Dear John,

What a week to be back in Minnesota! Hope everyone got to enjoy the warm weather these past few days.

Social Security is a promise we made to the American people – that if you work hard and play by the rules, the dignity of a secure retirement will be within your reach. That’s why I’m working hard to strengthen the program and ensure it’s here for generations to come.

This week, I announced my You Earned It, You Keep It Act, which would repeal federal taxes on Social Security, ensuring that Minnesota seniors get to keep more of the money they’ve earned.

Eliminating federal taxes on Social Security benefits would be a game changer for so many retirees in our district – it’s a tax cut for seniors and a way to ensure more Americans can depend on the Social Security benefits they’ve earned.

And this proposal is fully paid for – right now, most Americans pay Social Security taxes on every dollar they earn, while the wealthy get a pass because of the program’s cap on taxable earnings. My bill would raise the cap to apply to earnings above $250,000.

An independent analysis showed that my bill would enable the Social Security Administration to continue making all payments on time and in full through 2054 – that's 20 years longer than the current projection of 2034. That same analysis showed that the You Earned It, You Keep It Act would also reduce the federal debt by nearly $9 trillion over 75 years.

This is just one step toward lowering costs for seniors living on a fixed income, and I’ll keep working to make sure that they have everything they need to enjoy the retirement they’ve earned.

Another major update this week – we FINALLY got the truth about the postal service delays so many of you have been experiencing.

On Wednesday, the USPS Office of the Inspector General published the results of an investigation into the Eagan and Apple Valley Post Offices. They cited nearly 140,000 pieces of delayed mail in a single day, inadequate resources for postal workers from management and persistent mail security issues across Eagan and Apple Valley.

For over a year, USPS has given us the runaround every time we’ve sounded the alarm on insufficient service. But this week, Minnesotans got answers. This report was so damning that the USPS Inspector General announced a new statewide investigation in response to the pressure we put on them.

You can read the full report by clicking here, and you have my commitment that I’ll keep working to hold USPS accountable until you get your mail on time and working conditions improve.

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

Holding my first Town Hall of 2024

On Wednesday, I held my first Town Hall of 2024! Thank you to everyone who tuned in and a special thank you to Ellen Zacharias for moderating and for representing the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community during our discussion on mental health.

I’ll keep working to ensure all communities can access the resources & care they need.

Connecting with MN02’s small business owners and law enforcement to fight the fentanyl crisis

Earlier this week, I met with small business owners and local law enforcement from across Scott County in Shakopee to have a productive conversation about how the opioid crisis has impacted our local economy and the role small businesses can play in fighting this crisis.

Connecting with Minnesota’s family farmers

On Thursday, I met with my Farmer Advisory Council to hear directly from Minnesota farmers about what they need from the upcoming bipartisan Farm Bill.

I’ll keep working to ensure that MN family farmers have the support they need to operate their businesses and keep their farms running for generations to come.

Behind the Scenes with Rep. Craig:

This week's behind the scenes comes from my constituent services team – on Thursday, they held a Casework Open House in West St. Paul to help seniors access their Social Security and Medicare benefits.

We’ll keep working to ensure that every Minnesota senior can access the benefits they’re owed after a lifetime of hard work.

That’s all for this week, looking forward to another productive week ahead in DC! Have a great weekend!

Until next time,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress