Rep. Omar reflects on 2025
As we close out 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on this year and what it has meant for Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District.
This has been a deeply painful, turbulent year. Here at home, our communities were shaken by unimaginable violence and loss. In June, we mourned the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, as well as the assassination attempt on State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Then, in August, our hearts broke again when a mass shooting took the lives of two beautiful angels at Annunciation Catholic School and injured 30 others. During these tragedies, Minnesotans did what we always do: we stood together and supported one another.
We watched Donald Trump return to the White House. For millions of Americans, myself included, that moment was devastating. We know exactly who Donald Trump is. He showed us in his first term: a president who demonized immigrants, imposed racist travel bans, rolled back environmental protections, attacked democracy, and presided over corruption on a historic scale. Only this term, he is even more emboldened.
Instead of agonizing, we organized starting on day one. I joined a nationwide coalition of lawmakers, attorneys general and grassroots leaders to push back against Trump’s illegal executive actions. Together, we have already forced real victories, reversing Trump’s reckless federal funding freeze, rolling back his disastrous trade tariffs, and overturning some of his most egregious executive actions on immigration. This administration’s behavior is not normal, and we are fighting it with every legal tool available to us.
At a time when billionaires and corporations are raking in record profits, Republicans fast-tracked a funding package to widen the wealth gap. Families in Minnesota and across the country are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Yet Republicans chose to greenlight historic cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, all to bankroll even more tax breaks for the wealthiest few and corporations. Stripping away support for food and healthcare while grocery and gas prices skyrocket and unemployment worsens is not just irresponsible – it’s unconscionable.
Donald Trump has made his priorities crystal clear. His so-called “Big, Ugly Bill” represents the largest transfer of wealth from working people to billionaires in American history. While working families fall further behind, Trump’s administration has wasted billions in taxpayer dollars on private jets, vanity projects and political favors. He has treated presidential pardons like personal gifts for wealthy friends and associates convicted of fraud. The corruption is not subtle. It is brazen.
And it doesn’t stop there. Trump’s unconstitutional and reckless military strikes abroad, his refusal to release the Epstein files until political pressure forced his hand, and his continued stonewalling under the Justice Department. This administration believes it is above the law. It is not. Trump also caused the longest government shutdown in history. His chaos caused worry and fear for so many federal workers and those who rely on federal programs.
Right now, ICE is spreading terror and division in Minnesota and across our country. That is why, immediately after Trump’s election, we helped ensure Minnesotans understood their rights through “Know Your Rights” trainings and resources. And it is why one of the first bills I introduced this Congress was the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, to repeal the dangerous and archaic Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to stop a president from having unchecked authority to detain or deport people based on nationality. We must build an immigration system rooted in justice and compassion.
His latest attacks on the Somali community in Minnesota are disgusting. His tirades against hardworking Minnesotans are utterly shameful. But here in Minnesota, we know an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We all see through the president’s racist words: he is failing, and he is trying to divert attention by stoking bigotry. Together, we will continue to stand up against his hateful attacks.
As chaotic as Washington may get, my commitment to co-governing with the people of the Fifth District remains unwavering. I have heard from you at my town halls, roundtables and through messages to my office, and I remain committed to bringing your voices to the People's House. This year, I’m proud to have hosted town hall meetings in Brooklyn Center, Fridley, Minneapolis, Richfield, Robbinsdale and St. Louis Park – and two tele-town halls when votes kept us away from Minnesota.
And when seniors haven’t been able to come to our town halls, we’ve brought the discussion to their living rooms. I’ve enjoyed hosting conversations with senior residents at Walker Place, The Legends at Silver Lake Village, Hayden Grove Senior Living and The Pillars of Prospect Park. This year, I met with students and educators at PICA Head Start, Sullivan STEAM School, Justice Page Middle School, Robbinsdale Cooper High School, Wellstone International High School, Brooklyn Center High School, and the FAIR School for Arts. From pre-schoolers to high school seniors, it's been a joy getting to speak with students across the Fifth District and bring their vision for the future to work I do in Washington. Our town halls and these visits to our senior living centers and schools are my favorite ways to connect directly with you and hear firsthand about your priorities.
I also want to lift up the extraordinary work of my casework team. This year alone, they handled nearly 900 cases and returned over $4.4 million directly to constituents, helping seniors access Social Security, assisting families with immigration cases and cutting through federal red tape. That is what congressional offices should do: serve the people.
Though we had to face many tough battles this year, we leaned uncompromisingly into our progressive values and pushed for the bold policies folks in the Fifth District are rightfully demanding. Donald Trump and his cronies can threaten us with their unlawful actions, but the Constitution is on our side, and we will keep doing everything in our power to fight against their fascist agenda.
Our work for a more just world is only getting started. Onward to 2026!