Dear John,

On Monday, I attended the nation’s 60th Presidential Inauguration to show my respect for a peaceful transfer of power and for the hundreds of thousands of constituents in my district who exercised their right to vote. I firmly believe that we can't only show up in America when our candidate wins. My commitment to you is, and always has been, to work with any President when it's right for our district – and to stand up and fight when it's not. That will be my same approach with this administration.  
  
Speaking of standing up to policies that hurt Minnesotans, this week should have marked the 52nd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, but instead of celebrating a woman’s constitutional right to make her own health care decisions, we were reminded of the continued attacks on reproductive freedoms.   
  
I will continue fighting to protect the freedom and privacy of Minnesota families and the health care providers that care for them. 
  
The same goes for standing up for our law enforcement officers. This week, the new administration issued sweeping pardons for those who violently attacked police officers on January 6, 2021. This decision was wrong, and I hope that anyone who supports our police officers would agree.  
  
As always, I will remain focused on working with anyone who will work with me to cut costs, keep our communities safe and improve the lives of hardworking folks in Minnesota’s Congressional District. 
 
Here’s what else I was up to this week: 
 
Attending "Ag Prom” 
On Monday evening, I attended the Bipartisan Inaugural Ball: Celebrating American Agriculture, also known as “Ag Prom,” with my Inauguration guest, Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen.  
  
I spoke at the event about the importance of passing a strong farm bill for farmers, producers and hardworking families across the country. I also had the pleasure of running into my friend and mentor, former Minnesota Representative and Chairman of the Ag Committee Collin Peterson.

Taking feedback from producers and businessowners 
This week, I had some great meetings with Minnesotans in my DC office, starting off with Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing. We talked about getting a bipartisan farm bill passed that works for Minnesota farmers and producers. 
  
On Wednesday, I sat down with the Minnesota Hemp Businesses to talk about how we can best support the hemp industry while enacting commonsense regulations that boost responsible hemp businesses. 

Receiving very important mail 
My friend and 4th grade teacher Kim Westra paid me a visit with her daughter Paige this week to hand deliver some letters from her students in Inver Grove Heights. I have a stack of weekend reading and will report back! 
 

Relaunching “Valentines for Vets” 
This week, my office relaunched the “Valentines for Vets” program. This is one of my favorite traditions to honor our veterans and I hope you will participate this year by dropping off or mailing your valentines to my Eagan office at 1915 Plaza Dr., Suite 202. 
 

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig: 
 
This week, we had our first full House Committee on Agriculture meeting, which meant I got to take my seat on the dais for the first time. I am honored to be serving as Ranking Member of the Committee and proud to be giving Minnesota producers a seat at the table.  
  
As the top Democrat on the Committee, I look forward to continuing to work across the aisle to cut costs for farmers and producers, invest in rural communities and defend the critical programs working families rely on. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress