Dear Friend,   
 
The new year is off to a strong start. After a productive first year of lowering taxes, cutting spending, securing the border, updating crop insurance and reference prices, eliminating onerous regulations that threaten our energy industry and increase costs, reforming entitlement programs, and more, 2026 policy results are already beginning. In January, we rolled back costly regulations, restored order and discipline to the federal budget process, and advanced policies that strengthen our economy, energy security, and national defense.  

Just as important, we engaged in meaningful conversations across North Dakota to advance our work. From ag producers and students to business leaders and health care innovators, North Dakota experts are directing the policy solutions we deliver through legislation we draft or support. 

Included in this newsletter are the latest updates and highlights from D.C. and district work over the past month. I always appreciate hearing from you, so please reach out anytime to share your thoughts, questions, or concerns.   

My Best, 

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Julie Fedorchak
Member of Congress

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1 year of deregulation: 
 
Background: Last year, I identified 20 Biden-era energy policies and regulations to President-elect Donald Trump and Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum that drove up costs, weakened grid reliability, and put North Dakota energy workers at a disadvantage. These rules targeted everything from power plants, pipelines, and farming to transportation and federal land use—without regard for local impacts or reliability concerns. 

Solution: One year later, 17 of these regulations have been repealed, withdrawn, vacated by the courts, or are actively being rolled back. Major wins include repealing North Dakota’s BLM Resource Management Plan through a Congressional Review Act resolution I introduced, overturning the Biden EPA’s methane fee policy, and withdrawing the federal EV mandate. Click here to read more. 
 
Getting our fiscal house in order: 
 
The problem: For decades, Congress has relied on rushed, bloated, year-end omnibuses to fund the federal government, resulting in year after year of untethered growth in spending. Our national debt, which has surpassed $38 trillion, is not just a drag on our economy, it’s a burden we are passing along to our children and grandchildren. 

The solution: This year, House and Senate Republicans moved appropriations bills through deliberate negotiations, with 11 of the 12 full-year FY26 funding bills enacted into law, and the final measure advancing soon. This might seem mundane, but it is the vital first step toward eliminating the budget deficit and climbing out of debt.

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Stock trading reform: 

North Dakotans—and all Americans—expect their representatives to serve the public interest, not profit from insider access. New legislation introduced last month would prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing publicly traded stocks and require timely disclosure of any stock sales. 

This proposal, which I co-sponsored, reinforces a simple principle: public office should never be used for personal financial gain. The Stop Insider Trading Act will:  

• Ban Members, their spouses, and their dependent children from purchasing a security issued by a publicly traded company.
• Require Members of Congress to file a public notice at least 7 days, but no more than 14 days, in advance for each intended sale.
• Impose meaningful penalties for violations, including fines of at least $2,000 or 10 percent of the transaction value—whichever is higher—and requires any profits from the trade to be returned. 

Year-round E15: 
 
A push for year-round E15 is gaining traction in Congress. For North Dakota farmers, that momentum couldn’t come at a more important time. 

Outdated federal regulations still restrict E15 sales during the summer months in many parts of the country, creating uncertainty for ethanol producers, corn growers, fuel retailers, and consumers. Removing those barriers creates year-round market certainty and expands domestic markets for American-grown biofuels. Year-round E15 will add $25.8 billion to the U.S. GDP, support more than 128,000 full-time jobs, and substantially increase domestic corn and soy markets for North Dakota farmers who face significant losses due to lost international sales. 

H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which passed the House in January, established the Rural Domestic Energy Council to advance a nationwide solution for year-round E15. Speaker Mike Johnson appointed me to serve on this council, and momentum continues to build after President Trump announced in Iowa that he is prepared to sign a deal allowing year-round E15. 

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Here is a summary of recent actions I’ve taken and bills I’m supporting to advance North Dakota interests:    

• Protecting kids online and holding predators accountable: Online predators are exploiting new technologies to target children through sextortion, coercion, and manipulated imagery. Three bipartisan bills advanced to strengthen federal child exploitation laws, close dangerous loopholes, and give law enforcement clearer authority to prosecute offenders—building on earlier efforts like the TAKE IT DOWN Act signed into law last year.
• Supporting veterans, military families, and VA care: North Dakota has one of the highest rates of military participation in the country, and veterans deserve support systems that work. Five bipartisan bills advanced to strengthen veterans’ benefits, expand access to education and job training, modernize VA programs, improve mental health care, and simplify benefits for those who served and the loved ones who support them.
• Strengthening America’s mineral independence: The House passed the Critical Mineral Dominance Act to speed up domestic mining, streamline federal permitting, and reduce reliance on foreign mineral supply chains controlled by adversarial nations. The legislation prioritizes responsible U.S. mineral production to support national defense, energy infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies, while creating good-paying jobs at home and strengthening long-term energy security.
• Lowering input costs for farmers through competition: Rising input costs are squeezing farmers while commodity prices remain low. I joined my colleagues in urging USDA and DOJ to identify federal regulations that restrict competition in the agricultural input marketplace and raise costs for producers. Congress must clarify and streamline regulations and support better enforcement of existing antitrust laws to improve competitiveness and reduce costs for family farms across America.
• Calling out policies driving higher energy costs: During a House Energy Subcommittee hearing, I raised concerns about policies in blue states that are driving up energy costs and increasing the risk of power shortages. North Dakota’s model of prioritizing low-cost resources, reliability, and need-driven investment is a clear contrast to states driving rapid decarbonization on arbitrary timelines. Those policies are creating significant risks for power shortages and blackout risks. Federal regulators must move faster to maintain existing power resources, reduce litigation backlog, speed up connection of new resources, and review outdated rules so critical energy infrastructure can be built and reliability challenges addressed before demand outpaces supply. 

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China currently controls about 60 percent of global critical mineral production, 90 percent of processing, and 75 percent of manufacturing. These materials are used in everything from military systems and aerospace to power grids, electric vehicles, and electronics. 

America’s growing reliance on foreign supply chains creates real economic and national security risks. I want to hear from you. 

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The Roughrider Network, in partnership with Cibolo Health, is leading the way with innovative, practical solutions to lower health care costs and improve patient outcomes. Their work reflects a clear understanding that every partner in the health care system has a role to play in driving affordability and better care. With a strong focus on collaboration and problem-solving, this approach is helping patients and communities become healthier while setting a model for value-driven care. I’m advancing their ideas and reforms through my work on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee.  

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At the North Dakota Livestock Alliance Summit in Fargo, producers and ag leaders gathered to discuss the future of animal agriculture and its role in strengthening rural communities. Conversations highlighted the pressures facing livestock producers from rising input costs and labor challenges to market uncertainty, alongside opportunities to grow animal agriculture projects with crop production, ethanol, and biofuels. Leaders emphasized that stronger integration across these sectors can diversify risk, lower costs, and improve long-term viability for farmers and ranchers across the state. 

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In Minot, farmers, ranchers, and landowners in the Prairie Pothole Region shared concerns—and many horror stories, quite honestly—about U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service easements that limit landowners’ ability to manage their own land. Many described how perpetual easements, entered into decades ago for modest, one-time compensation, have expanded beyond their original term—restricting drainage, road work, and soil improvements. These conversations reinforced the need for commonsense reforms like the Landowner Easement Rights Act, which would protect conservation goals while preserving landowners’ ability to manage their land, support productive agriculture, and pass family operations onto the next generation.  

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Multi-generation farmers, ranchers, and crop insurance experts discussed risk management tools and farm safety net improvements included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. Crop insurance providers described the changes as “outstanding” for North Dakota farmers. Producers highlighted the value of stronger crop insurance options and higher reference prices as they head into a new growing season marked by tight margins and market volatility. Participants also shared ideas to modernize federal farm programs, cut red tape, and better align policy with current agriculture operations. 

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Forty years ago, I graduated from Bismarck Century High School. A visit to Lt. Colonel Ryan Kaufman’s AP U.S. History class at CHS gave me a chance to walk down memory lane—and even don my old basketball jersey and jacket! Students asked a wide variety of thoughtful questions about gun control, the Epstein files, Iran, Israel, insider trading, immigration, federal spending, and much more. These young people are on the right track toward lifelong civic engagement, showing a genuine interest in asking questions and helping shape a stronger future for the country. 

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Tax season is a drag for everyone. But the historic tax cuts passed in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act will soften the blow a bit for Americans this year. Bismarck-Mandan business leaders from service to construction industries gathered to discuss the sweeping tax cuts. Kristin from Gratitude Spa and Salon emphasized the significant benefit no tax on tips gives her employees, while other business owners applauded the no tax on overtime provisions. Allowing hourly wage workers to keep more of their hard-earned money is another tool to address the eternal workforce shortages. We also discussed Trump Accounts, which will make it easier for parents to plan their children’s future by giving families a powerful new tool that builds real, lasting financial security for the next generation. Click here for more information on the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.  

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At Dickinson High School, students in Mr. Fahy’s American Government class joined me in an exercise about the American Dream. Students worked together to discuss what the American Dream means to them and the barriers their generation faces to achieving it. They offered suggestions for policies leaders should pursue to eliminate those barriers, including more affordable housing, reducing the cost of education, creating good-paying jobs, increasing wages, and lowering costs. All of these are central to the sweeping Working Families Tax Cuts Act economic plan already passed this session and on the agenda in coming months.

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