Dear Constituent,

I had another busy week last week in Washington, D.C. serving West Michigan! My team and I are always happy to meet with and see people from West Michigan who have come out here to advocate for what they believe in.

Here’s a look at what we’ve been doing this week.

Finding Solutions on Immigration

This week, I took a key vote on the House Republicans’ extreme, go nowhere immigration bill. I voted no. Here’s why: I have been hearing from West Michiganders who are calling on Congress to craft comprehensive immigration reform for years because we know this is a national security issue, an economic issue, and a humanitarian issue. This bill, however, is not the reform we need. I’ve already been working with Republicans and Democrats on solutions: we need to create a commonsense plan that protects our borders, strengthens our workforce, provides sufficient pathways to citizenship, and addresses the root causes of migration. The only way to move us forward on secure and humane immigration reform is bipartisan action – I’m at the table, ready to have that conversation.

Additionally, I took into account what I had been hearing directly from constituents. In response to the needs shared by West Michigan farmers at a roundtable I held in April, I voted to support amendments to H.R. 2 that would bolster our agricultural workforce and crack down on drug trafficking. I also introduced an amendment to prevent House Republicans from revoking work permits from individuals who are here on Humanitarian Parole (a special visa status for individuals here under dire humanitarian circumstances). If an individual is paroled legally into our country, they should be allowed to work while they're here. It's not only important for them to be able to support themselves–we need the workers. We're experiencing critically high labor shortages across multiple industries–we need more workers, not fewer engaging in the United States economy. My amendment was not included by leadership in the final bill.

Presiding over the Small Business Contracting Subcommittee

On Thursday, I presided over my first subcommittee hearing as Ranking Member on the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure, leading the witness questioning alongside Representative Lalota (R-NY). We heard from small business owners on how we can best ensure they have a spot at the table when it comes to bigger contracts and learned how to better support West Michigan’s diverse small businesses that may want to get into government contracting. This conversation was so helpful in my work to lift up our veteran, women, and minority-owned businesses in West Michigan.

Supporting Our Graduates

This May, students across West Michigan and our nation will graduate from high school and college. I was honored to recognize one of the incredibly bright graduates, who hails from Michigan’s Third Congressional District, on the House floor this week.

Elle Bennett from Ada, Michigan will graduate first in her academic class from the United States Military Academy at West Point later this month. After graduating, she will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.

On behalf of our West Michigan community, I congratulate her on her impressive accomplishments as she graduates from West Point!

Reining in Government Spending

I came to Congress to make sure that our government spends your hard-earned tax money wisely. That is why I made another key vote this week in favor of H.R. 1163, the Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act, which claws back $400 million in excess COVID-19 funds. I know my constituents care about where their money is going, and I do too. I won’t hesitate to vote across party lines when it means fighting waste, fraud, and abuse of West Michigander’s money.

Moms on a Mission to End Gun Violence

Grand Rapids moms are turning tragedy into action – this weekend, I joined the West Michigan Moms on a Mission as they discussed steps forward in our shared goal of ending gun violence and keeping our children safe. I am honored to join them as we work to root out senseless injuries and deaths in our community.

Funding Friday

On Friday, I joined Lt. Governor Gilchrist at The Right Place in Grand Rapids to talk with business innovators about how we can put West Michigan on the map as a regional tech hub. We are all in this together as we work to secure this critical federal grant for West Michigan.

The Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs Grant would assist in the development of future Tech Hubs to harness innovation in up and coming regions across the nation to create and keep manufacturing jobs in the United States. The U.S. Economic Development Administration will award about $15 million in strategy development grants– more information can be found here.

Have a great week,

Hillary J. Scholten

Member of Congress