Dear Friend,
What a week! We got a lot done in a few days in Washington, though I must admit it’s the Committee work that matters deeply. Floor consideration of legislation did start to move again, but Republicans are moving bills designed really as messaging bills, but not to get things done for people... just to “stir the pot." One example was a proposed censure of Adam Schiff, it was unnecessary, uncalled for, divisive, false, and defamatory. It doesn’t help the morale of the House of Representatives. We also considered two bills related to gas stoves which are meant to make you think we want to take away your gas stoves. WE DO NOT WANT TO TAKE AWAY ANYONE’S GAS STOVE. Period. Because of how these bills were written, we could not protect consumers from recalls on manufacture defects or improve the efficiency of stoves. These bills add to the rhetoric and frustration with Congress not doing the work of the American people. For the record, I have a new gas stove that I bought when I moved last year. I really only use the microwave right now, but no one is taking my stove, either.
I also had the opportunity to meet with many groups whose issues matter to me deeply. I joined the Susan G. Komen Advocacy summit, spoke at the White House ARPA-I summit, led a letter to social media companies regarding the safety of our children, rallied with the Steelworkers, and spoke on the house floor in support of getting Paul Whelan home – and these are only a few of the highlights.
While it’s only the beginning of the summer, it already feels like it is going by too quickly with everything we are working on, with early mornings and late nights. Like every weekend, this one is full of many events. Summer festivals have started and will be celebrating Liberty Fest in Canton, Riverview Summer Fest, New Boston Walz World’s Fair, Dexter Music in the Parc, Ann Arbor Summer Festival Top of the Parc, Ann Arbor Kiwanis Centerion Celebration, Food Gatherers, Senior Fair with state Rep. Jamie Church, Ozone House Youth Day, Canton Lions Pancake breakfast, Belleville Goat Day, Moms Demand Action Day, Novi Street Sounds, car shows, farmer’s markets, and the beat goes on. Busy, happy, engaged, caring weekends.
Unfortunately, I had two funerals Friday as well. The family of WWII veteran Joseph Kanthack asked me to speak about his life, courage, and patriotism. And a girlfriend of decades, you know, the kind you play cards with, manicures, pedicures, live life with, died of cancer this week. Way, way too many people continue to leave us.
As always, I want to keep you updated on all I’ve been doing, but more importantly, I always want to hear from you – thoughts, concerns, questions, whatever is on your mind.
Paul Whelan Resolution
Paul Whelan has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for more than four years. Paul is a constituent now that I represent Novi, and his parents live in Manchester. Paul is a brother, son, a fellow Michigander, who we all believe deserves to come home to be with his loved ones. I co-led a resolution with Rep. Stevens calling on Russia to immediately release him, and the U.S. House of representatives unamousliy supported it. Our people are not political pawns, and we won’t stop fighting until we bring Paul home.
Susan G. Komen Advocacy Summit
On Tuesday morning, I joined the Susan G. Komen Advocacy summit annd talked to the participants before they headed to the Hill. I urged them to put the human face on this important issue as they met with their representatives in D.C.
Breast cancer was one of the first issues John and I took on as a couple. Almost forty years ago, mammograms weren’t covered in most insurance plans, people didn’t use the word breast, and very little research had been done in the breast cancer field. We worked hard with others to improve research and treatment, and to support people diagnosed and their loved ones. I continue the work today to do all we can to defeat this disease.
I recently re-introduced my bipartisan Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act to require insurance companies to cover diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations without cost-sharing. Early diagnosis saves lives, and no one should ever be unable to access critical testing because they can’t afford it.
Strengthening Our Pharmaceutical Supply Chains
We learned during the COVID-19 crisis how serious the pharmaceutical supply chain issues are in America. It’s not only a health care crisis, it’s a national security crisis. We have to learn from our experiences, address the gaps in our nation’s health security, and remain entirely focused on mitigating the effects of the next possible threat because it isn’t a matter of if, but when.
We are in the midst of an oncology drug shortage that’s jeopardizing the health of cancer patients across the nation. Hospitals in Michigan have been hit especially hard. Many of these patients do not have weeks or months to wait for these lifesaving drugs, and we must take action to address this crisis urgently. We held hearings and are looking at legislation to address the failures in our system.
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic
This subcommittee may be the most serious assignment I have. The skepticism of too many in this country about public health issues, vaccine mandates, and masking, among others, is impacting the health of some of our communities and it could become far more serious. During this week’s hearing with CDC Director Walensky, I once again addressed misleading information that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle put forth about schools and vaccines.
Quite frankly, I’m tired of having the same conversations and hearing the same accusations over and over and over again. I again made clear there was no “special access" or collusion between teachers’ unions and the CDC to keep schools closed. It is routine practice—if not common sense—for the CDC to consult impacted groups on guidance that affects them. So, not only did CDC speak with education groups, but when developing guidance to reopen all schools and help all schools stay open, the CDC engaged a wide range of organizations with various expertise. In fact, last week, HHS provided the Select Subcommittee with a list of the organizations the CDC engaged with in developing the school reopening guidance—organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Governors Association, the American College Health Association, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, Autism Speaks, and the National Parent Teacher Association, to name a few. More than fifty groups, to be specific.
Each of these organizations brought their perspective and expertise to conversations on how we get our schools safely and responsibly reopened, and these organizations provided thoughtful, reasonable feedback to CDC guidance. Feedback like accommodating immunocompromised teachers when returning to in-person learning and suggesting that if a new variant were to emerge and cause high-community transmission, then the guidelines may need to be revisited. These organizations recognized that the CDC shared their goals to safely reopen schools and keep them open.
At the time President Biden took office, the American death toll from COVID-19 had just surpassed 400,000. The first vaccines had only been authorized for emergency use a few weeks before this guidance. Only 23 million doses had been administered in the United States, and only 46% of U.S. schools had reopened for full-time in-person learning. The CDC’s guidance helped get kids safely back in the classroom, not out. With the American Rescue Plan’s vaccine program, we were able to get more than 95% of schools reopened for full-time in-person learning just one year later.
In subsequent weeks, I will speak about the misinformation on vaccines.
White House ARPA-I Summit
I was honored to speak at the White Houses’ first ARPA-I summit where we discussed how critical it is to invest in research and development to support the advancement of innovative science and technology here in the US, which deeply matters for our domestic auto industry.
The auto industry is at an inflection point as we decide where, how, and by whom electric vehicles, chargers, and batteries are built as well as looking at other transportation alternatives. We cannot cede our leadership to any of our global competitors, and we must manufacture these technologies here at home, with our strong environmental and labor standards.
The transportation sector makes up nearly 30% of our country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and the transition to electric is critical to reaching our climate goals. The American auto industry has made major advancements in fuel efficiency technologies in the last decade, and we must work together to ensure we continue to lead the world in vehicle innovation as we make the shift toward a net-zero transportation sector.
But our vehicles of the future can only be as good as our infrastructure of the future—that’s why ARPA-I is so important.
Keeping Kids Safe On Social Media
On Tuesday, I led letters to Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch, requesting information regarding their platforms, algorithms, and steps they take to mitigate harms to children online. The Surgeon General released an advisory underscoring our concerns about the risk that social media poses to children. Nearly 66% of our teenagers are using social media platforms daily and we know that social media is contributing significantly to the ongoing youth mental health crisis. While Congress works to pass a bipartisan, comprehensive data privacy law to protect all Americans online, we need to ensure that companies are adequately and responsibly protecting children and teens in the meantime.
United Steelworkers Rally
Welcomed many of the steelworkers from my district as well as their colleagues from around the country for a rally in Washington, D.C. These men and women are some of the most dedicated and hardest working members of our country’s workforce – people who know the value of a hard day’s work, and people who value giving back to their communities. Not to mention, their product is the best in the world. They are the backbone of our American economy and they are hurting. Too many jobs are shipped overseas, hurting both our economic security and national security. As we’re making much-needed upgrades, investments, and infrastructure improvements, it’s critical that labor is at the table because when workers are better off, our whole country is stronger.
Juneteenth Events and Celebrations
The weekend is full of events celebrating this holiday. Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and nineteenth, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas.
My goal is to educate our communities, especially young people, about why it matters and to prevent this from becoming another Monday off and a three-day weekend. On this day, we recognize the progress our country has made on its promise of liberty and justice for all and reflect on the work of those that have come before us – those who have fought, sacrificed, and given their lives. But in doing that, we must also recognize the work ahead and recommit ourselves to ensuring every single person in America, regardless of race, zip code, sexual orientation, or income, is treated equally with dignity and respect.
When President Biden signed Juneteenth into law as a national holiday he said, “It’s simply not enough to commemorate Juneteenth. After all, the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans didn’t mark the end of America’s work to deliver on the promise of equality, it only marked the beginning. To honor the true meaning of Juneteenth, we have to continue towards that promise.” So, there are many events throughout the district on both the Campuses of U of M and Eastern, throughout Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti- among others. I look forward to spending time with the community and celebrating this holiday.
Upcoming Events
Gelman Plume Forum
On Wednesday, June 28th, I’m hosting a community update forum regarding the Gelman Dioxane Plume. We will be joined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Michigan Attorney General’s Office, and State and Local Elected Officials to hear your concerns and help answer questions. I’ve been fighting for the Gelman Plume to be designated a superfund site for years and am always in close touch with EPA, EGLE, and officials at every level of government to ensure the health and safety of our community.
Plymouth Canton Town Hall
Canton/Plymouth residents, join me June 29th from 6:30pm-8:00pm for a town hall where we will open the floor for your questions, comments, and concerns. I will be joined by some friends, Sen. Bayer, Rep. Koleszar, Rep. Puri, and Rep. Morgan.
