Dear John,

I want to start out my update this week with an important reminder: open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act’s 2024 health care coverage plans is open!

That means if you get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace – you can now sign up for a new health care plan or adjust or cancel your current one.

Make sure to visit https://www.healthcare.gov/ to check out your options today! The open enrollment period closes on December 15th.

Well, after 3 weeks of chaos, the United States House of Representatives is up and running again – a lot of votes and meetings happening this week!

I thought I’d dig into one effort I’ve been focused on lately: working to secure the southern border.

Right now, it’s crystal clear: we are experiencing a border crisis – plain and simple. So this week, I called on congressional leadership to move quickly on legislation that will help us to secure the border and stop the flow of illicit fentanyl.

I joined 34 of my colleagues in calling for a vote on a comprehensive set of bills to provide the funding needed to secure the border, increase the number of Customs and Border Patrol agents present at the border, ensure a humane and orderly immigration process and stop the flow of illicit fentanyl into the United States. It’s going to take a lot to get this situation under control – but these are all good starting points.

I know this issue is an unbelievably complex one – there is no simple solution here. But it’s time to put aside the partisan games and work together to find some way forward on this issue – and we’ve got to do that now.  That’s exactly what I’m pushing all my colleagues to do.

Here's what else I was up to this week:

Working to secure additional mental health resources for service members 

This week, I met with one of my Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Advisory Council members, Michele, to discuss how we can continue to work together to increase access to mental health resources for service members. I’m grateful to count Michele as a partner in this critical work! 

Highlighting Environmental Benefits of Homegrown Biofuels
Biofuel production is critical to lowering energy costs and reducing emissions – but current EPA standards are outdated. I’m leading a bipartisan bill with my friend and colleague, Senator Amy Klobuchar, to update those standards and make it easier for Minnesota corn and soybean growers to get the job done.

Connecting with Minnesota’s special educators
While I was in DC for votes this week, Ally, from my district team had the opportunity to shadow a special education teacher at Eagan High School to better understand the needs of educators – and gave me a full rundown of what she learned.

I'll keep fighting for legislation, like the IDEA Full funding Act, to make sure our special education students and educators are receiving the funding they deserve.

Behind the scenes with Rep. Craig:

A few weeks ago, I received this thoughtful gift from my wonderful colleague from Connecticut, Representative Joe Courtney. The USS Minnesota (SSN-783), a Pacific Fleet submarine, was moved from its home in Groton, Connecticut, in 2022 and is now stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Oahu. I’m proud to display this hat in my office!

Well, I’m heading back to Minnesota and the cold tonight but right back to DC again next week. Hope you can stay warm this weekend!

Until next week,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress