Dear John,

It was State of the Union week here in DC and it was busy, busy, busy!

My guest for the President’s address last night was Brian Peters, Executive Director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA). MPPOA represents over 10,000 rank-and-file law enforcement officers across our state. I was proud to welcome Brian to Washington to represent and honor the Minnesota officers who put their lives on the line each day to protect our communities.

I wanted to share my takeaways from the President’s address last night. The President spoke a lot about the need to restore order at the southern border, protect Americans’ fundamental freedoms and make life more affordable for working families.

Those three goals resonated with me. But actions speak louder than words. I’ll be looking closely for ways to work with the Biden Administration on each of these goals – and when they are not doing enough, I will call that out. That’s my commitment to you.

I have an exciting update for you all: the House passed my bipartisan bill, the END FENTANYL Act, to help prevent fentanyl from entering the U.S. This bipartisan legislation would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to identify new ways to prevent drug and human smuggling through ports of entry and require CBP to notify Congress of any changes in protocol at the southern border. I’m proud to say my bill passed on a unanimous basis in the House.

We must do everything we can to help address the fentanyl crisis – and that starts with preventing the drug from entering our country in the first place. I’m glad that both my Republican and Democratic colleagues recognized the importance of this legislation – and it’s my hope that we can continue the bipartisan work needed to restore order and address the fentanyl crisis at the border.

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

Working to bring home federal funding for community projects across the South Metro
On Wednesday, the House passed bipartisan legislation to keep the government funded. This legislation provided funding to expand veterans’ health care, boost rural development programs, support local law enforcement, lower costs for American families – and it advanced more than $16 million in federal funding for 15 community projects that will help build stronger, safer Second District communities.

My team and I worked closely with local Second District leaders to identify each of these projects and with the passage of this legislation, they are one step closer to becoming a reality! You can learn more about each of these community projects here.

Hearing from Second District firefighters
Firefighters play a critical role in keeping our communities safe.

On Wednesday, I met with the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters Association to hear about what Minnesota firefighters need from Congress and how we can work together to secure the technology and equipment they need to do their jobs safely.

Welcoming Minnesota’s veterans to DC
There is always more we can do to support our veterans.

This week, I met with members from the Minnesota VFW in my DC office to discuss how we can work together to ensure veterans get the support they need after their service to our country.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

Members of Congress must arrive very early to the House Floor on State of the Union night! That allows us to catch up with friends and colleagues before the official night begins. Here are some behind-the-scenes SOTU selfies from the night!

That’s it from me this week! Hope you all have a great weekend.

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress