn our country around. What I appreciated most about the president’s speech was his spotlight on so many American heroes—including the brave men and women in uniform who have protected our freedoms at great personal costs.
I also spent time across North Dakota engaging directly with the people shaping our state’s future. From farmers and manufacturers to students, grocers, and law enforcement leaders, these conversations guide the policies we advance in Congress and instruct the North Dakota priorities I represent in Washington.
Included in this newsletter are updates about my work on your behalf in D.C. and across the state. As always, I value hearing from you—please reach out anytime to share your thoughts, questions, or concerns.
My Best, |
Julie Fedorchak
Member of Congress
Highlighting tax relief impact for North Dakotans at the State of the Union:
The problem: Last year, hardworking North Dakotans faced the largest tax increase in U.S. history due to the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This meant higher taxes for families, small businesses, farmers, and service industry workers. The average North Dakota family was looking at a 23 percent tax increase, and a family of four earning the state’s median income of $76,525 would have paid $1,572 more in federal taxes.
The solution: Fortunately, North Dakota families avoided that nightmare. Republicans enacted the Working Families Tax Cuts Act last year, the largest tax cut in U.S. history. In this legislation, we included President Trump’s No Tax on Tips promise—among many other great tax policies. This policy is delivering real relief to workers who rely on tips as a meaningful part of their income. In North Dakota, that includes salon professionals, servers, hospitality workers, delivery drivers, and so many others who work long hours and use every dollar they earn to make ends meet.
I invited Bismarck small business owner Kristin Chorne of Gratitude Spa & Salon as my State of the Union guest to spotlight the real-world impact of this policy. Kristin employs 20 North Dakotans, who earn between $11,000 and $25,000 annually in tips—income that now qualifies for a federal tax deduction. She says many of her employees are seeing several thousand-dollar tax returns for the first time. Watch: |
Unlocking Development of State Trust Lands:
The problem: North Dakota is a checkerboard of land ownership and isn’t a winning playing field for energy developers, tribes, and others wanting to make a living on our land.
The solution: The North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act is legislation I introduced to help simplify this checkerboard. The House Natural Resources Committee advanced the legislation this month. It allows North Dakota to exchange these lands for federal lands and minerals of equal value elsewhere in the state. These equal-value exchanges will reduce fragmented ownership, unlock responsible energy and resource development, support good-paying North Dakota jobs, and generate additional revenue for priorities like public education—while also giving tribes greater ownership over lands within their reservation boundaries. The legislation will be up soon for a full House vote.
Background: For decades, Congress has relied on rushed, bloated year-end omnibus packages to fund the federal government. This broken process has fueled runaway spending, limited transparency, and left lawmakers little time to properly review how taxpayer dollars are being spent.
The solution: Last month, the House passed its final five full-year FY26 appropriations bills, continuing a transformative shift back to “regular order.” This is the more disciplined budgeting process that Congress is supposed to follow, but in recent decades, has typically ignored. The FY26 appropriations bills reflect commonsense priorities for North Dakota—supporting modernization of the nuclear triad, protecting life by preventing taxpayer funding for abortion, safeguarding Second Amendment rights, prohibiting taxpayer funding for DEI and Critical Race Theory (CRT) programs in the military, and building the Golden Dome missile defense system. The bills also boost funding for the FAA, invest in rural and underserved health care, extend telehealth access, and reform the middlemen corporations called Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that drive up prescription drug costs.
The House has done its job. Now the Senate must finish theirs. DHS funding remains unfinished as Democrats in the Senate continue to vote against it, even as border security and the removal of illegal immigrants remain top priorities for Americans. At a time of growing global instability—including escalating conflict with Iran—we must fully fund the agencies responsible for protecting our homeland. |
North Dakota election common sense for America:
Across much of the country, voting in federal elections does not require a photo ID—even though Americans must show identification to board a plane, open a bank account, or check into a hotel. North Dakotans clearly support this simple principle: Only American citizens should vote in American elections. This is the foundation for our state election process, which has long required valid identification confirming name, citizenship, address, and eligibility.
The SAVE America Act applies that same commonsense approach nationwide. The legislation requires photo ID for federal elections, strengthens proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration, and directs states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls. Nothing in the bill changes how elections are run in North Dakota—it simply brings our state’s gold-standard election integrity model to the rest of the country.
In case you missed it: Click here to read my op-ed in the Grand Forks Herald outlining the goal of the SAVE America Act. |
Farm Bill rollout:
The Farm Bill has been kicked down the road too many times, and farmers need long-term certainty. After years of short-term extensions and delays, the House Agriculture Committee rolled out the 2026 Farm Bill last month to provide stability for North Dakota and American farmers and ranchers.
Please remember, we passed into law nearly two-thirds of the Farm Bill framework through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. This includes important updates to crop insurance and reference prices. These policies, already enacted into law, give producers a stronger safety net going into the 2026 growing season. The 2026 Farm Bill builds on that progress by making conservation programs more farmer-friendly, enhancing credit provisions, and improving programs that support rural America.
In addition to these improvements, farmers are receiving bridge payments to help offset losses due to trade instability. My team has worked closely with Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and the House Agriculture Committee on these policies and others such as year-round E15. I look forward to getting the Farm Bill onto the House Floor, over to the Senate for passage, and to President Trump for signature.
Click here to read more about the 2026 Farm Bill.
- In case you missed it: USDA has opened enrollment for the $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program to help row crop producers manage rising input costs and recent trade disruptions. Applications are open through April 17, and my office is available to help North Dakota producers navigate the process. Click here for more information.
- Strengthening domestic critical mineral supply chains: The House passed the Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act to reduce America’s dependence on foreign adversaries like China and strengthen domestic markets. With the U.S. 100 percent import-reliant on 12 critical minerals, this bill prioritizes diversifying sourcing and expanding domestic production of materials essential to advanced manufacturing, energy production, and artificial intelligence
- Reforming undersea cable deployment to strengthen national security: Did you know that submarine cables carry roughly 99 percent of international data traffic? The House passed the Undersea Cable Protection Act to eliminate duplicative federal permitting that slows deployment and repair of these cables. The bill also strengthens resilience against foreign interference by encouraging greater route diversity.
- Expanding affordable housing: For generations, owning a home has been part of the American Dream. Rising construction costs, regulatory delays, outdated zoning, and banking regulations have restricted access to housing and financing, leaving many families with fewer options and rising prices. The House passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act to eliminate these barriers and help expand housing supply. This bipartisan legislation streamlines permitting, allows pre-approved home designs, updates manufactured housing standards, expands local lending options, and reduces burdens that hit small-scale housing projects the hardest. We have a lot more work to do, but this is a great start to making homeownership easier and restoring the American Dream for everyday Americans.
- Legislative efforts to advance peace through strength:
- The REVOKE Act prevents former Department of Defense officials from using security clearances to lobby for Chinese military-linked companies.
- The COUNTER Act strengthens protections for U.S. military installations by extending and modernizing counter-drone authorities through 2030.
- The SHIPS for America Act invests in domestic shipbuilding and expands the U.S.-flag fleet to reduce reliance on foreign vessels.
- The Smart Ship Repair Act gives the Navy greater flexibility to manage repairs, reduce maintenance backlogs, and keep ships mission-ready.
- Restoring fiscal sanity in Washington: I recently cosponsored several measures aimed at improving how Washington manages taxpayer dollars:
- The Incentivize Savings Act reforms the “use-it-or-lose-it” budgeting system by allowing agencies to retain a portion of unspent funds while directing nearly half toward paying down the national debt.
- The LEDGER Act establishes a standardized Treasury system to track every federal payment, improving transparency and preventing fraud.
- The bipartisan Preventive Health Savings Act allows Congress to evaluate long-term budget savings from preventive health policies over a 30-year window rather than the current 10-year timeframe. Together, these reforms help bring stronger fiscal discipline and accountability to federal spending.
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- In Watford City, local leaders shared a strong outlook for the community and long-term economic opportunities. Officials highlighted continued school enrollment growth, steady housing demand, and a resilient local economy alongside consistent energy production in the region.
- With an abundance of natural gas and reliable baseload energy, local leaders also discussed Williston's potential as a future site for AI development and other energy-intensive industries. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act supports this kind of growth, including restoring and expanding domestic oil and gas leasing, lowering royalty rates to encourage continued production, and repealing punitive energy taxes that drive up costs. The bill’s tax relief and incentives for domestic manufacturing will help North Dakota communities plan with greater certainty as they pursue long-term investments.
- At the Phat Fish Brewery in Dickinson, more than 200 business, energy, agriculture, and community leaders gathered for the Stark Development Corporation’s annual meeting to discuss policies shaping southwest North Dakota’s economic future. The conversation focused on energy reliability, workforce growth, infrastructure, and tax certainty—issues critical to a region that sits at the crossroads of agriculture and energy production. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act makes the Section 199A small-business deduction permanent, allows 100 percent immediate expensing for equipment and facility upgrades, and locks in higher Death Tax exemptions to protect family-owned farms and businesses. Leaders also discussed tax relief for workers, including no tax on tips and overtime, a stronger Child Tax Credit, and lower taxes for seniors.
- In Finley, Karl Christian, owner of Finley Motors, discussed how lower interest rates are helping improve affordability for families and farmers purchasing vehicles. The conversation also highlighted how the Working Families Tax Cuts Act allows families who purchase a new American-made vehicle to deduct up to $10,000 in auto loan interest, helping lower costs while encouraging domestic manufacturing.
- In Cooperstown, leaders at Sheyenne Tooling & Manufacturing—a family-owned operation building precision components and agricultural equipment since 1977—shared how the company supports jobs and value-added production in Griggs County. The facility produces parts for major equipment brands like Bobcat and manufactures grain augers and headers on-site. Company leaders discussed workforce shortages and the challenge of competing against Canadian and overseas manufacturers. However, they noted that tariffs have brought significant new manufacturing projects to their facility and others in the United States.
- In Cooperstown, leaders at Miller’s Fresh Foods—the largest independent grocer in North Dakota serving 10 rural communities—shared how federal regulations and workforce shortages are impacting grocery costs in rural areas. The conversation highlighted how factors like Freon regulations and labor shortages can drive up costs at the checkout line. It’s a reminder that policy decisions made far from small towns often have real impacts for families and businesses across rural North Dakota.
- I sat down with sheriffs and deputies from Steele, Griggs, Traill, and Barnes counties to discuss the realities of providing law enforcement across large rural areas with limited staff and resources. In many communities, these departments serve as the only law enforcement presence on call, often covering long distances where backup may be miles away. The conversation focused on workforce shortages, overtime demands, equipment needs, grant challenges, FirstNet reauthorization, and improving rural cell coverage. Leaders also discussed how policies like no tax on overtime could help support departments stretched thin as they work to keep rural communities safe.
- At the University of North Dakota, members of Pi Kappa Alpha gathered for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, careers, and public service. Students asked questions ranging from choosing a major and finding a career path to work-life balance, handling criticism respectfully, making tough decisions, and what it’s really like serving in Congress. The exchange reflected a strong interest in civic engagement and the opportunities ahead for the next generation of leaders as they begin building their own American Dream.
In case you missed it: My office is now accepting applications for summer and fall internship opportunities in Washington, D.C., Bismarck, and Fargo. Interns gain hands-on experience supporting constituent services, legislative work, and day-to-day office operations while serving North Dakota communities. Summer applications are due April 1 and fall applications are due July 1. Click here to learn more and apply. |
“We have an all-female staff—lots of single moms, single females just starting out, and I'm hearing amazing stories as a lot of them have already filed their taxes and are not paying in this year. They’re getting a great return that they can put to use in real life. So, thank you for voting for [the Working Families Tax Cuts Act].” - Kristin Chorne, Owner of Gratitude Spa & Salon, Bismarck “We're putting more money back in your pockets, we're restoring peace through strength, we're defending our border and deporting criminal illegal aliens, we're standing up for American industry and manufacturing and we're making American workers – not foreign countries – the clear winners in this American economy. Those are not talking points; that is what we have delivered.” - House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) “Our president delivered an incredible speech addressing the many victories Americans have experienced under his leadership. It was inspiring to see all of his guests who embody the values and traits that make America great!”- House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) P.S. For more frequent updates, please sign up for our press releases and subscribe here to continue receiving this monthly newsletter. The next Fedorchak Forum will be held soon, click here for more information. |