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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 unfinished business.


The House is in negotiations with the Senate over the annual defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and we should vote on it this week. But, like everything we consider these days, it becomes very complicated. The bill now includes a temporary extension — until April — of Section 702, a surveillance authority in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that is set to lapse at the end of the year. There is considerable debate between two different proposals on FISA and this would postpone the tough decisions until April. Whether or not that holds, we will see.

We will also consider whether whole milk can be served as a part of school meals, a bill on agency rulemaking. There are a lot of other things we should be doing, like reauthorizing the FAA and appropriations bills, but it doesn’t look like that will happen. And what we shouldn’t be doing is a straight political maneuver, as it appears we will vote on an impeachment strategy against President Joe Biden that will just add to the political division in this country. House Republicans have been investigating Biden and his family for months and many have commented that the facts are not there and allegations have been discredited, while many acknowledge that this is about politics. Ethics does matter, but members on committees have privately said we aren’t finding evidence. But there will be a vote this week to continue this “gotcha” environment we are in instead of working together in a bipartisan way to address pressing issues in this country.

And in my district, the Mideast continues to hang over much. So many, whether they are Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, or Muslim, are worried about their families, have lost loved ones, and worry for their own personal safety, even here in the U.S. The worry is deep, and the anger is real. 

This will not be a peaceful holiday for many that I know. I want my staff to get a much-needed break, but I will be very much around listening, working, fighting, and pushing…..because that is the job I was elected to do, and I will keep doing it.

A summary of last week follows.
 
Standing up Against Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War
 
Rape as an act of war must be condemned unequivocally by everyone, everywhere. We cannot turn a blind eye to brutal sexual violence wherever it occurs. There have been documented cases of this occurring in conflicts across the country and throughout history, including recently in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war, the Tigray War, and many others. We must speak up as one international community and be a voice for women and all survivors.
 
Committee Work This Week
 
We marked up the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act to address supply chain vulnerabilities now to prevent future crises and protect our national security. The Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act includes expanded mapping, monitoring, and proactive measures to address supply chain shocks and improve resiliency. The bill also includes several important provisions from the Supply CHAINS Act, legislation I am co-leading with Rep. Blunt Rochester, Rep. Kelly, and Rep. Wild. 
 
We are also working on bipartisan legislation to prevent Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) from exploiting the system and driving profits at the expense of patients, especially seniors struggling with the cost of rising prescription drugs.

For far too long, PBMs have been allowed to operate virtually unchecked. Under current law, PBMs are not required to report to Prescription Drug Plan sponsors on the cost savings they have secured, which obstructs the actual costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. The strengthened transparency achieved through the Medicare PBM Accountability Act will help us better understand the true costs of prescription drugs and stop PBMs from pocketing cost savings as profits instead of passing them on to seniors.

When given the choice, we know patients would overwhelmingly prefer to receive care at home, which can result in significant savings for patients and providers. This is something I can speak to from my own personal experience with home infusion, when I was receiving antibiotics at home every day for several months back in 2021. Home infusion services offer so many benefits to patients – from reducing the threat of infection, increasing access in rural communities, lessening transportation and mobility challenges, and so much more.
 
I am upset that we did not consider the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act last week during the full committee markup, legislation I led with Representatives Harshbarger, Sewell, and Buchanan. This legislation would provide critical technical clarifications to the existing Medicare home infusion benefit to ensure it’s working the way we intended.
 
PACE Expanded Act Reintroduction
 
Tuesday, I reintroduced the PACE Expanded Act alongside Rep. Moolenaar (MI-02), legislation to strengthen the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). The PACE Expanded Act would support the expansion of current PACE programs and facilitate the establishment of new ones by giving PACE programs greater flexibility to enroll beneficiaries throughout the year, improving PACE access and affordability for Medicare-only beneficiaries, and establishing a pilot program to help test PACE models in new populations.
 
The PACE model has been remarkably successful in helping seniors and Americans with disabilities age and live with dignity. As the third-largest PACE state, Michigan’s PACE providers deliver critical long-term supportive services for individuals wishing to remain in their homes, which is overwhelmingly the setting Americans prefer. Access to this program makes a real difference, but hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to sit on waitlists to receive home and community-based services. We must do more to ensure Americans have the option to live independently in the comfort of their own homes. With the PACE Expanded Act, we can put these long-term supports in reach for those who need them the most.
 
National Women's Law Center Title IX Day of Action
 
Tuesday, the National Women's Law Center held a Title IX Day of Action to bring awareness to the fact that we’re still living under the Trump-era Title IX rule, which weakened protections for sexual assault survivors, and undermined protections against sex discrimination. Students should learn, compete, and succeed in safe and welcoming academic environments. I urge President Biden and the U.S. Department of Education to finalize their Title IX rule ASAP to restore these protections to give survivors the safeguards and confidence to report assault and discrimination and ensure their rights are upheld.
 
CARS Act
 
Wednesday, I spoke on the House Floor in strong opposition to the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act. The CARS Act is a misleading messaging bill that would stifle American competitiveness and let our foreign competitors dictate the future of mobility. We cannot cede leadership to anyone - we must continue to invest in our EV transition, so we don’t lose to China.
 
UM/Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers Compact 15th Anniversary Symposium
 
Friday, the University of Michigan and the Governors’ Great Lakes Compact held their 15th Anniversary Symposium to highlight binational and intergovernmental cooperation to protect our Great Lakes. For thousands of years and across generations, no other freshwater system in the world has inspired greater economic prosperity, quality of life, or binational unity than the waters of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. As someone who grew up on the St. Clair River and with many of my residents located along the Detroit River, protecting the Great Lakes and its diverse species is personal to me and to so many who call Michigan, and this entire region, home.

Much progress has been made, but we must continue our work to protect these waters from those who seek to undermine environmental safeguards, especially as we are seeing the growing impacts of the climate crisis. These Great Lakes matter to so many. It is our responsibility to ensure these massive, treasured resources are protected for all time from pollution, emerging contaminants, climate change, invasive species, harmful algae blooms, and threats to wildlife and their habitats.
 
Safe water is essential for our families, communities, and businesses to thrive. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress, along with our partners across the country and in Canada, to ensure that the freshwater in the Great Lakes watershed is protected for the 100 million in the region who have chosen to work, raise their family, and enjoy the outdoors here.
 
Climate Power "Made by Michigan" Clean Energy Business Roundtable
 
Friday, I attended the Climate Power "Made by Michigan" Clean Energy Business Roundtable to discuss historic investments in climate action and the clean energy transition through the Inflation Reduction Act and the impact it is already having in Michigan in terms of new investments and job creation. 

The Inflation Reduction Act is the single largest investment in clean energy, environmental justice, and climate actions in American history. Just one year in, we’re seeing the impacts of this landmark legislation in Michigan and across America, and are taking important and significant steps to transition our country to a clean-energy economy, all while investing in our workers and lowering costs for families. The IRA has already created more than 170,000 good-paying clean energy jobs across the country, including 16,000 jobs in Michigan in the past year, and is ensuring our communities are stronger and more resilient to the effects of the climate crisis, which we are seeing with increasingly catastrophic floods, fires, and other weather events.

Through partnership and collaboration, we will continue to create the clean energy jobs that are driving our economy forward while investing in American workers, bringing down costs to put money back in the pockets of families, and addressing the climate crisis. 
 
UM Meeting with Minister-President of Flanders
 
Saturday, The University of Michigan held a meeting with Minister-President of Flanders, Jan Jambon. Like Flanders, our state, and especially the University of Michigan, is a thriving hub for high-tech innovation, cutting-edge technology and research, and advancements in clean energy and sustainability. I look forward to continuing to work to strengthen our federal and state partnerships with industry and strategic international collaborators, like MP Jambon, for economic development and global security.
 
Save Money on Energy Bills
 
Too many Michiganders know the burden of high energy bills, especially during winter months. The Investing in America Plan is helping lower energy costs for families across the country. For more info about how you can save, click here.
 
Photos of the Week
 
Weekends continue to ground me. Getting around, listening to what is really on people’s minds. Some blunt conversations. But holiday parties are in full swing, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber and the Downriver Chamber are always the same night but I get there because you see everyone. Somehow it refreshes me, especially the hugs. We are hugging again. A dinner with many old friends in Dearborn honoring Brigadier General Hassan Choucair, Deputy Director General of Lebanese Security. A little intense, but many many friends can talk loudly to each other. It’s how you solve problems. Speeches, panels, some emotional meetings with families of hostages, a “smudging” of the new Ypsi Township Community Center, the UAW chaplain brunch, farmers markets, holiday markets, and I followed Santa around a lot. He seems to be able to get everywhere! The Trenton VFW Santa and pancake breakfast, the Downriver vets Santa brunch, Santa did a 5K walk in Northville, Santa was at Westfield in Trenton and in the Plymouth old village. I love following Santa because he makes people happy!  Attended the Ypsi/Ypsi Twp firefighters’ annual holiday party, and I love these guys always. They do so much for the community. And while there, I visited with secret santas working hard to make sure every family who needs it has a Christmas this year - a good organization to help. I actually made my own Rotary Club holiday party in Trenton, and honestly, these are the oldest and most real friends, and being there just always makes me laugh. Another party followed in Ann Arbor with so many I work with. And on Sunday, absolutely breaking everything I said, some of my girlfriends threw a surprise birthday party for me (and it was a true surprise) with all of my favorite junk foods, which I am sure some of them have never touched- it made me cry…I am lucky. I am grateful every day I live in America, I am going to keep fighting for the vision of what we want it to be, be part of a community that cares, and yep, we can yell and be passionate, but I will take care and passion any day to apathy. My weekends are the glue and fuel that keeps me going.

I will end by saying that this is a time to watch out for each other. Holidays are hard. I miss John every single day, and this year it’s really hitting me. I have enough people who I can be real with and they just give that little prop-up when I need it. We all need to be there for each other. In the meantime, lots of holiday preparations still have to be finished. Have a good week, and be safe. D2
 
As always, I want to hear from you.  What do you want me to know? What are you thinking about? Please contact me with any questions, ideas, and concerns. Share them with me at this link, or by calling one of my offices in Ann Arbor, Woodhaven, or DC:
 
Ann Arbor: (734) 481-1100
Woodhaven: (313) 278-2936
Washington, DC: (202) 225-4071