Betty McCollum

Plus orgs react to making the DHS surveillance list, teens prank a republican, and a big thanks from us in today's Flyover news roundup.

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She voted against the Iraq War in 2002 and to end the ongoing war in Iran in 2026, but U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-MN) also wields a lot of influence on where and how U.S. defense funds are spent. Documents and data recently obtained by the Star Tribune outline how McCollum has directed “hundreds of millions of Pentagon dollars to Minnesota companies” developing war-friendly tech like hypersonic weapons, AI-powered drones, and military textiles.

Teaming up with McCollum's former chief of staff Bill Harper, now a congressional defense lobbyist for North Wind, has also proven fortuitous for the state. In 2024 North Wind received nearly $100 million from the U.S. Army to develop the Minnesota Aerospace Complex. A year later Harper launche