Dear John,

Happy Friday – I hope you all had a great week!

Per usual, it was busy this week for Team Craig – lots of great events, visits and discussions happening across the Second District, and here’s my update on all of it for you.

This week started out in Northfield – where I attended a Rice County Opioid Response Council meeting to discuss local efforts to combat the opioid crisis. I learned a lot during this meeting – and walked away from the event with a better understanding of the whole-of-community approach we need at the local level to make a dent in addressing the unique challenges of the opioid crisis. 

I’ll be bringing those stories, thoughts and ideas with me back to Washington as Congress works to address these urgent issues.  

On Tuesday, I traveled to Chicago to participate in a University of Chicago panel discussion on the opioid crisis and efforts on the local, state and federal level to address this public health emergency. I joined the Director of the Office of National Drug Policy Dr. Rahul Gupta on the panel for a productive discussion on how we can all work together to combat this epidemic.

Our discussion made it clear: this issue is not political – opioids, especially fentanyl-related substances, are having catastrophic impacts in every corner of our country and we need to work together to get addiction and mental health support to those who need it, as well as give law enforcement the resources they need to stop the flow of illicit drugs into our country.

Here's what else I was up to this week:

Bringing federal dollars home to #MN02
This week, I was proud to announce new federal investments in two of our #MN02 communities: Cottage Grove and Farmington. Farmington will receive $750,000 to upgrade their community center and Cottage Grove will receive $5 million to provide critical traffic safety updates along the 80th Street Corridor.

Joined POTUS to discuss efforts to expand clean energy across the U.S.
We know that when we invest in clean energy, we build stronger, more resilient economies, communities and futures. On Monday, Cheryl and I joined President Biden to announce a historic investment in Minnesota’s manufacturing, innovation and clean energy economy.

Connecting with Mayor Weisensel
Yesterday, I got the chance to have lunch with Mayor Weisensel and his team to discuss the ways we can work together to improve the Second District for all Rosemount residents.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

This week, I got to welcome one of my favorite Minnesota leaders, Senator Tina Smith, to the Second District. It was so great to see Tina back home in Minnesota – so of course, we had to take a selfie with Farmington Mayor Joshua Hoyt, who wins the best beard award of all my #MN02 mayors! 

Well, that’s it for the week! Wishing a very happy and holy Easter, Passover and Ramadan to all who observe.

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress