Meeting Michigan’s Newest US Representative

We Must Address Rising Costs, Increase Median Incomes

What are your top priorities in Congress?

Raising working families’ median income is a top priority for me. Sixty percent of jobs in Michigan pay under $50,000 per year, and families struggle to keep up with rising costs. We need common sense solutions that address the cost of groceries, housing, medicine, and childcare. I’m fighting every day to protect the programs that keep my constituents above water, like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP. I’m also focused on investments in the economic and workforce development of our region, attracting employers, and creating jobs.

What does Michigan need to do to stay economically competitive?

The economic climate has shifted. High-wage jobs grow in communities that have skilled labor and a ready workforce. We need to protect our legacy industries, but also recognize their resource needs have changed. We need to make investments in our workforce and the places that attract them. Attraction incentives for business coupled with investments in transportation, community amenities, and quality of life issues like affordable childcare is critical for Michigan’s economic future.

Kristen McDonald Rivet

How can we ensure Michigan has the highly educated and skilled workforce it needs to compete in the innovation economy?

We have to strengthen our public school system. We have some of the lowest reading and math scores in our state’s history. To prepare our workforce, we must prepare our children with basic skills for success. Additionally, we need to fix the childcare crisis by increasing support for the sector and putting more money in parents’ pockets to help pay for it.

What is something you’d like Michigan’s business community to know about you?

I will work with anyone to make Michigan an even better place to live, work, raise a family, and start a business. In the state Senate, I earned the Small Business Association of Michigan’s Legislator of the Year award for my pragmatic approach to policy. I look forward to partnering with our business community to support the prosperity of our state.

Investment Comes When We Focus on the Fundamentals

What are your top priorities in Congress?

My priorities are exactly what I campaigned on and what my constituents voted for −secure our border, keep Americans safe, renew the expiring tax cuts so families and businesses don’t see their expenses go up, reduce the cost of living for working families, and make government more accountable to everyone.

What does Michigan need to do to stay economically competitive?

We already know what Michigan needs to be competitive − a streamlined tax code, a regulatory environment that is stable, predictable, and doesn’t intentionally delay or deter growth, investment in real infrastructure that is adequate for our needs, a workforce that is prepared for job growth, and energy that is reliable and affordable. Investment comes when we focus on those fundamentals.

Tom Barrett

How can we ensure Michigan has the highly educated and skilled workforce it needs to compete in the innovation economy?

We need high standards and accountability, with more flexibility for parents raising the next generation. Tragically, we still have too many young people who cannot read at a basic elementary level. It’s hard to learn how to code programs or run the next advanced manufacturing machine if you do not have basic reading comprehension. We have also degraded the value of work and the dignity that accompanies it, especially in skilled trade professions. Today, America has seven million working age adult men who are not working and not seeking work. That is a failure of our culture and our government, but it is fixable with the right leadership to get it done.

What is something you’d like Michigan’s business community to know about you?

I have the privilege of working out of the same office in Washington, D.C. that belonged to my great-grandfather 70 years ago. His picture hangs on the wall behind my desk, and every day it serves as a reminder of what matters and why I ran for Congress. I’ve invested my life into this country, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to preserve it for my kids and the generations of Americans not yet born.