news

Dear Friend, We are back in Washington after two weeks at home with lots of getting around, listening, and talking to many people. I have to tell you, I am tired. I love being home, and I worked hard to get to every part of the district and to meet with as many stakeholders as possible. I had meetings with new mayors to understand their concerns, priorities, and the issues they thought… Read more »

Dear friend, The year is almost through its first quarter. Like many students, we are on a spring district work period, and I am working. Taxes are due by April 15, and mine are done, which always brings a feeling of peace and comfort. My mother turns 90 next week, and my siblings and I are planning celebrations with her family and friends. I am so looking forward to my brother,… Read more »

Dear Friend,   Each week presents new craziness– tough issues, working hard on subjects that matter, and just being home, listening, and getting around. This past week just seemed intense, short but intense. Getting around at home, talking to people and hearing many perspectives is always good. St. Patrick’s Day overlaid all of it with many celebrations and lively music including… Read more »

Dear Friend, What a week. We extended the budget for a week and avoided a government shutdown, Michigan had its Presidential Primary, and the weather is so up and down that storms have again caused power outages, but with these warm temperatures, spring is in the air. My neighborhood in A2 has a flock of wild turkeys that visit almost daily and fascinate me as I sit on Zoom. I think I… Read more »

Dear Friend, It has been a very busy couple of weeks, and since you know I do put a lot of work into these letters myself, I am a little behind. It is winter with, quite frankly, unpredictable weather. We have seen rain, snow, and ice with dramatic shifts from cold to warm, and it hangs over what I do while home. But I stay out there and try to get to as many places as I can, but the… Read more »

Dear friend, Last week was hard. Difficult votes that politicize issues that shouldn’t be politicized, like the proposed impeachment of the Homeland Security Secretary– it was simply game playing with our national security and hearings that are held just to take cheap shots. It doesn’t build or result in good public policy, it doesn’t help keep us united as a nation, and it continues… Read more »

Dear friend, The highs and lows of January were intense, and it took a while to recover from the Lion’s loss, but life continues on, and there are so many issues to work on and worry about– attention quickly turns to the next crisis. I am getting back into the pattern of our weekly update now, weather and losses aside.  I will miss Jim Harbaugh, who has been a good friend (and… Read more »

Dear friend, We are back in session, and winter is clearly upon us, with sub-zero temperatures and snow in both Michigan and Washington, D.C. We face another potential government shutdown again this week and honestly, there are many issues we need to be dealing with.    The situation in the Middle East continues to tear constituents in my district apart. For my Palestinian… Read more »

Dear Friend,   Happy New Year! For those of us in the sixth congressional district of Michigan, 2024 began on a high note with Michigan’s win at the Rose Bowl. May this victory be an omen for the new year. I know these young men, and as I watched them accept their trophy after the game, their message was clear and something we all should take to heart: teamwork. They are a team… Read more »

Dear friend, It’s a week before Christmas, the House is now out until the new year, and the Senate continues to work on a supplemental funding bill which is dependent upon reaching a deal on immigration and the border. We have needed comprehensive immigration reform for decades, under Democratic and Republican administrations and under Democratic and Republican Congresses. Our national… Read more »