Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

On Monday, I had the privilege of walking in the Zeeland Parade with the city council to honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. I also paid respect to the veterans who returned home from a war that changed the world and helped make West Michigan the community it is today. We owe all of these men and women a deep debt and we must honor their work and their memories.

Later that morning, I spoke at the Hudsonville Memorial Day Service about the importance of teaching our children about the sacrifices prior generations made to ensure our freedom. To watch the ceremony, click on the picture below.

Appropriations, Budgets, and Funding For The Great Lakes

In this discussion, it is important to remember that the Constitution empowers Congress, not the President, to determine what programs are funded. I believe the Great Lakes have been, and should continue to be, a national priority. In fact, Congress just supported fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) for the remainder of the current fiscal year. By reaching across the aisle, I have worked in a bipartisan manner to reject cuts to the GLRI put forward by President Obama and President Trump. The health and vitality of the Great Lakes are instrumental to sustaining economic growth in Michigan and across the entire Great Lakes region. I remain committed to working with both Republicans and Democrats to prioritize, strengthen, and defend the Great Lakes.

Health Care In America: A Rescue Mission

Last week, the CBO released its projection confirming that the American Health Care Act will lower premiums and reduce the federal deficit. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services released a study detailing how premiums for Michigan residents on the individual market have increased by 90% over the last four years. ObamaCare is collapsing and is not sustainable. We need to restore the ability of hardworking Michiganders to choose the health care plan that best meets their needs, not what Washington dictates they must have. The American Health Care Act, which passed the House in May, is a positive step in helping to achieve that objective.

The Financial Choice Act: Restoring Accountability & Increasing Opportunity

Next week, the House will debate the Financial CHOICE Act, the legislative response to Dodd-Frank. Dodd-Frank's one-size-fits-all legislation has hurt our economy at the local level by making it harder for community financial institutions to support small businesses. In contrast, the Financial CHOICE Act enacts pro-growth reforms, restores accountability, and ends taxpayer-funded bailouts to Wall Street. To learn more about this important legislation, click the picture below.

On May 18th, the CBO estimated the Financial CHOICE Act will cut the federal deficit by $24 billion and provide regulatory relief to community financial institutions. Additionally the CBO projected the largest financial institutions in America will not benefit from the Financial CHOICE Act. In fact, the biggest banks would choose to remain under the regulatory structure of Dodd-Frank because they likely could not meet the strict capitalization standards imposed by this legislation.

I recently discussed the importance of the Financial CHOICE Act as well as how it will increase accountability and provide commonsense reforms to strengthen our economy in USA Today. To read my op-ed, click here.

Congressional Art Competition

Congratulations to Ruby Henrickson, a senior at Ludington High School, for winning her second consecutive Congressional Art Competition. It is clear that Ruby has continued to hone her skills. Ruby has been a great representative for young artists across West Michigan and I look forward to thousands of visitors viewing "Nostalgia" first-hand at the U.S. Capitol.

The top 12 finalists for this year's Second District Congressional Art Competition can be viewed here. Please be advised that some of the art addresses mature themes and topics. Thank you to all of the young artists who submitted their well crafted pieces!

Regulation Nation

In order to grow our economy and spur long-term job creation, we need to do two things. First, we need to modernize our tax code. Second, we need to take "regulation nation" head-on and restore commonsense to our regulatory system.  I discussed these important economic priorities, as well as the issue of governance during an interview on Fox Business. To watch the interview, click on the picture below.

The Michigan Minute