Dear John,

Like many of you, I’m still struggling to make sense of the political violence that occurred two weekends ago in Minnesota. I know many of you are still grieving a friend and a great Minnesota leader as well. Today, Melissa and Mark Hortman – along with their dog Gilbert – will lie in state at the Capitol. She is the first woman in the state’s history to receive such an honor. 

On Monday, we returned to Washington D.C. for normal legislative business. But it has felt anything but normal.

I was grateful to be part of a Minnesota Congressional delegation that came together to honor Speaker Hortman and her husband Mark. The delegation led a moment of silence on the House floor to honor their lives and wish John and Yvette Hoffman well as they begin the long journey to healing.

We also passed a House Resolution condemning these politically motivated attacks. You can view my floor speech about the resolution here.

Melissa and Mark Hortman will be buried in a private ceremony in Minnesota tomorrow.

Here’s what else I’ve been up to this week:

Meeting with our county commissioners

As Republicans continued to try to pass their budget bill through the Senate this week, I sat down with Minnesota County Commissioners, including Scott County Commissioner Barb Weckman Brekke, to discuss the potential cost shift implications at the county level.

Standing up for our caregivers

Caregiving is a full-time job – and it’s time we start treating it like one.

It was great to sit down with AARP Minnesota this week to discuss how we can provide hardworking Minnesotans who care for their loved ones with the resources and support they need.

Getting our firefighters the care they deserve

Firefighters risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe, and this often means exposing themselves to harmful carcinogens.

I met with Fallen Firefighters Survivors to talk about how we can make sure firefighters facing a cancer diagnosis get the care and benefits they deserve.

Fighting for our farm workers

Farm workers aren’t just the backbone of our food system – they're the backbone of our economy.

I met with United Farm Workers to discuss how we can provide stability, predictability and fairness to the men and women who get food to our tables at home and on shelves at the store.

Behind the scenes:

If you’ve ever been to DC in August – you know how brutal the heat is. This week, we experienced something called a “heat dome” (which, simply put, means it’s hotter than hell).

How hot was it in DC you might ask? Well, it was hot enough for the National Park Service to close the Washington Monument and for the metro tracks to expand and cause train cars to slow down -- and it was certainly hot enough for my staff and me to avoid going outside at all costs!

This fountain in the courtyard of my office building is usually full of Congressional staffers – but this week, not a soul ventured out there!

Have a great weekend!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress