Rep. Walz Invites Local Farmer to Presidential Address to Congress

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Timothy J. Walz, D-Minn., issued the following news release:

Today, U.S. Representative Tim Walz (MN-01) announced that local farmer and former Minnesota House Majority Leader Ted Winter of Fulda, Minnesota will be his guest at the presidential address to a joint session of Congress tomorrow, February 28.

"As I've always said, health care reform is a journey, not a destination," said Rep. Walz, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. "The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped make health insurance more affordable for many, but we must not leave behind the few who it has negatively impacted, such as many of our farmers and those who have been hit hard by skyrocketing premiums in the individual marketplace. Mr. Winter shares with me the vision of finding commonsense, bipartisan solutions to repair the ACA so that it works for everyone. He has valued firsthand expertise of the issues Minnesota's producers are facing in terms of health insurance affordability, and his years of experience working across the aisle in the state legislature set an example for all of Congress to follow, which is why I have invited him to join me tomorrow for the address."

"We need to find an affordable health insurance solution for our farmers, but we have to do so in a manner that doesn't jeopardize other folks' health care," said Mr. Winter. "Republicans and Democrats need to set aside politics and work together to repair the ACA, and Congressman Walz is one of the few voices in Washington making this case. If Congress is truly committed to reforming our health care system so that all Americans have access to affordable, high quality health insurance, it would do all it could to find common ground and compromise. I know Congressman Walz shares this pragmatic opinion on how to best repair the ACA, and I am honored to accompany him to the joint session tomorrow to help spread our shared message."

Licensed in Minnesota and South Dakota, Mr. Winter is the owner and operator of Winter Agency, which works closely with the Farmers Union Insurance Agency, Inc. to provide property, casualty, life, crop, and health insurance to folks in southwest Minnesota. Before starting Winter Agency, Mr. Winter served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 16 years, two of which as House Majority Leader. Himself the owner and operator of a 250-acre crop farm, Mr. Winter is a proud member of the Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU). In 2016, he was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to serve a four year term on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) Citizen Advisory Board.

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