At ticketed event, Rep. Michelle Fischbach gets questions about federal funding cuts, tariffs

OTTERTAIL, MINN. – U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach made a rare public appearance in her western Minnesota district Thursday, but it wasn't the free-for-all town hall that many constituents were hoping for.

The Republican House member spoke and answered questions in a room of some 100 registered guests, who each paid $10 to attend what was billed as a conversation hosted by the Minnetonka-based conservative think tank Center of the American Experiment.

But they were outnumbered by the protesters who lined the road outside the grounds of Thumper Pond Resort in Ottertail. And the group inside included more than a dozen who clearly took issue with Fischbach — some of whom interrupted her with questions about federal funding cuts and were asked by organizers to be quiet or leave.

Matt Dean, a policy fellow with American Experiment and former GOP leader in the Minnesota House, asked Fischbach questions for much of the hourlong event. Attendees submitted questions on cards, but only a handful were answered before the event ended and she swiftly left the room.

Fischbach, back in the state on a weeklong congressional recess, has been getting calls from constituents to hold a town hall in the Seventh District, which stretches across western Minnesota from the Canadian border nearly to the Iowa line. Hundreds have been reported protesting outside her district offices in Moorhead and Willmar.

But Fischbach has characterized the protests as "garbage" and has speculated that the protesters may not actually be from the district.

Fischbach was first elected to the U.S. House in 2020 when she ousted DFLer Collin Peterson, who had held the seat for 30 years. She easily won her re-election bid last fall and recently announced plans to run again in 2026. During her time in Congress, she's amassed one of the most conservative voting records in the Minnesota delegation.

At Thursday's event, Dean asked Fischbach how federal funding cuts might affect Social Security and Medicare funding. Instead, she focused on the importance of increasing telehealth services and undoing some of the mandates implemented by the Biden administration that she said have made it more difficult to staff nursing homes.

In order to preserve federal programs, she said, the government first needs to get a handle on where tax dollars are going.

"We are very focused on waste, fraud and abuse," Fischbach said. "We don't want Feeding Our Future stuff going on."

When asked about President Donald Trump's plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, she said her understanding was that Trump "did not cut education [funding]. He cut the department." Several in the audience groaned at her response.

Another question had to do with the tariffs that Trump is threatening to impose on other nations and their impact on agriculture and manufacturing. Fischbach replied that not all countries have dealt fairly with the United States and that "the president is trying to even that out."

Wayne Jones, 87, of Ottertail, who attended the event with his wife, Patricia, said in an interview that he was happy the federal government was finally focusing on "terrible overspending." Both said they were excited to hear Fischbach speak in person.

Navy veteran Robert Anderson, 77, of Crookston, held an American flag. He said he was worried about Republicans making cuts in Department of Veterans Affairs services.

"Donald Trump is running this country into the ground," he said.

Outside, the protesters hoisted signs and chanted "Throw the fish back," a play on Fischbach's name. Madalyn Pretzer, 24, of Morris, brought a tater tot hot dish and wild rice soup to keep them warm and fed.

"I am excited to come out and voice my frustration. Nobody is having town halls, but we want to make our voices heard," she said, adding that she was impressed by the turnout of protesters.

"It feels like we're such a rural conservative area," Pretzer said. "It's encouraging to see so many people unhappy with the current administration."

Sydney Kashiwagi of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.