Dear MI-03 Neighbors:

Week 2 of 3 of our busy July session is in the books. We’ve accomplished so much in just our first six months, but this past week was easily one of the best, with the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization out of the House (more on that below). Here’s a look at what we did, and what’s to come in our final session week of the summer.

Week in Review

Session weeks in Washington are packed FULL,  so my family tries and take time where we can to bond with our colleagues and their loved ones. Forging relationships that enable bipartisan work is so important, and this week we were able to do just that at the White House Congressional Picnic.

Our family had a fantastic time. The highlight for the kids was playing a congressional kids volleyball game on the South Lawn – the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in the foreground, the White House as the backdrop. It didn’t matter which party your parent belongs to, it only mattered if you could return a serve! We had to pull them away so we all could go vote! (The highlight for Jesse was the fried chicken!)

We also had the honor of hosting Israeli President Herzog to address the House for a joint session of Congress this week. In a time of rising anti-Semitism at home, and increasing instability in the Middle East, it was so important to stand together as a Congress and listen to President Herzog’s words, and discuss how we can work for more peace and justice in the region. I’m looking forward to being able to visit Israel twice in the next year to learn and also serve as an ambassador for West Michigan.

I also held two important press conferences this week, the first was to launch our new task force to combat child labor violations around the country, but especially here in Michigan, where we’ve seen an alarming increase. Congressman Dan Kildee and I are co-leading the Task Force. Our worker shortage issue in this country can be solved, but not on the backs of other country’s children. We need comprehensive immigration reform, support for trade schools and vocational training programs, and more childcare options. In the United States of America, we simply cannot allow child labor to persist. You can read more about it here.

For the second, I joined forces with Protect Our Care and Michigan State Representative Will Snyder (D-Muskegon) to discuss the importance of continuing our work to lower the cost of prescription drugs. We made HUGE gains with the Inflation Reduction Act by capping insulin costs, ensuring certain vaccines are available for free, and capping overall prescription expenses for seniors–but there’s so much more to be done for younger Americans who are also struggling to afford lifesaving medication.  You can read more here.

Legislative Actions

Our big bill on the floor this week was the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Act. As you may recall, a few weeks ago, we passed this out of our Transportation and Infrastructure committee unanimously. Through a lot of hard work and advocacy, I was able to include MAJOR wins for West Michigan in the final bill – a provision that requires more transparency from the government as to HOW they prioritize airport towers for replacement, and a requirement that they consider the oldest towers first.

Grand Rapids’ Gerald R. Ford International Airport has THE OLDEST airport tower of the top 75 busiest airports in the country -- it’s over 60 years old and doesn’t meet current safety and security standards. Since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) owns the tower, it's the FAA that must replace it. Without standards and transparency, our airport kept getting overlooked. It’s been a decades-long project to advocate for replacement. I’m proud that I was able to come up with this commonsense piece of legislation to get it done. This new rule won’t ONLY help GRR, but other mid-size and growing airports just like it around the country. You can watch my explainer video after my vote here.

When not on the House floor this week, I co-sponsored 13 bills and signed onto 4 letters to various administrative agencies. I also had an important meeting to discuss potential future legislative work on the Women Owned Small Business Program. Black women entrepreneurs is the fastest growing group of new entrepreneurs. Currently, certifications of these new businesses are stagnating because of lack of funding and critical agency staffing shortages. I’m doing all I can to support this vital program, and will keep up discussions with local businesses to support their growth.

Committee Work

In Small Business Committee, we had a mark-up session, that’s where we consider various bills and have an opportunity to discuss them or add amendments. Two of my bills were considered and passed out of committee. First, a bill originated by Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) that would ensure more transparency and accountability in how the government engages in contracting with small businesses, as well as legislation that would require the SBA to publicly post and send out notifications on any new regulations. 

District Work

Our district office is always hard at work for West Michigan while I’m in Washington –truly, they are all force multipliers. They met with local organizations on my behalf and joined the 10 year anniversary celebration for Mixed Staffing, a Grand Rapids-based employment agency.

The Week Ahead

Next week is our third week of the July session, before our August District Work Period, where I'll be back in West Michigan and also joining Congressional delegations to learn more about transportation and infrastructure projects around the world and serve as an ambassador to West Michigan. Stay tuned for more details and updates from my travels! 

On the Hill we’ll be working to pass our appropriations bills to fund the government and vital federal programs. We learned this week of absolutely devastating cuts Republicans have laid out for critical social programs like job training, health care, and education. We’re doing absolutely everything we can to minimize the impact in West Michigan, but unfortunately my counterparts on the other side of the aisle do not have the same priorities. I believe in growing the economy from the middle out–supporting working families with good paying jobs, and reducing the cost of health care. Republicans still believe in an outdated, flawed method that predicts that tax breaks to the ultrawealthy will somehow, someway trickle down to everyday Americans. It hasn’t worked for the last 40 years, and it won’t work in the future. I trust working families over big corporations, and that’s who I’ll continue to prioritize. My votes on our appropriations bills will reflect those values–it’s what West Michigan sent me here to do.

Our district team remains hard at work when I’m in DC, so don’t forget to check out our social media accounts during the week for pictures from West Michigan, even more information and updates from Washington, and our Featured Grant for funding Fridays and other photos throughout the week.

With a gratitude for your engagement, 

Hillary Scholten
Member of Congress