Dear John,

First and foremost, I wanted to wish a Happy Rosh Hashanah to all those celebrating! I hope each of you can take the time to celebrate the new year with your friends and family.  

On a different note, some of you may have heard news about a potential federal government shutdown.

As elected officials, our main responsibility is to make life better for our constituents – and that means ensuring Americans have access to the government services they need in their everyday lives. But right now, MAGA Republicans are hell-bent on using the threat of a federal government shutdown as a bargaining chip to grant their political wish lists.

If the government shuts down, thousands of federal employees could be furloughed, Social Security benefit verifications and card issuances would come to a halt, SNAP benefits would be thrown into jeopardy and air traffic controllers and TSA agents – the people who keep us safe in the air – would be ordered to work without pay.

There’s too much at stake to play political games – and the behavior of MAGA and Freedom Caucus Republicans is incredibly disappointing and frustrating. These are people who were elected to lead – not threaten a government shutdown that would impact the lives and livelihoods of 331.9 million Americans because they didn’t get their way.

I’m urging all my colleagues to drop the antics and come back to the table to figure out how we can fund the government in a way that makes sense and makes life better for each one of our constituents.

Despite the drama unfolding in DC, I’ve been keeping my head down, focused on how I can best serve you. On that note, I wanted to share an update with you all.

Earlier this Congress, I helped introduce the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act, which will provide the funding that Minnesota’s small and mid-sized police departments need to improve their recruitment and retention efforts, mental health support and training. I’m excited to announce that momentum for this bill is growing here in Congress!

I’ll continue to track this closely and work hard to get this bill passed so we can ensure all of Minnesota’s police departments have the tools, training and resources they need to operate at the highest level.

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

Welcoming Minnesota’s Teamsters Delegation to DC 

It was great to see the Minnesota Teamsters Delegation in DC again! We’ll keep working together to fight for the right to organize and collectively bargain and make sure that all workers are guaranteed safe working conditions. 

Working to support Minnesota’s Ethanol and Biofuel Producers
It was an honor to receive the 2023 Fueling Growth Award from Growth Energy! I’ll keep pushing for permanent, year-round access to E15 and will continue to support Minnesota family farmers in Congress.

Addressing Prescription Drug Shortages
Yesterday, the Energy and Commerce Committee convened to address ongoing prescription drug shortages in the United States and discuss the ways we can improve our supply chains and increase domestic medication production. I’ll keep working to ensure Minnesotans have reliable access to the affordable medication they need.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

I’m lucky to be invited to speak at lots of conferences and meetings across Minnesota, and even when I can’t make it in person, I try to send a video greeting from the House Recording Studio. This week I got quite the surprise – the studio underwent a massive renovation. It’s bringing me back to my journalist days! Check it out!

I’m looking forward to attending the 3rd Annual Cory Slifko Law Enforcement Charity Softball Tournament in Farmington tomorrow. Each year, 17 teams come together to play in this tournament in memory of South St. Paul Sgt. Cory Slifko and to recognize the importance of providing Minnesota’s law enforcement community with the mental health support and resources they deserve. 

The tournament is one of my favorite events all year – and I’m looking forward to it.

I hope each of you has a wonderful weekend, and we’ll talk soon!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress