Dear John,

This week, I joined Burnsville Police Officer Mark Hetherington for a ride-along. Spending time with Officer Hetherington offered me an important glimpse into the challenges our local law enforcement officers in the Second District face daily. Over the past months, in all my conversations and events with law enforcement and first responders, the same challenges and opportunities I saw with Officer Hetherington this week have been evident. It’s clear to me that the last few years have brought about increased challenges for the men and women who do the important work of keeping our communities safe. I will continue to seek their input and perspective as I work on the first job of any public official: ensuring public safety.

Here are some of the other highlights from this week:

Connecting with educators and young learners
This week, I visited El Bosque Encantado – a Spanish language immersion early learning center in the Second District. It was great to see the work they do to expand language access to young learners in Minnesota.

Modernizing our National Guard
This week, I visited Fort Snelling to meet with the 133rd Airlift Wing Command Team and see first-hand how the Minnesota National Guard is modernizing and check out their efforts to bolster STEM education in our communities.

Supporting Small Business Owners
Small businesses took the brunt of it during the pandemic. My team worked to secure $6 million in emergency funding to help them keep their doors open. It was great to hear their stories first-hand this week.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

It’s been great to spend much of August in Minnesota! During this time, I’ve added a few items to my MN02 collection. These patches were from my ride-along with Officer Hetherington and the challenge coins are from my visit with the 133rd Airlift Wing of the Minnesota National Guard. Additionally, the Minnesota Alliance for Retired Americans presented me with the Social Security Medicare and Medicaid HERO Award. I am honored to have received these items and so happy to have a few pieces of Minnesota to take back to DC with me to display in my office!

Finally, it’s Labor Day weekend. For so many it means a few days off – but let’s not forget what this weekend is all about. We should take a few minutes to honor the labor movement and the working men and women who fought and still fight for better pay and working conditions. I hope you all have a safe, happy and restful Labor Day weekend!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress