NEW ULM, Minn — Critics of southern Minnesota’s representative in Congress, Brad Finstad, say he’s caught Potomac Fever. Although a farmer himself, Finstad is standing by the Trump trade war that has killed U.S. soybean exports to China. Since at least 2017 he has been a stalwart Trump loyalist. This loyalty, say critics, has blinded Finstad to constituent needs, including farmers in financial straits created by the chaotic Trump use of tariffs as a geopolitical weapon. So what do Minnesota farmers do? They grow 7.4 million acres of soybeans a year with China their largest export market — until now. Finstad, a Republican whose U.S. House committee assignments include agriculture, has avoided discussing the issue. When pressed he blames farmers for relying too much on sales to China. Farmers need to work their own way out of the predicament he says they created:
“We can’t put our head in the sand and say we’re content with having all our eggs in China’s basket. We have to diversify our trade partners.”
Once other markets become interested in U.S farm commodities, he said, the Chinese will learn they’re not the only game in town. Finstad said he favors a $10 billion bailout that Trump is toying with to offset U.S. farmer losses. Where will the bailout money come from? Trump has the notion — incorrect, say economists — that higher tariffs enhance the government’s general fund. That, however, is not how tariffs work. Tariffs are not paid to the government but to importers who recover their higher costs bv charging more for the imported goods.
Where soybeans reign. Black counties in this 2023 map have the most soybean producers. White counties have none. The numbers are soybean acreage per county. Image: U.S. Agriculture Department
Finstad. Elected first to Congress from MN-1, the state’s southern counties, in 2022.
Where Finstad now
Finstad has not held a townhall meeting to field questions from MN-1 voters all year. Instead he has followed national GOP re-election counsel to avoid public forums where tough, even embarrassing questions might be asked. This GOP counsel has become increasingly important for the political survival as public support for Trump declines. Republicans like Finstad who have aligned themselves closely with Trump see themselves as vulnerable. Instead of traditional townhalls, Finstad has opted for small gatherings of screened and friendly participants with no news reporters invited.
“Potomac fever”
The term was coined in the 1860s for politicians who become isolated in the Washington culture. The term is not complementary. It bespeaks an insulation from the folks back home — contrary to the ideals of democratic accountability to voters. Roots of the term “Potomac Fever” are a disease among horses in the swamps that covered shores of the Potomac River that flows by Washington. As an equine disorder, Potomac Fever is pretty much cured.