Where Trina Stands

Priorities & Issues

Every position I take is grounded in the pillars that drive this campaign, practical solutions for the people of Minnesota’s 8th District. I am out in the district listening. I understand what people are facing and what’s at stake. I take it seriously, and I will carry that with me representing MN-08.

Affordability Stability Community Opportunity

Care Close to Home

Affordable and accessible healthcare should not depend on your job, your ZIP code, or your age.

Universal healthcare
Keep care local
Lower costs

Basic health care is shrinking in northern and central Minnesota. A routine appointment turns into a day off work and a full tank of gas. A specialist means months of waiting. A 911 call doesn’t bring immediate help. Clinics cut services piece by piece until the building is still there, but the care is gone. Premiums keep climbing for farmers, small business owners, and people who buy coverage on their own. Meanwhile every increase lands on the kitchen tables where gas, grocery, and utility bills are stacking up.

Keeping care close means stabilizing hospitals and clinics so services stop disappearing. It means doctors and nurses that live here provide the care, not a revolving door of travelling staff. It means demystifying insurance rules that feel like a second job to navigate. Most importantly, affordable and accessible healthcare means universal healthcare. Care only works when every person can walk through the door without hesitation or financial fear. A diagnosis should not be your family’s financial death sentence.

I will fight for universal healthcare. I will protect health insurance tax credits so 90,000 Minnesotans don’t see costs jump $177 a month, on average. I will fight to lower prescription prices and cap prices of life-saving medications. Lastly, healthcare decisions should be made between patients and their providers, not by judges and politicians. It is time for a Representative who fights to make sure Americans have the same affordable, high-quality healthcare as Congress has.

Mining That Works for Minnesota

Mining built northern Minnesota. The next chapter has to protect both jobs and the land.

Protect good jobs
Protect clean water
Make decisions based on science

Taconite, timber, and the people who show up every morning to do the hard work in the Iron Range helped build Minnesota. When people in the district talk about mining, they are not debating a policy position. They are talking about their grandfather’s legacy, a paycheck that pays the bills, a pension, and jobs that will allow their kids to stay on the Range. We choose to call Minnesota home because of the lakes we fish, the lands we hunt, the clean water we drink, the wild rice we harvest, and the woods we camp in. We want our future generations to enjoy this same land and clean water. Washington politicians act like you must pick one side or the other, as if a miner and a guide on the Gunflint cannot both care about the same place. People here know better because we live both sides of that reality every day.

I support mining and miners. I will fight for investment and technology that keep these jobs union-strong while protecting our environment. I believe in science and the regulatory process. I will support environmentally safe copper-nickel mining when impartial scientists and engineers say it can be done safely. We need these minerals in our cell phones, EVs, and to build the clean energy grid of the future. We need to reduce reliance on other nations, but not by letting foreign corporations take these minerals and ship them overseas. Mining must benefit our communities, prioritize our workforce, and protect our environment. In the long-run, doing things the cheapest way becomes the most expensive way for local communities. Corporations must use the best technology available, even if it costs more.

Real Affordability

People here are doing everything right and still coming up short.

Manageable costs
Livable wages
Hold the system accountable

Grocery receipts are skyrocketing, containers get smaller, and pay checks are staying the same. People are wondering if they can afford to fill the gas tank while paying their utilities with the same paycheck. Meanwhile, rent, mortgages, and property taxes continue to climb. People here are not confused about the economy. They are doing the math every month at their kitchen table, and they know it is not adding up. Large corporations report strong earnings, and Republican politicians praise the stock market, while the gap keeps widening between the last paycheck and the monthly bills.

I will focus on the levers that actually move costs. We need antitrust laws enforced so a handful of companies can’t drive up the cost of food, fuel, and everyday essentials. This isn’t socialism. These are the kinds of systems Republicans used to understand that keep capitalism healthy. We need investment in new industries like clean energy, steel, and batteries to store renewable energy, industries that will create jobs that keep up with the cost of living. We need steady, predictable policies so families and small businesses can plan ahead, not react to chaos in Washington driven by partisan politics and corporate profiteering.

Being a Representative means bringing resources back to Minnesota – investing in infrastructure, schools, special education, early childhood care and programs, and healthcare. Corporations shouldn’t reward CEOs with millions while they brag about paying no taxes and their workers are forced to rely on food stamps and Medicaid. A tax break on overtime doesn’t fix the problem. It proves it. You shouldn’t need to work overtime just to get by. Minnesotans deserve jobs close to home with livable wages, strong union protections, and stability.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Say no to destroying treasured land for foreign profit.

Protect our wilderness
Protect clean water
Protect the economy it supports

The Boundary Waters is not a place on a map. It is a national treasure. It is where we paddle at sunrise, where outfitters make a living season by season, and where clean water drives a tourism economy that supports thousands of jobs. It is clean water, quiet woods, and a place people go to reset. It is part of a connected system of lakes, forests, and rivers that people depend on and enjoy each day.

I will protect the Boundary Waters. Decisions need to follow hydrology, geology, and long-term impact, not short-term pressure. We must not risk this unique, precious wilderness. We should invest in conservation that supports local jobs and keeps the clean-water economy strong. Protecting the BWCA is not about choosing scenery over livelihoods. It is about protecting a resource that people’s livelihoods depend on and making sure it is still here for the next generation.

Stauber’s plan allows a London-based company, controlled by a Chilean billionaire, and backed by Washington lobbyists, to extract Minnesota’s minerals for foreign profit. Current BWCA watershed mining proposals would rely heavily on automation, and outside consultants, limiting the direct benefits to local communities. Their plan is to ship the minerals to China for smelting, forcing Americans to buy back our own minerals WITH TARIFFS. This plan will not reduce American dependence on other countries for these critical minerals, and our BWCA may be permanently damaged by a company with a long record of noncompliance with environmental controls.

I want to see Minnesota’s critical mineral wealth benefit Minnesotans, but clean water is non-negotiable for our way of life.

Immigration Reform

Secure the border. Fix the system. Enforce the law with humanity, fairness, and common sense.

Secure borders
Functional systems
Fair enforcement

Like most Minnesotans, I reject the violence, cruelty, and chaos we have seen from immigration enforcement in recent years. After two decades at DHS, with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, I know we can secure our borders while upholding the rule of law that has defined this country for generations. We do not have to choose between security and our values.

Effective immigration policy starts with security. If we do not control our land, air, and sea borders, the system breaks down. However, what we are missing is capacity. We need the ability to vet people fairly and quickly. That means hiring more immigration judges and officers who make decisions on applications, expanding processing resources, and placing more trained experts overseas to screen applicants before they ever reach our borders. When people see a clear legal pathway and a system that works, they are far more likely to follow it. That strengthens security, supports industries like agriculture, construction, and hospitality, and helps stabilize costs for everyday essentials.

I support permanent legal status for Dreamers who grew up here and contribute to our communities. An earned path to citizenship is both fair and practical.

For undocumented immigrants already in the United States, we need a lawful and realistic approach. That means expanding vetting, bringing people into a known system, and focusing enforcement on real threats. Our priority should be violent criminals and those who pose a genuine risk to public safety, while respecting due process and using resources where they have the greatest impact.

We absolutely need immigration reform. We need visas for the students studying at our great universities that may come up with the next cure. We must have seasonal visas for the critical workforce our farmers rely upon. We want to attract the greatest talent from around the world to continue to be a leader in development and technological advancement. We cannot do that without immigrants. We are a nation built by immigrants. We can both protect our border and uphold our values.

Tribal Nations and Native Communities

The Seven Ojibwe Nations in the 8th District are sovereign and self-governing. They deserve a representative who works with them, not around them.

Respect Tribal sovereignty
Honoring the Government-Government Relationship
Investing in Tribal Communities

Minnesota’s 8th District is home to all seven sovereign Ojibwe Nations, who collectively represent over 45,000 tribal citizens. I am committed to upholding the federal trust responsibility and a direct government-to-government relationship with all Tribal Nations.

For too long, Tribal Nations in the 8th District have been ignored by our current Member of Congress. Promises of engagement and consultation were broken, priorities disregarded, rights and resources put at risk, and Congressman Stauber led the Republican party’s opposition to Deb Haaland’s historic Cabinet nomination rather than listening or even talking to the Tribes in the District.

I will meet regularly with each Nation, not only in times of crisis or for photo opportunities. Tribal leaders are the experts on the federal policies that affect their Nations, and I will consult directly with them on all matters impacting Tribal Nations.

As a former federal official, I understand the federal budgeting process, and I know that supporting stable funding for Indian Country programs is crucial, including health care, schools, law enforcement, housing, broadband, infrastructure, and basic government services. I support the bipartisan Indian Programs Advance Appropriations Act, because Tribal governments should not have essential services cut off every time Congress fails to pass a budget.

I also know that upholding treaty rights means protecting the clean water that sustains these resources, such as manoomin, fish, and wildlife. I will also support new opportunities for Tribal economic development, food sovereignty, broadband, and infrastructure.

My work at the Department of Homeland Security included efforts to stop human trafficking, and in Congress, I will make Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Relatives, and Children a serious federal priority.

Tribal Nations deserve a Representative who listens, learns, and works in partnership with Tribal leaders on a government-to-government basis. That’s how I will serve Native Nations in the U.S. Congress.