The Service-Connected Property — Veterans of Minnesota’s 8th District
VA clinics from Ely to the Twin Cities · 7.7% of MN-08 residents are veterans
Thank you for your service. Please hold.
The 8th District is home to 44,393 veterans — about one resident in thirteen. Their care runs through VA clinics in places like Ely and through the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and their paperwork runs through a VA that has been shrinking.
Let’s start with the burn pits. In March 2022, the House passed the PACT Act, expanding care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, 256–174. Agent Stauber voted no (Roll Call 57). In July, the final version came back from the Senate with overwhelming support. He voted yes (Roll Call 309). In real estate, we call this rejecting the first offer and then showing up at closing for the photo.
Since 2025, the VA has cut about 30,000 positions through attrition and, in December 2025, moved to eliminate up to 37,000 more unfilled positions. The VA Inspector General found 130 severe occupational staffing shortages at the Minneapolis VA, 78 of them clinical. In September 2025, six members of Minnesota’s delegation wrote the VA Secretary demanding the state’s workforce data. Agent Stauber did not sign.
And in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which the agent voted for twice, veterans lost their exemption from SNAP work requirements. Minnesota expects thousands of people to lose food assistance under the new rules, veterans among them.
Two votes, one letter, one law
Votes from the official House Clerk record.
| Date | Event | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2022 | Offer rejected | House passes the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), 256–174, expanding care for toxic-exposed veterans. Agent Stauber votes NAY.Roll Call 57 | NAY |
| July 13, 2022 | Signed at closing | Final PACT Act (S. 3373) passes 342–88. Agent Stauber votes YEA. Signed Aug. 10, 2022.Roll Call 309 | YEA |
| FY 2025 | Staff reduced | VA cuts about 30,000 positions through attrition after shelving a plan to lay off far more.Federal News Network; American Prospect | −30,000 |
| July 3, 2025 | Exemption removed | One Big Beautiful Bill ends veterans’ exemption from SNAP work requirements. Agent votes YEA.Roll Call 190 | YEA |
| Sept 18, 2025 | Letter unsigned | Six Minnesota delegation members demand VA workforce data; VA Inspector General lists 130 severe staffing shortages at the Minneapolis VA (78 clinical). Agent Stauber is not a signer.Rep. Morrison letter | — |
| Dec 2025 | Staff reduced | VA moves to eliminate up to 37,000 more unfilled positions.American Prospect | Up to −37,000 |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Loss | Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA, is shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.Wikipedia; PBS NewsHour | — |
| Apr 1, 2026 | Deadline | Minnesota’s deadline for newly covered adults, including veterans, to meet SNAP work requirements.MPR News | — |
We are dropping the sales voice for this one
Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse at the Minneapolis VA — one of the people who care for this district’s veterans when they are sickest. On January 24, 2026, during the federal immigration surge in Minneapolis, he was pepper-sprayed, tackled and shot by federal agents. Multiple news organizations that reviewed the video found he was holding a phone, not a gun. The administration said he intended to “massacre law enforcement.”
The next day, Agent Stauber called it a “tragedy” and said it was “past time for deescalation” — and blamed Twin Cities politicians for “urging people to interfere” with law enforcement. The FBI then refused to share its evidence with Minnesota investigators, and the state sued.
Sources: Wikipedia, “Killing of Alex Pretti”; WDIO (Jan. 25, 2026). See also Civilian Safety.Service numbers
Similar properties in this neighborhood
Public records cited in this listing
- House Clerk, Roll Call 57 (Mar. 3, 2022): H.R. 3967, PACT Act; Stauber Nay
- House Clerk, Roll Call 309 (July 13, 2022): S. 3373, final PACT Act, 342-88; Stauber Yea
- Wikipedia, “Honoring our PACT Act of 2022”
- Census Reporter, Congressional District 8, MN (veterans)
- Rep. Kelly Morrison et al., letter to Secretary Collins on Minnesota VA workforce (Sept. 18, 2025)
- The American Prospect, “Another Mass Staffing Purge at the VA” (Dec. 18, 2025)
- Federal News Network, “VA on track to cut nearly 30K jobs by end of fiscal 2025”
- MPR News, “Thousands of Minnesotans to lose SNAP benefits under new eligibility rules” (Feb. 20, 2026)
- House Clerk, Roll Call 190 (July 3, 2025): H.R. 1; Stauber Yea
- Wikipedia, “Killing of Alex Pretti”
- WDIO, “US Rep. Pete Stauber comments on the shooting of Alex Pretti” (Jan. 25, 2026)