Dear John,

I am excited to share with you that this week my bill, the Leveraging Integrity and Verification of Eligibility (LIVE) Beneficiaries Act passed the House with unanimous bipartisan support! This level of support in Washington is rare and shows just how commonsense this bill actually is.  

My colleague Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and I wrote this bill to require state Medicaid programs to check death records each quarter, so they stop paying benefits to deceased enrollees sooner. We know this is needed because a recent report spanning 14 states revealed more than $249 million – and $3.7 million in Minnesota – made in payments on behalf of deceased enrollees between 2009 and 2019. This is the kind of government waste that can be easily avoided, and I will keep working to make Congress a more responsible steward of Minnesota tax dollars. 

I am so proud of the progress of this bill, and I spoke on the significance of its passage in the House on Thursday. I am looking forward to seeing it head to the Senate.

In other news - I am still working with members of both parties to find a compromise so Congress can do its most important job – fund the government. I am working to have a bipartisan solution done before the deadline. I will continue to keep you updated as this develops.

Here’s what I was up to this week:

Advancing public transit

On Wednesday, I met with the Minnesota Public Transit Association in Washington to find ways to help ensure drivers get the support they need as they provide critical services to their communities.

Securing federal funding for Merriam Junction Trail

I joined Scott County leaders at the groundbreaking for the Merriam Junction Trail in Shakopee this week. I was pleased to help get federal funding to connect Scott and Carver Counties, create a new space for community members and generate traffic for local businesses.

Strengthening labor protections

It was great to have Teamsters in my DC office on Wednesday to talk about how we can work together to ensure our warehouse and delivery workers get the workplace protections they deserve.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

Congress is hectic – and sometimes a sweet treat helps power me through the day. The Energy and Commerce Committee had a nearly 8-hour markup on Wednesday, so my team and I ended the day with some ice cream! Summer may be ending, but ice cream season is year-round.

I will be back in DC next week to keep working toward a bipartisan compromise that keeps the government open and working for the American people.

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress