Dear Constituent,

Last week, Team Scholten was hard at work both in Washington, DC and West Michigan, advocating for you in Congress! I’m so proud to represent Michigan’s mighty Third in Congress—but I need your engagement to do my job well. Please reach out to my office at scholten.house.gov—your insights, comments, and feedback are so important to me and my team.

Selfridge Base Tour

I started the week by touring Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Selfridge is one of the longest operating military airfields in the nation. I was there on Monday to commemorate the groundbreaking of a new fighter jet maintenance hangar. Michigan’s state and federal leaders are united behind ensuring Selfridge’s mission ready status. The hangar we broke ground on will only cement that status. West Michigan supports the critical work of our service members and is committed to leading future fighter missions at Selfridge.

Police Week

It was Police Week this week, and I was honored to stand on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to honor our men and women in uniform who keep our community and our country safe every day. Unfortunately, this week, House Republican leadership used this opportunity to introduce a series of messaging bills designed to divide us, instead of unite us over things we agree on–like increasing officer pay, enhancing recruitment and retention incentives, and increasing survivor benefits.

I want to take a moment to explain these bills, what they do, and why I voted the way I did: H.R. 3091, H.R. 2494, and H.Con.Res. 40. Below is a summary of what these bills would do, and why I voted the way I did.

H.R. 3091

This bill originally would’ve required the General Services Administration (GSA) to create a program where federal law enforcement officials could buy retired firearms from the agency they serve. Under current law, federal agencies like the Secret Service or U.S. Customs and Border Protection are required to destroy all firearms after they are retired.

Unfortunately, amendments added to this legislation created loopholes in the law that I couldn’t stand for. One amendment would allow retired law enforcement officers to buy weapons without a background check, while another would have opened up the sale of heavy weaponry—like grenades and rocket launchers—to be sold, all without a background check.

I supported the initial piece of this legislation, but unfortunately the amendments went against the principles of responsible gun ownership, which is why I did not support the final version of H.R. 3091.

H.R. 2494

This bill would make it a deportable offense to assault a police officer or first responder. At first glance, this bill makes sense. Individuals who endanger EMTs, firefighters, and police officers while they are protecting our communities should face severe consequences. Here’s the catch: this is already the law. It is already a deportable offense to assault a first responder.

This legislation includes a dangerous legal gray area, however. The standards for deportation in this bill—“admission or conviction of assault,” is extraordinarily fuzzy. This provision opens the door to extrajudicial deportations that circumvent the judicial system. It puts even more of a burden on our already overburdened immigration system by introducing more ambiguity into the legal code, and actually makes it harder to deport someone who poses a threat to our country.

That’s why I voted no. As a former immigration attorney, I know how this system works. I’m working every day with Republicans to make our immigration system more secure, efficient, and humane. I support our law enforcement, and those who harm our first responders in the line of duty deserve to face severe consequences. This legislation is not the answer to either of these problems.

H.Con.Res. 40

This resolution expresses support for police officers and denounces efforts to defund or dismantle local law enforcement agencies. I voted yes on this legislation. Police officers put themselves in the line of fire to protect our communities every day—and they deserve to have the full support of their lawmakers.

Grand Rapids Housing Commission

On Friday, I visited the Grand Rapids Housing Commission’s facilities across the city. They do incredible work across Kent and Ottawa Counties by creating affordable housing programs that provide low-income West Michiganders with stable housing options.

When I talk to West Michiganders, I hear about housing all the time. The numbers back up this concern—some reports estimate that Kent County alone will need nearly 35,000 new housing units just by 2027. Muskegon and Ottawa Counties have similar needs as lakeshore communities expand.

Funding Friday

Our Funding Friday highlight this week is the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative! This amazing program provides $30 million for underserved communities in the Great Lakes region. For more information, check out the website here and reach out to my office at scholten.house.gov.

As always, thanks for the opportunity to serve you, West Michigan!

Have a great week,

Hillary J. Scholten
Member of Congress