Dear John,

I hope you all had a great week!

It was a bit of a hectic few days in DC – and I’m glad to be heading back to Minnesota today!

I’m excited to report that on Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a legislative hearing on my bipartisan bill to expand access to overdose prevention resources – and I wanted to take a moment to share a bit about this important bill with all of you.

The RECONNECTS Act will direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand their overdose prevention efforts – like bolstering drug monitoring programs, promoting and evaluating community and health system interventions and conducting research on controlled substance overdoses. It will also ensure that the fentanyl crisis is included in any work the CDC does on new and emerging public health crises.

The opioid crisis is a public health emergency that demands a comprehensive public health response. The first step to doing that is ensuring that every community can access the overdose prevention tools needed to combat this crisis in an informed and effective way.

I’ll be working closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this bipartisan bill so every Minnesota doctor, law enforcement officer, family and community can access these life-saving resources.

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

Meeting with Diego, the Winner of the 2023 MN02 Congressional Art Competition

I got the chance to welcome Rosemount High School student Diego Hernandez, the winner of this year’s MN02 Congressional Art Competition, to DC. Amazing to see his artwork hanging up in the Capitol – we are so proud of you, Diego!

Advocating for Patient Safety
Our work to make health care more accessible in the United States could not be more important – and it’s an honor to be in the fight with partners like the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety. Proud to be named the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety’s Advocate of the Year!

Meeting with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough 
I was able to talk with Secretary of Veterans Affairs and fellow Minnesotan Denis McDonough at yesterday’s Regional Leadership Council meeting about how we can best ensure Minnesota’s veterans get the high-quality care and support they deserve. If you know a veteran who might qualify for additional benefits under the PACT Act, Aug. 9 is an important date. Please call my office for more information.

Welcoming MN02 Residents to DC
It was so great to have Velen Ambalam from Eagan join me in DC to listen to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi address a joint session of Congress and discuss the ways to strengthen the U.S.-India relationship. Thank you to Velen for making the trip out!

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

We have our own recording studio here in the House! I come here often to record messages to send back home to all of you. So today, I wanted to give you a peek into the studio – it’s quite the set up!

That’s the end of my update. I’m looking forward to connecting with some of you over the next few weeks in Minnesota. Enjoy the weekend!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress