Dear John,

 
Minnesota’s seniors work their whole lives for their hard-earned benefits and they should be able to use them to retire comfortably. A lot of folks view having their Social Security benefits taxed as “double-taxation” – and they’re right.  
  
That's why, on Tax Day, I re-introduced my You Earned It, You Keep It Act to eliminate federal taxes on social security benefits. My bill puts money back into the pockets of Minnesota’s seniors and reduces the national debt too. It just makes sense.  
 
My You Earned It, You Keep It Act would be paid for by raising the cap on the Social Security payroll tax, so higher-earning Americans continue paying into Social Security. According to a non-partisan analysis, it would reduce the federal debt by $9 trillion over the next several decades. 
 
And it’s endorsed by stakeholders like The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan seniors groups, and Social Security Works, an organization dedicated to protecting and improving Social Security. 
 
This is the type of legislation we ought to be passing in Washington – a bill that cuts taxes for the middle class – not billionaires – and is fully paid for.   
 
If my Republican colleagues are serious about lowering costs for everyday Americans and supporting hardworking seniors, they will support my bill.  
 
You can read more about my You Earned It You Keep It Act here. 
 
Here’s what else I was up to this week: 
 
Hosting a town hall in Lakeville 
 
I hosted a town hall with DFL State Senators and Representatives on Monday in Lakeville. This was my 72nd town hall since coming to Congress and we had an incredible turnout of over 600 Minnesotans. For many of them, it was their first town hall. This is what democracy looks like! 

Standing with Minnesota veterans 
 
At Monday's town hall, we heard from John Helcl – a veteran and former law enforcement officer who was terminated from the VA while on leave for a funeral. In his speech, John shared that since February, he has been ordered to return to work, then had that order revoked. I mean, it’s chaos – and it’s wrong.   
 
I was proud to join Minnesota veterans at the “Hands Off the VA” rally in Eagan yesterday to fight back against this Administration’s reckless cuts to the VA and protect veterans’ access to care.  

Breaking ground on the Scott County Integrated Health Center  
 
I was able to attend the groundbreaking of the Scott County Integrated Health Center in Shakopee on Tuesday. This new facility in the Second District will help generations of Minnesotans access the mental health care they need. 

Visiting a local small business 
 
I also stopped by one of Mendota Heights' awesome small businesses – the Copperfield. Can't beat breakfast at a neighborhood local business! 

Behind the scenes:  

Yesterday, I stopped by the Dakota County Technical College chili cookoff. Nothing better than the chance to chat with Minnesota’s brilliant students over a bowl of chili! 
 
Here’s a photo of me trying Rosemount Mayor Jeff Weisensel’s super spicy chili with Carolina reaper chili pepper. Everyone dared me to try it, so I did! I braved three bites and pretended it wasn’t hot at all... 

Have a great weekend!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress