"She Was Almost Home"
MN-06 Daily: March 4, 2026
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Army Reserve. Mom of two. Days from coming home. Killed March 1 by an Iranian drone strike on a makeshift operations center in Kuwait. No warning. No siren.
Her husband, Joey: “She was almost home. You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first — it hurts.”
White Bear Lake is five miles from Blaine. Blaine is in MN-06. Today, the day after her name was released, your congressman posted 18 tweets. Seventeen were about the Feeding Our Future fraud hearing. One was about hockey. Zero mentioned SFC Amor. Zero mentioned the war. Zero mentioned gas prices, war powers, the contempt hearing in his home state, or his constituents.
At the House leadership press conference — prepared remarks, on camera, C-SPAN — he mentioned the Coast Guard deployed in the Middle East. He used them to blame Democrats for the DHS shutdown. He did not say Nicole Amor’s name.
Tom Emmer has never served in the military.
18 tweets. 1 hearing appearance (waived on, went third, bailed). 1 Fox News hit. 5 votes. 0 mentions of SFC Nicole Amor, the war, gas prices, war powers, or the contempt hearing.
938 days since Rep. Emmer’s last in-person town hall — August 9, 2023 — Hamburg, MN
DHS Shutdown: Day 19. The DHS funding rule passed the House today 211-209. TSA workers miss their first full paycheck March 14.
SFC Nicole Amor
The Pentagon identified four of the six American service members killed in Operation Epic Fury on Tuesday. One of them was from Minnesota.
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake. She enlisted in the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist. She transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019. She was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command out of Des Moines — a logistics unit that provides food, fuel, water, ammunition, and transport. She was days from coming home to her husband and two children when an Iranian drone hit the operations center at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. There was no warning. There was no siren.
“She was almost home,” Joey Amor said from their Minnesota home on Tuesday.
Three other soldiers were killed in the same strike: Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida. SFC Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska. Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. Two others have not been identified. CBS News reported that prior to the attack, there had been discussions about whether the operations center should not have been used because it concentrated too many troops in one location.
Governor Walz: “Minnesota is mourning the loss of Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor of White Bear Lake who was killed in Kuwait on Sunday. She answered the call to serve and gave her life in service to our state and nation. Minnesotans are wrapping our arms around her loved ones.”
Senator Klobuchar: “John and I join with people across our state and our country in mourning Sgt. First Class Nicole Amor of White Bear Lake. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones, and all those in our armed forces.”
Rep. Emmer posted one tweet about SFC Amor on March 3: “We are heartbroken to hear this news. Jacquie and I are praying for Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor’s family and friends. Our community, state, and nation will forever be thankful for her service to our country.”
That was it. One tweet. No mention of White Bear Lake. No mention that she was a mother. No mention that she was days from coming home. No press conference. No town hall. No visit to the family. And then, on March 4 — the day her name and her story filled every Minnesota newscast — he posted 18 tweets about fraud and hockey and did not mention her again.
The Leadership Stakeout
Today, Rep. Emmer stood at the House leadership press conference and delivered prepared remarks on C-SPAN. Here is what he said about the war:
He called Operation Epic Fury “a bold, decisive, and necessary act of strength against a belligerent and ruthless enemy of freedom.” He said the battle with Iran has been raging for “nearly half a century” and that “President Trump is ending it once and for all.” He cited the 1979 hostage crisis, October 7th, and terrorist attacks. He mentioned the U.S. Coast Guard, “a component of DHS, based in the Middle East” — to argue that Democrats are blocking their paychecks by shutting down DHS.
Here is what he did not say:
He did not say Nicole Amor’s name. He did not mention that a Minnesota soldier was among the six dead. He did not mention the 18 seriously wounded. He did not mention that Trump has no evacuation plan for stranded Americans. He did not mention that Defense Secretary Hegseth said today, “Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We’re playing for keeps.” He did not mention the war powers vote coming Thursday — the vote his office is responsible for whipping. He did not mention gas prices. He did not mention the contempt hearing in Minnesota’s federal courthouse. He did not mention an exit strategy, because there isn’t one to mention.
He mentioned the Coast Guard to blame Democrats. He did not mention the dead to honor them.
He turned it over to Steve Scalise and left.
The Hearing
Emmer is not a member of the House Oversight Committee. Today he waived on as a guest to question Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison at a hearing titled “Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota.” He went third. He spoke for approximately five minutes. Then he left.
He went on Fox News before the hearing to announce he was “waiving on” and promise to hold Walz and Ellison accountable. He posted 17 tweets about the hearing — before, during, and after. He called the Feeding Our Future fraud a “$250 million” scheme. He cited a December 2021 audio tape of Ellison meeting with individuals later charged in the case. He said Ellison told them “of course I’m here to help.” He noted that “over 90 percent of the defendants charged in the Feeding Our Future fraud case are of Somali descent.” He told Ellison he should be “disbarred” and “go to jail.”
The fraud is real. It deserves investigation. Ellison’s conduct on that tape deserves scrutiny. But here is what Emmer did not mention at any point during the hearing, on Fox News, in his tweets, or at the leadership stakeout:
The federal office that is actually prosecuting the Feeding Our Future cases — the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota — has lost nearly half its prosecutors this year. The office is down from 64 assistant U.S. attorneys to 36. The civil division chief has resigned. An FBI supervisor resigned in January. No new fraud charges have been filed since December. The prosecutor exodus is happening because of the Department of Justice’s handling of immigration enforcement in Minnesota — the same enforcement Emmer has praised.
And while Emmer was grilling Ellison about a tape from 2021 in Washington, the federal courthouse in Minnesota was still processing the aftermath of Tuesday’s contempt hearing — where a judge told U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen he had “not ruled out the consequence of imprisonment” for the government’s repeated violations of court orders. Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz — a George W. Bush appointee — has now counted 113 court order violations in 77 cases. He wrote that what Rosen’s attorneys “didn’t deserve” was the administration “sending 3,000 ICE agents to Minnesota to detain people without making any provision for handling the hundreds of lawsuits that were sure to follow.”
Emmer wants accountability for fraud. The office that delivers that accountability is collapsing. He has not said a word about it.
What Else Happened
The Iran briefing (Tuesday). Rubio, Hegseth, CIA Director Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine briefed the full House on Tuesday evening. Multiple Democratic members described it to Axios as “bullshit.” Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif.: “They stonewalled on Democratic questions.” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.: “thoroughly unconvincing.” Both parties pressed the briefers on evacuation plans for Americans stranded in the Middle East. Trump admitted Wednesday that there was no evacuation plan: “It happened all very quickly.”
Hegseth’s press briefing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press briefing Wednesday morning and said: “Flying over their capital. Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We’re playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it.” He also said: “No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars.” He did not define victory. He did not describe an exit strategy.
Noem — Day 2. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified before the House Judiciary Committee. She again refused to apologize for calling Alex Pretti and Renee Good — two Americans killed by federal agents in Minneapolis — “domestic terrorists.” Rep. Jamie Raskin asked her more than six times. She dodged every time. Bloomberg reported a “cascade of misconduct allegations” including questions about her living arrangements, a blocked inspector general, a no-bid contract, delayed hurricane relief, and a Coast Guard pilot allegedly fired over a misplaced blanket.
Rosen contempt — no ruling yet. Judge Bryan took the matter under advisement Tuesday after a full-day hearing. No contempt finding was made. No timeline was given for a ruling. Most of the 28 cases were resolved during the hearing — property was returned — but five remain unresolved. In one case, ICE lost a woman's Minnesota ID, work permit, and Social Security card and couldn't say whether they were lost in Minnesota or Texas. Under the SAVE Act that Emmer and House Republicans have championed, documentary proof of citizenship is required to register to vote. The federal government is losing the very documents it demands people carry.
War powers — Thursday. The House began consideration of the Khanna-Massie war powers resolution (H.Con.Res. 38) today. The floor vote is expected Thursday. Speaker Johnson says he has “the votes to put it down.” House Minority Leader Jeffries says there will be “very strong Democratic support across the ideological spectrum.” The Senate will vote Wednesday at 4 PM on the Kaine resolution. As Majority Whip, Emmer is responsible for whipping Republican votes against the resolution. He has not publicly stated a position.
DHS rule — 211-209. The House passed the DHS funding rule today by two votes. That’s Emmer’s whip operation. The DHS funding bill itself is expected to hit the floor Thursday alongside the war powers vote.
What He Tweeted
On the day a Minnesota soldier’s name was released. The day her husband said “she was almost home.”
What He Didn’t Mention
SFC Nicole Amor. Not in his stakeout remarks. Not in his tweets. Not at the hearing. One generic prayer tweet on March 3. Nothing since.
The war. Six Americans dead. Eighteen seriously wounded. No exit strategy. No definition of victory. No evacuation plan. Defense Secretary Hegseth: “death and destruction from the sky all day long.” The Majority Whip posted 18 tweets. None were about this.
Gas prices. Still climbing. Strait of Hormuz still closed. Four days after he told constituents gas was at a “four-year low.”
War powers. The vote is Thursday. His job is to whip it. His public position: silence.
The contempt hearing. 113 court orders violated in 77 cases. A judge who hasn’t ruled out imprisonment. The federal office prosecuting the fraud Emmer spent all day tweeting about is hemorrhaging staff. He mentioned none of it.
Noem. Testified for a second day before House Judiciary. Refused again to retract “domestic terrorism” for two dead Minnesotans. Emmer — who retweeted her yesterday — said nothing.
His constituents. 938 days. No town hall.
The Questions
The following questions were submitted to Rep. Emmer’s office via his official contact form on March 4, 2026:
SFC Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake — five miles from your district — was killed in Kuwait on March 1. She was days from coming home to her husband and two children. You posted one generic tweet about her on March 3 and then posted 18 tweets about the fraud hearing on March 4. At the leadership press conference, you mentioned the Coast Guard in the Middle East but did not mention SFC Amor by name. Why not?
You told the House Oversight Committee that “over 90 percent of the defendants in the Feeding Our Future fraud case are of Somali descent.” The federal office prosecuting those cases — the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota — is down from 64 prosecutors to 36 and has filed no new fraud charges since December. Are you concerned about the capacity of the office to deliver the accountability you are demanding?
At the leadership stakeout, you called Operation Epic Fury “bold, decisive, and necessary” and said President Trump “is ending it once and for all.” The President says the war could last “four to five weeks” and has not ruled out ground troops. The Defense Secretary says “more casualties are likely.” Neither has articulated an exit strategy. What is the plan to end this war?
The House is expected to vote Thursday on a war powers resolution requiring congressional authorization for continued military action against Iran. As Majority Whip, you are responsible for whipping Republican votes on this resolution. What is your position?
It has been 938 days since your last in-person town hall in MN-06 (August 9, 2023, Hamburg, MN). A Minnesota soldier is dead. The war has no exit strategy. Gas prices are climbing. When will you speak to your constituents?
We are still awaiting a response to all previous submissions.
📊 MN-06 Watch Research Tools Vote Tracker • Tweet Archive • Transcripts
We document what your representative does. You decide what it means.
Subscribe to MN-06 Watch for daily accountability coverage of Rep. Tom Emmer.
📊 Source Data:
CBS Minnesota: “Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, of White Bear Lake, among soldiers killed amid Iran strikes,” March 4, 2026
FOX 9: “White Bear Lake woman killed in Kuwait amid operations against Iran,” March 3, 2026
KSTP: “White Bear Lake soldier among 6 service members killed in Iran war,” March 4, 2026
PBS NewsHour: “Pentagon identifies 4 of 6 U.S. soldiers killed in Iran war by drone strike in Kuwait,” March 4, 2026
CNN: “A mom days from going home and a dad who ‘made you feel important’ are among US troops killed,” March 4, 2026
AP: “Pentagon identifies four soldiers killed in drone strike in Kuwait,” March 4, 2026
C-SPAN: Rep. Tom Emmer on House Leadership Stakeout, March 4, 2026 (transcript by MN-06 Watch)
House Oversight Committee: Rep. Tom Emmer questioning AG Ellison, March 4, 2026 (transcript by MN-06 Watch)
Axios: “House Democrats fume at ‘bullsh*t’ Iran briefing from Trump officials,” March 4, 2026
The New Republic: “Hegseth Says ‘We’re Playing for Keeps’ in Shocking Presser on Iran,” March 4, 2026
Bloomberg: “Noem Faces Cascade of Misconduct Allegations in House Testimony,” March 4, 2026
CBS News: “Noem again refuses to apologize for ‘domestic terrorism’ label at House hearing,” March 4, 2026
NBC News: “Federal judge demands answers from top Minnesota prosecutor in ‘extraordinary’ contempt hearing,” March 3, 2026
Minnesota Reformer: “Judge weighs contempt against top DOJ official in Minnesota over ICE orders,” March 3, 2026
Star Tribune: “Judge, U.S. Attorney spar at contempt hearing over immigration court violations,” March 3, 2026
FOX 9: “Judge tells U.S. Attorney he hasn’t ruled out imprisonment over ICE conduct,” March 3, 2026
The Hill: “Speaker Johnson pushes against war powers resolution,” March 3, 2026
Reuters: “US Lawmakers Set to Vote on War Powers as Iran Conflict Widens,” March 4, 2026
Roll Call: “This week: Iran war powers, DHS funding top congressional agenda,” March 2, 2026
House Clerk: Roll Call Votes 79-83, March 4, 2026
@GOPMajorityWhip, @tomemmer Twitter/X accounts, March 3-4, 2026
Wikipedia: Tom Emmer biography (military service verification)
Vote Smart: Tom Emmer biography