Legislative Recap

The big bill on the floor this past week was the MilConVA Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill. This bill would fund military construction efforts and veterans affairs work. While you would think this would be a good place to find common ground, House Republican leadership thought otherwise. I wish the egregious policy riders were the most offensive parts of this bill. They weren’t —it’s the fact that Republican leadership went back on its word and wasted taxpayer dollars with a bill that violates our spending agreement, AND the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. We LITERALLY ALREADY went over this, and decided on how to fund these bills last November.

Did they think the American people would forget? It’s actions like these that leave the American people so discouraged with the functionality of our Congress. As our federal deficit expands, Republicans are happy to waste THOUSANDS hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars on a performative vote, instead of focusing on efficiency. You deserve so much better, and I’ll never stop fighting for a functional, efficient, and fiscally responsible Congress. I voted no on this bill.

Committee Work

Another place where you would think we would be able to find common ground (and oftentimes, we do!) is the House Small Business Committee. This week, unfortunately, was not one of those times. We had a partisan hearing about the Small Business Administration’s efforts to register voters in Michigan. I know what you’re thinking– why is the SBA registering voters? Reminder: registering people to vote is a good and necessary thing, and there’s longstanding precedent of federal agencies providing voter registration materials to small businesses.

During this hearing, which was all about Michigan, we heard from Republican witnesses who actually admitted that they had no idea what they were talking about. I made sure to get them on record saying that.

Michigan is in the (White) House! This week, Governor Whitmer and members of her administration were in Washington to celebrate our successes thanks to federal dollars and recommit to our continued partnership for Michiganders.

Wesley and I had the best time meeting with the crew of the Artemis II -- including Grand Rapids' own Christina Koch! Thanks to these heroes for putting our nation at the forefront of space exploration and inspiring the next generation of space explorers!

On Friday, I was back in the district focusing on issues of affordability. It’s getting harder and harder for most families to make ends meet. I went to our local Walmart and talked to the crew there about their own struggles, as well as why their work bringing affordable food and products to West Michigan matters. 

I also visited the Home Repair Services of Kent County, an innovative nonprofit that has been helping West Michiganders stay in their homes for decades. They install ramps, fix leaky roofs, and help give folks the skills they need to do home repair work themselves. Their work is sustained by Community Development Block Grants–first signed into law by our own President Ford! I’m committed to keeping them around for decades more. P.S. Did you know that you can take FREE home repair classes here? 

We also visited the As You Are (AYA) youth collective that helps meet the needs of at-risk youth experiencing homelessness in West Michigan. I was so impressed with their welcoming approach that keeps kids safe! I’m working to find ways to fund their work to provide affordable and long-term housing for this population in West Michigan. 

This weekend was also full of activity! I was out with my kids at the Grand Rapids Triathlon and on the Lakeshore supporting our incredible Muskegon Museum of Art at their annual gala. 

But one of the biggest highlights of my weekend was a special celebration of the passage of the Michigan Family Protection Act with Senate Majority Leader Brinks, and the attorneys and families whose advocacy made it possible. My good friend Tammy Myers shared her horrific but ultimately triumphant story. After battling cancer and enlisting a surrogate to carry her twins, she was not allowed to take her kids home from the hospital due to Michigan’s restrictive surrogacy laws (the worst in the country). She fought for her kids for years, and ultimately prevailed, but was forced to adopt them. Her own children. But she wasn’t satisfied to just win for herself, she took on the laws and changed them so others wouldn’t have to go through the same thing. You can read more about Tammy’s incredible story here.

Later this month, I’ll be playing for Tammy in our Congressional Women’s Softball Game. 

I’m back to Washington next week. We’re battling appropriations bills and the NDAA. I’ll have more on that next week. But, before I head back, we’ll have an exciting announcement about some investments in Muskegon Heights–stay tuned!

ICYMI

• My community project funds for FY2025 have been submitted. We’re so excited to champion these great projects! Read more about WGHN’s coverage here.
• It’s gun violence awareness month and unfortunately our weekend was ravaged by gun violence–including the tragic death of 15-year old Amillier Penn during a pick-up football game. My heart goes out to his family, and my actions continue for him and far too many others like him lost too soon.  I’m a proud and active member of the gun violence prevention task force, working every day to reduce gun deaths in our community. We don’t have to live like this.
• The Muskegon County Economic summit was this past week, and OH MY, I’m so excited about the things that are happening on the Lakeshore. Read more about it here.
• The local Walmart mentioned above made headlines this week because two employees–refugees from Iraq who have called Grand Rapids home for decades–are enhancing our community every day through their prolific sign language abilities. Read more here.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Hillary Scholten