Dear John,

Well, we finally got our snow in Minnesota this week – and I know we are slated to get a lot more in the next few days, so please stay safe!

Just a few days ago, we heard the encouraging news that a topline budget agreement had been struck between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to fund the government. So, when I came back to DC on Tuesday, I was ready to finally vote on those appropriations bills. However, in a frustrating turn of events, far-right members of the House Freedom Caucus again brought House business to a standstill.

Shutting down the government is not an option. It would cost our economy millions of dollars and be disastrous for the millions of Americans who rely on critical federal services. And many federal workers like TSA agents, air traffic controllers and Customs and Border Patrol workers would be forced to work without pay.

Members need to lose their egos and do what they were sent here to do: make life better for the constituents they serve. It’s divided government. You don’t get everything you want in these negotiations. As always, the only way this gets done is on a bipartisan basis.

Here's hoping for more progress next week.

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

Returning more than $2 million to Minnesotans since January ‘23
My team and I work every day to help constituents navigate federal agencies and cut through bureaucratic red tape – and I’m proud to announce that since last January, my office has returned over $2 million in federal benefits and refunds to Minnesotans.

If you need help with a federal agency, please give my office a call at (651) 846-2120.

Welcome to DC, Mark!
This week, I was able to welcome Burnsville Public Works Director, Mark Ray, to DC!  We had a productive conversation about the ways we can support the city’s transportation and infrastructure initiatives this year.

Protecting Minnesotans’ cybersecurity
Technology is changing fast – and while it offers tremendous new possibilities for growth, we need to ensure that it doesn’t compromise our cybersecurity.

In Energy and Commerce this week, we talked about how we put safeguards in place to protect Americans’ safety online.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

To say the House Floor schedule was in flux this week would be a massive understatement! Members had to remain pretty flexible as votes moved around, and that meant taking meetings and calls whenever and wherever we could.

The cloak room is a space right off the House Floor where Members are able to make calls from literal cubbies – almost like phone booths – and it’s where I met with Mr. Thom’s Democracy class from Shakopee High School during votes this week. Great questions from some great students – and I got to give them a behind-the-scenes look as well.

I hope I am writing to you next week with the news that we’ve worked in a bipartisan way to fund the government. That will be my goal, and I’ll work with whoever I can until we get it done.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Stay warm!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress