“It seems problematic to say the least,” says Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm about President Trump’s executive order to re-open meat processing plants as critical infrastructure. The state Health Department’s Kris Ehresmann echoes, “In the case of JBS [in Worthington], they have employees who need to be out of work because they tested positive and are isolated, and so that’s going to be a challenge… in terms of wanting to re-open, just because of the employees who are not able to work.”
But Sixth District Republican Congressman Tom Emmer called steps the president is taking a testament to his commitment to producers. First District Congressman Jim Hagedorn and Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber both say the pork industry is key to Minnesota’s economy and thanked the President for taking steps to keep the food supply chain operational.