The lack of willingness to discuss compromise, let alone actually compromise, has led to a lack of legislation on complex problems facing this country from gun control to immigration reform to climate change. Members of Michigan’s Congressional delegation discuss where there may be room for nuanced policy approaches and compromise on these three key hot-button issues that have largely been argued along partisan lines.
“Mental health is the driver of gun violence. I always say that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. And that’s the truth, it takes someone with terrible mental issues to commit horrible acts of violence on innocent people. They desperately need help. I proudly serve as a Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health Task Force, and in that group we have found a lot of agreement on this issue. It’s my hope that all of Congress can find the same level of agreement and finally tackle the mental health crisis that is driving gun violence.”
“I’ve had two school shootings in my district – Oxford and MSU — so I’ve seen how these tragedies tear communities apart. Gun violence is the #1 killer of American kids – that’s fact. As leaders, it’s something we must acknowledge and address – even if we disagree on how. I grew up with guns, carried a Glock and an M4 during three tours in Iraq, and I’ll work with anyone to address this threat, especially responsible gun owners concerned about school safety. I’ve worked on homeland security my whole life, so I believe it’s our oath as elected leaders to protect our children.”
“Since Day One, I have focused on the 90% of solutions we agree on, rather than the 10% that we don’t. Everyone agrees that we must get this fentanyl crisis under control. We can all agree that a secure southern AND northern border would keep our communities safer and support the hard work of our law enforcement officers. Pragmatically face the issues right in front of us and doing what’s best for our local communities is how we will tackle big-picture problems, one step at a time.”
“We are at a crisis stage here in the United States. Fixing our broken immigration system is an economic and humanitarian imperative, and a national security mandate. I’ve worked on immigration issues for almost 20 years – from a humanitarian perspective, an employment and workforce perspective, and an enforcement and security perspective. I believe we can have a bipartisan immigration solution that addresses border security, honors our international humanitarian commitments, and brings our economy into the 21st century – and I’m already working with Republicans and Democrats alike to make it happen.”
“We must foster a clean, healthy environment for future generations. At the same time, we must understand the economic costs of burdensome regulations. I’ve offered solutions to promote a healthier environment through bipartisan legislation like the CATCH Emissions Act. We cannot reduce emissions without carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Legislation like this offers a practical approach to reducing emissions without hamstringing our job creators. America’s all-of-theabove energy plan has reduced emissions. The world’s greatest polluters, China and India, need to follow our path. A healthy environment and a healthy economy don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”
“It’s evident as we witness increased hurricanes, fires, and flooding that global climate change is real, and is one of our most urgent challenges. As the home of the American auto industry, we in Michigan know that transportation accounts for one-third of our carbon emissions, and that clean energy technologies are the future of mobility. We’re competing in a global marketplace and cannot cede our technology and innovation leadership. That requires us to work in a bipartisan way to spur domestic research, development, and manufacturing of zero emissions technologies with roots in Michigan, and strengthen our domestic supply chains. This is not just an environmental issue, but an economic and national security issue, too.”