This week was all about the budget. We passed a “minibus”— which was a package of several FY2024 spending bills to fund about 20% of the government. I could not be more excited to share that through the appropriations process, I secured more than $11.5 MILLION for community projects across West Michigan!

One of the most important things we do in Congress is decide how to spend our taxpayers’ dollars. As families across West Michigan continue to struggle, I make very certain that those dollars are being used and invested as frugally and wisely as possible, and that means advocating for them to come right back home here to West Michigan. I selected these 15 projects based on community support and pressing local needs– and every single one of them received funding, which is a rare feat for a Member of Congress!

These projects will address access to child care, affordable housing, infrastructure, tackling the youth mental health crisis by making youth sports more accessible and so much more. This funding will truly change lives here in West Michigan. It’s an honor to represent this community and I will continue fighting as hard as I can to secure the investments that West Michigan deserves.

Over the next few months, I'll be rolling out each project and highlighting the impact that they will have on our community, and I can’t wait to share more with you!

Another important thing to highlight about this spending package is what’s NOT in it– and that is a Republican-led slash to WIC nutrition benefits, which provides healthy foods to needy women, children, and infants. Let me repeat that– House Republicans tried to take food out of the mouths of women, children, and infants– but we stopped them. I’ll keep fighting against this extremism that’s threatening families in West Michigan and across our country.

I also cosponsored the Menopause Research and Equity Act. Menopause is a HUGE part of a woman’s life, yet we know so little about it. This bill would require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate the results and status of completed and ongoing research related to menopause, perimenopause, or midlife women’s health, to conduct and support additional such research.

Showing Up with Action

Watch my remarks here!

One of our core responsibilities on the House Small Business Committee is providing oversight for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other federal entities to prevent waste, fraud, & abuse at the Small Business Administration. Over the last four years under SBA Administrator Guzman’s leadership, the administration has implemented 100% of the GAO’s recommendations– ensuring that the SBA can effectively protect and support small businesses. During our hearing this week, I asked SBA officials if the agency is now better prepared to prevent loan fraud if a situation like the COVID-19 pandemic were to ever happen again. The answer? A Resounding YES!

Watch my remarks here!

In the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week, we had a hearing with transportation stakeholders– including Michigan’s own Amy O’Leary, the Executive Director of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments– to hear about how we can make federal dollars more accessible for state and local projects. I asked how we can simplify the grant application process and how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making clean water more accessible in Michigan.

Watch my remarks here!

We had an absolutely critical hearing in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee on Coast Guard recruitment and retention. My questions focused on how the Coast Guard has responded to the findings of Operation Fouled Anchor– which was the horrific cover-up of sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy– and how the Coast Guard is working to make sure every woman can feel safe and supported.

Watch my special order hour here!

As promised, I FINALLY got to host my special order hour to honor Black History Month and read the stories of African American West Michiganders who changed the course of our local and national history. It was such a privilege to be able to share these stories on the House floor while representing the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives. A special thank you to George Bayard for partnering with me on this incredible project. While Black History Month might be over, our commitment to celebrating the impact of African Americans in West Michigan lives on.

Over the last two years since the fall of Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen Republicans continuing their march toward a national abortion ban, and the news from the Alabama Supreme Court on the future of IVF is just the latest attempt to roll back women’s reproductive freedom. This week, ahead of the State of the Union, I stood with my colleagues and several State of the Union guests from across the country as they told their stories about living in a post-Roe America in states with abortion bans.

This week, we welcomed Lt. Governor Gilchrist and local leaders in Grand Rapids to celebrate our record-setting investment in education and pre-K for all! When we invest in child care, we invest in our future, and I’m proud to partner with the Governor and the Lt. Governor in our work to support the next generation.

Every day, our firefighters put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. At the International Association of Fire Fighters’ breakfast this week, we honored their service and learned from firefighters about how we can support them and their essential work.

I had the best time with my colleagues and friends as we celebrated Women’s History Month and our continued effort to place the Women’s History Museum on the National Mall. Women’s history is American history, and I’m committed to uplifting it with the urgency and determination it deserves.

Next week, we’ll be voting on bills dealing with many different topics, but one of the most exciting things on the docket is a bill to designate the federal building located at 985 Michigan Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, as the “Rosa Parks Federal Building!”

We’ll also be working through the remaining portion of the Fiscal Year 2024 budget to avoid a partial shutdown on March 22nd.

Back home, I’ll be announcing the first of our community projects funded by the $11.5 million I secured for West Michigan. Stay tuned!

ICYMI

• As many of you know, I took a trip down to the southern border recently to see the situation on the ground. We have a crisis at the border – it’s a humanitarian crisis, an economic crisis, and a national security crisis, and it demands immediate, bipartisan action. I sat down with WZZM 13 to talk about what I learned and how I’m working toward bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform. Watch here!
• I caught up with Mary Ellen Murphy from WGHN last week to talk about how I'm working to defend access to IVF following the Alabama Supreme Court decision, my bill to support women-owned small businesses passing the House, and so much more. Listen here!
• My team and I are still looking for summer session interns to help serve West Michigan! The deadline to apply is March 29th. Would you pass this information on to a young person–or a teacher/mentor you might know–to send to the young people in their lives? Learn more and submit your application here.

As always, it’s an honor to serve you, West Michigan.