Dear John,

If you read my newsletter regularly, you know that I have committed to work with or stand up to any administration that I don’t think is doing what’s right for our district and our country. And I’m just going to start my newsletter with this: this week was beyond concerning.  
  
Over the weekend, the Administration threatened to impose across the board tariffs on our biggest trading partners, Mexico and Canada. If tariffs are put into place, prices will go up on everything from the food we eat to the gas we put in our cars. These taxes on imports will also be a disaster for America’s family farmers, who will be shut out of the foreign markets they rely on to protect their bottom lines. Even the threat of tariffs is wreaking havoc on markets and causing chaos and confusion in a time when farmers and consumers need certainty.  
  
You may also have read about unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s plans to shut down USAID. I’m hearing a lot of people talk about how this decision will impact foreign countries and our diplomatic efforts – and it will – but as the top Democrat on the House Ag Committee, I have worked this week to also highlight the impact this will have on folks right here in Minnesota and in ag country across America.   
  
Cutting this food assistance is cutting a critical market for family farmers as well. Another blow to ag. 
  
In addition, as I’m sure you are aware, Musk and a group of DOGE staffers have gained access to a sensitive government database that stores Americans’ personal financial data.  
  
It’s also been reported that DOGE has accessed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services system, which stores information that also contains Americans’ private medical information.  
  
I have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent opposing Musk’s access to federal payment systems and expressing my concerns with allowing unvetted DOGE staffers to view highly sensitive details about hundreds of millions of Americans, including Social Security numbers and business financial records.  
  
I’m all for rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in our government systems. I even introduced a bill last Congress to prevent wasteful Medicaid payments. But allowing an unelected bureaucrat with all sorts of conflicts of interest (like owning of one of the most prolific social media companies in the world) to mine our private data must be stopped.  
  
Here’s what else I was up to this week: 
  
Combatting the fentanyl crisis 
  
This week, I voted for the HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule 1 drugs. This bill will help us continue the fight against the fentanyl crisis and hold bad actors accountable for introducing deadly drugs into our communities.  
  
I had the opportunity to watch Hastings’ Bridgette Norring testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to share the story of her son, Devin. Devin died after buying a pressed pill on Snapchat that he thought was for pain that turned out to be pure fentanyl. I have a bill to ban the marketing and sale of pressed pills laced with fentanyl on social media platforms in his honor, and I am working on getting it done this Congress.  
  
I also sat down with the Minnesota State Association of Narcotics Investigators and the President of the Minnesota State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police to discuss how we can best equip our law enforcement officers to keep illicit fentanyl off the streets, while keeping them safe on the job. 

Lowering energy costs 
  
I also met with folks at Growth Energy to discuss how we can continue to support Minnesota's home-grown renewable fuels and lower energy costs for consumers.  
  
As Co-Chair of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus, I co-wrote a bipartisan letter with my Republican colleague Rep. Adrian Smith (NE-03) to the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin. In the letter, we emphasized the importance of supporting the biofuels industry as the EPA works to set President Trump’s energy agenda. 

Defending women’s reproductive rights 

Access to birth control should be a given, but since there are those chipping away at women’s reproductive rights by the day, I introduced a bill alongside my colleagues Reps. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Nikema Williams (GA-05) to protect access to contraception and defend health care providers’ ability to distribute contraceptives no matter where they live. I will always stand up for our fundamental rights and freedoms, and that’s why I’m proud to be co-leading the Right to Contraception Act. 

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig: 
  
This week, my office was flooded with calls from concerned constituents (and for good reason), so I decided to help out by answering some calls with them. You are always welcome to call my office and give input and feedback. Just remember that while I am speaking out against the policies that are hurting Minnesotans, my Republicans colleagues – whose party controls the White House and both chambers of Congress – have been notably silent. They need to hear from you too! 
 

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress