news

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 »

Dear friend, We have one week of session before Congress hopefully breaks for the holidays, and much needs to be done. It is not clear at all what will actually get accomplished, and that is one of the problems that disturbs me. We have become a Congress of too much gotcha, and not enough let’s solve these problems. Both the House and Senate are rushing to finish up a slew of… Read more »

Dear Friend, We are well into the holiday season, with holiday parades, Christmas tree lightings, community celebrations, food drives, and the celebration of rituals with the traditions that keep us together from generation to generation underway. Hopefully, you survived Thanksgiving dinner without intense political debates that divide too many families as we gathered for the first… Read more »

Dear friend,  We head into Thanksgiving after another intense week. We passed a continuing resolution and kept the government open. It is now good to be home as holidays and traditions are underway, though I know how many in my community are still scared, angry, worried, and focused on the Mideast and Ukraine, as well as issues closer to home. I am meeting and talking to many and… Read more »