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Congress passed and the President signed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through the rest of the fiscal year. It reduces non-defense spending by approximately $13 billion from the previous year and increases defense spending by $6 billion.

I believe passing a full-year continuing resolution instead of real appropriations bills is a failure for the American people and provides a blank check for this Administration to continue dismantling the programs and services people depend on every day. I believe this continuing resolution is a partisan Republican funding bill that does nothing to stop the dismantling of critical services. In fact, it makes things worse with deep cuts that will hurt veterans, seniors, and families.

I cannot and will never go along with cutting veterans’ benefits, taking away health care from Americans, or evicting families from their homes, which is why I voted against it.

Department of Education

The President announced an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education. This action will hurt our nation’s students from preschool to graduation. This action will increase class sizes by laying off teachers, hurt students with disabilities, and push college and job training out of reach.

The Department of Education’s role is to ensure every single child in America can learn, grow, and thrive in a safe and healthy environment – priorities that we should all support, regardless of party. This is an attack on our nation's children and families.

Hundreds of thousands of teachers will be fired, class sizes will increase, and it will reduce learning opportunities. School districts will be forced to make choices between cutting services or raising taxes.

Gave remarks at the House Natural Resources Committee legislative hearing on the bipartisan bill, the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act, which is led by myself and Reps. Huizenga and Walberg.

Watch my remarks here.

Great Lakes leaders were in DC for their annual conference, and I spoke to them at their breakfast.

We must continue to work with my colleagues in Congress, along with our partners across the country and in Canada, to ensure these massive, treasured resources are safeguarded for all time from pollution, emerging contaminants, climate change, invasive species, harmful algae blooms, and threats to wildlife and their habitats.

The Great Lakes are more than 20% of the world’s fresh water, and we must protect them.

Met with 9-1-1 telecommunicators who have some of the most important jobs around, ensuring our communities get emergency assistance in their times of greatest need. Upgrading our emergency telecommunications infrastructure will save lives, and this remains a priority.

My colleague from New York, Representative Grace Meng, and I joined President Santa Ono for the annual University of Michigan Congressional Breakfast. Always well attended by those who are Go Blue.

It is an honor to be recognized with the Champion of Public Broadcasting Award by America’s Public Television Stations. Public television stations provide an irreplaceable service by sharing public safety, educational, and local programming every day, for free. We must continue to invest in public broadcasting, which benefits every American, especially those in rural communities.

Below is a summary of legislation I have introduced and am working on from the last few weeks.

TAKE IT DOWN Act

The increasing use of artificial intelligence to create and circulate deep fake pornography threatens the mental and emotional health and financial security of its victims, primarily women and young people. Perpetrators have used deep fake pornography as a tool to harass, humiliate, and intimidate women online, often in response to them speaking out or advocating for themselves. This is a serious and growing issue I’m deeply concerned about.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act provides a critical remedy for victims to ensure these images are removed and that perpetrators are held accountable. As new technology emerges, so too does the potential for new forms of abuse, and we must act swiftly to protect women from tech-facilitated abuse.

See my remarks regarding this bill during the Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing here.

Introduced the bipartisan Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act, which would establish a process for survivors of domestic violence to request the termination or disabling of connected vehicle services that could be misused by an abuser.

As cars become increasingly connected, we must ensure we’re keeping up with the technology to protect survivors from those who take advantage of it as a tool of abuse and control. I will work tirelessly with my colleagues in Congress and all stakeholders – including auto companies, law enforcement, survivor advocacy organizations, and technology companies – to protect and create a safer environment for survivors, free from abuse

Introduced the Pay Federal Workers and Servicemembers Act, whichwould allow states to make unemployment benefits available to unpaid federal workers and servicemembers who, despite the government shutdown, would continue to show up to work without receiving a paycheck.

Food, gas, childcare, healthcare, and mortgage payments don’t stop when the government is shut down, and asking our federal workforce to bear the brunt of these costs while they aren’t getting paychecks is simply not right.

Rep. Moolenaar and I reintroduced the bipartisan Veterans Patient Advocacy Act, which would require the VA to ensure veterans in rural areas have reliable access to patient advocates to receive better care. Patient advocates assist veterans with paperwork, services, and appeals related to their care.

America’s veterans rely on the VA for access to vital programs, benefits, and supportive services. Patient advocates employed by the VA are an important source of support for veterans navigating the VA health system, and strengthening the VA workforce is more important than ever.

Give Kids a Chance Act

We know children respond to cancer treatments differently, yet there is limited research on how these therapies impact them. These children and their families deserve better.

That’s why Rep. McCaul and I introduced the bipartisan Give Kids a Chance Act. This bill will expand pediatric cancer research, offering more children a fighting chance. Together, we are showing these young children and their families that they are not alone in their fight.

The policy choices of today will have lasting effects on the global wireless technology development of tomorrow — especially as we compete against China. We must take concrete, proactive steps to lower barriers to entry for U.S. companies and promote American competitiveness in this space for each subsequent generation of these innovative technologies.

As a co-chair of the 5G and Beyond Caucus, I am proud to have reintroduced the bipartisan Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act to ensure the United States remains at the forefront of innovation.

Introduced the Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act which would establish an online portal for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of the common form applications to deploy a communications facility on federal property. This will help expedite and improve tracking of broadband deployment on federal lands.

Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act

Outdoor recreation, like fishing and hunting, has always been central to Michigan’s culture and heritage, and continuing to expand access to land for public use is important to continuing these rich traditions.

Introduced the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act, which will expand outdoor recreation opportunities nationwide, improve access to the outdoors for all Americans, and bolster critical conservation efforts. I reintroduced this bipartisan, bicameral effort to help people get outside and enjoy Michigan’s natural beauty.

Introduced the Increasing Access to Dental Insurance Act which will expand access to critical dental coverage through the federal marketplace to deliver more affordable oral health services that meet more Americans’ needs that aren’t being met right now.

Governor Whitmer and I joined local pediatric health leaders to talk about the impacts of potential Medicaid cuts for children, seniors, and those with disabilities.

In Michigan, 2.8 million people on Medicaid are at risk of losing their health care under the Republican budget proposal, including 300,000 people with disabilities and 168,000 seniors. These cuts will force providers to close their doors or reduce the quality of services they provide to the most vulnerable Americans.

Town Halls

Thank you to everyone who has joined my town halls. I have been hosting regular town halls, but attendance has greatly increased in the last couple of weeks.

We had 11,000 people participate in a teletownhall. The same day, more than 1,000 people joined myself and state legislators at Washtenaw Community College. We had a similar turnout in Western Wayne and Plymouth with a full auditorium and an overflow room with hundreds of people.

People are enraged, worried, angry, and frustrated about many issues. It is important to listen, respond, and deliver. We will continue to hold these frequently.

These town halls and conversations matter more than ever. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, or X to stay up to date on future town halls.

Representative Tlaib, AFGE District 7 National Vice President Jason Anderson, and I held a listening session with local leaders to discuss the recent federal firings. We had representatives from most government agencies with offices in Michigan.

These cuts are having a real, devastating impact on people’s lives. Seniors who rely on Social Security are unable to get ahold of a human for assistance. Veterans, who have sacrificed their health in service to our country, are unable to secure timely medical appointments. NOAA, an agency whose vital work in monitoring weather and environmental hazards keeps us all safer, has also seen drastic reductions. These reckless cuts are hurting the American people.

Read more about this event here.

Joined District Victim Service Providers (VSPs) to discuss the impacts the Trump Administration’s freezing and uncertainty of federal funding are having on services, employees, morale, and the community. Organizations in attendance include Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCEDSV), First Step, SafeHouse, Avalon Healing Center, and ACCESS.

There are many complex issues that will impact the ability to continue providing critical services. Most notably, a decades-long project to open a domestic violence shelter in Detroit, which had been finally scheduled to open this year, has been postponed by at least a year. Victims need vital support, not reduced resources.

Read more about it here.

America has benefited greatly from the medical breakthroughs and research discoveries that have come from federal research investments. Federal funding from the NIH has enabled us to advance our understanding of cancer, develop vaccines, improve patient outcomes, and save lives.

Met with University of Michigan researchers and faculty to discuss the impacts of the Administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. One hiccup or brief pause in funding can push progress back 40 years. Lifesaving clinical trials are on hold, and brain cancer research funding has been cut by over 30%. Without funding, the medical community is unable to prepare the next generation of health professionals, they can’t hire or promote staff, and they are looking at more layoffs. We were warned of the impact this is having on the next generation of researchers, scientists, and doctors who don't want to be ping pong balls and want more certainty for their futures. Creating such uncertainty and freezing funding threatens American lives and competitiveness.

It was important to hear the implications first-hand of the freezing and potential cuts to NIH funding, and I will continue working at every level to get this critical funding restored.

The A2 Chamber hosted the annual State of the District report. Talked about in real-time things happening in Washington, D.C. and Michigan that are impacting our district and state. There are many issues of concern.

Watch it here.

Paczki Day

I continued the annual Paczki Day celebration this year. Traditions matter to me, they tie the community together and keep us all connected. So as we began Lent, Paczki’s remain a wonderful Polish and Michigan celebration.

Joined AFGE at a rally outside the Detroit VA to raise awareness about freezes and probationary terminations, and potential danger to patients. We should be helping the VA recruit and retain a qualified workforce ― not dismantling it. The Inspector General in the Biden Administration already found the Detroit VA understaffed and the new directorhas been working to address this issue. Critical research at the Ann Arbor VA on burn pits and mental health is potentially being impacted.

I won’t stop fighting to protect access and ensure quality care for all veterans.

Joined the Michigan Army National Guard Armory in Ypsilanti for the national Cobalt Magnet exercise, led by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, in partnership with Michigan State Police. This drill included more than 3,000 individuals from 70 U.S. and Canadian agencies participating in the project, described as a "historic full-scale radiological exercise."

The activity is a simulation involving a nuclear power plant accident, and about a year and a half of planning went into the details. This drill was extremely important to ensure there is an appropriate readiness for everything.

Reading to Belleville Headstart classes was fun. Kids make me smile, period.

It was great to talk with so many young, engaged kids in Dexter and answer questions about our government. They are the future.

Attended the annual Paul W. Smith’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration. A change in location found it to be in my district. I celebrate this holiday for a solid week, but this event brings many friends to one location.

Stopped by the Plymouth VFW to get corned beef and cabbage. This too is an annual fundraiser that helps veterans and brings together friends.

It was an honor to be recognized by the Detroit Duchess Club. As women, our voices are a powerful tool to bring about change. It brings women of all generations together to celebrate women, support each other, celebrate the progress made, and recommit to the work altogether.

Stopped by the monthly My Brother’s Keeper meeting. This group helps guide and support young black men to reach their full potential. They provide mentors and give kids advice. I spend as much time as I can with them.

Saw thousands of amazing LEGO creations at Skyline High School’s Brick Bash. So much creativity, it’s inspiring to see the talent of the future.

The wind made it feel bitter cold for many brave souls at the plunge. People were at the plunge for a good cause, including the special Olympians themselves. Some year I may actually make the plunge.

Michigan men’s basketball are advancing to the Sweet 16 this Friday in the NCAA tournament after a nailbiter of a game against UC San Diego in the first round, and a slightly less stressful win against Texas A&M. Go Blue, keep dancing! I picked Michigan all the way in my bracket.

Joined Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan to discuss tariffs and the continuing resolution.

Watch the full interview here.

Joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss the Joint Address, Democrat’s strategy, and more.

Watch the full interview here.

CNN Newsroom

As you know since becoming a member of Congress, I have monitored grocery prices and and track the cost of milk, eggs, and diet coke. This week Diet Coke held at $6.99, three for $15. Milk $2.89. Eggs a dozen were down by 20 cents. May they continue in that direction.

If you are in High School and interested in applying to the U.S. Naval Academy - check out their Summer Seminar or Summer STEM program here.

The 2025 Congressional Art Competition is accepting submissions! Fill out a student release form on my website and drop off your piece at my district office for a chance to have your artwork displayed in the US Capitol! Submissions are due by Friday, April 11.

For more information, click here.