Representative Hillary Scholten

Dear Neighbor–

The pools are closed, the kids are back to school, the squash is bumping, the last of the blueberries on the bushes…and it’s hotter than Hades. It must be late August in West Michigan! This week I spent a lot of time focusing on our rural communities and the unique challenges they face. Our beautiful district combines two larger urban areas, with a HUGE swath of rural area in between. As we head back to Washington, I wanted to be sure that I heard about the needs of our smaller towns, villages, and farms that are so essential to the livelihood in our districts. Here’s a look at the week in review, and what’s in store next week.

The Week in Review

Springing Ahead with Spring Lake

Congresswoman Scholten at The Village at Spring Lake

I had the opportunity to sit down with village and township leadership in Spring Lake to discuss their infrastructure needs and how this thriving community can continue growing with safe streets and enough housing for all! To all those who played in the Bayou Battle last night–I hope you had fun in your Battle for the Paddle! (I take no sides!)

Versatile Manufacturing is an innovative family-owned business right here in West Michigan. From their humble beginnings in making wood dowels to their impressive array of diverse wood manufacturing today, Versatile is truly showing what West Michigan quality manufacturing is all about. The people make all the difference!

Congresswoman Scholten at Versatile Manufacturing

Blueberries: Superfood and West Michigan Superpower

In continuing my theme of bringing Washington, DC’s power players right here to West Michigan to see for themselves–I welcomed USDA and FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux to Crossroads Blueberry Farms to learn about our incredible blueberry production here in West Michigan–as well as the challenges the industry currently faces. Once a dominant force in the market, blueberry growers here in West Michigan are facing HUGE challenges due to the blight from the Gall Wasp, saturation of our market with cheap, foreign blueberries, and labor shortages that can’t meet the domestic demands.

Congresswoman Scholten at Crossroads Farm

Congresswoman Scholten with Blueberry Farmer

We need American farms to feed American families. To me, this is not just an economic issue–it’s a national security imperative. We must–without question–continue to ensure a healthy and robust domestic food supply. The strongest military in the world can’t protect us if we don’t have food to eat. With a stalemate in Washington over the Farm Bill (I’m not giving up getting to an agreement!), I brought the executive branch here to see what we might be able to do through regulation and executive order to address some of the top concerns. I’m so grateful to OVER FORTY blueberry growers who showed up to help us learn. You were heard–and I’m going back to Washington with my marching orders.

Legislative Corner

We’re always hard at work on our legislative priorities, even when we’re not in Washington. This week, I co-lead a letter to Speaker Johnson asking him to reconsider the horrific cuts to SNAP.

The Week Ahead

Next week I’ll be touring a veteran-owned construction company, a local manufacturer, and welcoming our House Minority Whip to the district to learn more about our work protecting women from domestic abuse. I’ll also be continuing our work supporting agriculture with a cool roundtable on AI in agriculture–combining essential traditions of the past, with innovations of the future. And, save the date for our upcoming telephone town hall–a great way to connect and share your thoughts and ideas before I head back to Washington (see details below).

Telephone Town Hall - September 5th at 5 PM

ICYMI

The Grand Haven Tribune joined us for our tour of Crossroads Farms. We discussed how vital it is to feed American families and how I’ll be working across the aisle to support our farmers with the Farm Bill.
Last week, I introduced a bill to rename the Comstock Post Office after Marine Captain Miguel Nava. The community that raised such a great man who sacrificed his life for our freedom deserves a lasting testament to his bravery and legacy. Read more here.
The Congressional App Challenge is now accepting applications for middle school and high school students passionate about computer science and coding. Visit my website for more information.

It is an honor to serve you, West Michigan.

Sincerley,

Hillary Scholten
Member of Congress