Dear John,

On Wednesday of this week, the state came together to honor the lives and service of Burnsville Police Officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth. Over 10,000 Minnesotans showed up to remember Paul, Adam and Matthew and to support the Burnsville community and all those grieving this indescribable loss.

During such a horrific time, community is tremendously important, and I was deeply grateful to see so many folks show up for one another at this difficult time.

Yesterday, I led the Minnesota House delegation and the House of Representatives in a moment of silence on the House Floor in honor of Paul, Matthew and Adam. I also introduced a bipartisan resolution to honor their service to the Burnsville community and express support for Minnesota law enforcement.

There are truly no words to describe the void that this loss has left – for Paul, Matthew and Adam’s families, Minnesota’s law enforcement community and the city of Burnsville.

Nothing we can say will bring them back – but we must work to honor their lives by giving the police officers and first responders who keep our community safe the respect and support they need to do the job. That’s what this resolution makes clear – and that’s what I promise to do every single day.

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

Avoiding a government shutdown

After months and months of frustrating partisan antics, Congressional leaders here in Washington finally struck a bipartisan deal that will keep the government funded. Yesterday, we passed a bill to keep the government open and running until March 8th and 22nd – and until then, Congress will work on a bipartisan basis to pass each of the 12 appropriations bills needed to keep the government funded for a full year.

In the end, it was bipartisan action that helped bring an end to the months-long funding fight. This process has made it abundantly clear that bipartisanship is needed to get anything done in Congress. It’s my hope that congressional leaders will remember that moving forward.

Partnering with state and local leaders to address the fentanyl crisis

On Monday, I joined Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota law enforcement and recovery advocates to strategize how we can work to combat the opioid crisis and strengthen recovery programs.

It’s going to take the entire community and leadership from every level of government to fight this crisis.

Supporting critical health care workers

Allied health professionals – like medical assistants, dental hygienists & more – play a critical role in our health care system.

I introduced a bipartisan bill with my colleague Representative Marc Molinaro from New York to expand access to apprenticeship programs for these careers and prevent worker shortages before they happen.

Honoring the service of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bob Furlong

Last Friday, I had the honor of presenting the family of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bob Furlong with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to commemorate his dedication and service to our country and community.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

This week, my DC staff came to Minnesota for our annual staff retreat! During their retreat, they were joined by Apple Valley Police Officer April Ehmke, Minnesota Letter Carriers President Perry Schmidt, Shakopee Brew Hall’s Caitlin Drayna and Minnesota State Director of Addiction and Recovery Jeremy Drucker.

A big thank you to Officer Ehmke, Perry, Caitlin and Jeremy for taking the time to speak with my team about the ways we can work together to make MN-02 a better home for all!

Once again, please continue to hold the Elmstrand, Finseth and Ruge families in your thoughts – and please continue to stand together to support our Burnsville police and fire department communities.

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress