Dear John,

First, I want to acknowledge the 80th Anniversary of D-Day yesterday, a day to remember and honor the brave servicemembers who fought to bring an end to World War II in Europe. We will never forget their sacrifice and bravery as they fought to protect America and our allies’ freedom.

It’s been a busy week – I was in Washington for votes through Wednesday, and now I’m grateful for some time at home in Minnesota, talking to constituents and visiting local businesses.

And we’ve got another update on the post office.

Yesterday, the USPS Office of the Inspector General published the results of their audit of Minnesota’s mail service, and it showed widespread issues with USPS management. The report showed nearly 100,000 pieces of delayed mail, inadequate resources for staff, prioritization of package delivery over letter delivery and an overall failure by management to acknowledge their staffing problems.

I’ve been sounding the alarm on USPS for nearly two years, and I have visited several post offices across MN-02 – I've seen firsthand the poor conditions of these offices and the morale issues that postal employees are facing.

My biggest concern right now is with the USPS Minnesota-North Dakota District Manager’s approach to these issues. USPS MN-ND District Manager Angela Bye is on-record in the report disagreeing with the OIG’s recommendation to “review staffing alignment within the district and provide adequate staff” to ensure all committed mail is delivered on time.

It is clear to me that MN-ND District Manager Angela Bye has some serious work to do to get the mail back on track in Minnesota, and her ‘disagreement’ with staffing recommendations in this report is deeply concerning to me. I look forward to hearing from her, and the rest of USPS management, about their plan to swiftly implement these recommendations and get the mail delivered on time for Minnesotans in my district.

And if current management is unable to deliver, Minnesotans deserve new leaders who will.

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

Announcing $4 million in federal funding for clean water in Northfield

I worked with Northfield Mayor Rhonda Pownell to secure nearly $4 million in federal funding for the construction of a new water treatment facility for the city of Northfield, which will help ensure more Minnesotans can access safe, clean drinking water.

Meeting with Constituents

On Wednesday I got to meet with Kathryn and her family in DC. She’s a teacher from New Prague. Always great to meet with constituents visiting DC and always love the opportunity to thank a teacher!

Supporting Breakthrough T1D

I met with Breakthrough T1D to discuss how we can work to ensure every Minnesotan with Type 1 Diabetes has reliable and affordable access to the medication they need. I wrote the bill to cap insulin costs at $35/month for seniors & I’ll keep working to expand those savings.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig

Yesterday was Naloxone Awareness Day. Naloxone (also known by its brand name, Narcan) is an overdose reversal drug that can save lives. To mark Naloxone Awareness Day, my health policy advisor Meghan brought a few doses into our office to help teach our team more about naloxone and how to use it in an emergency. For more information about naloxone and how to use it, click here.

I’ll be back in Washington for votes next week. I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress