Healthcare
The global COVID-19 crisis reminds me daily that the healthcare system in our country is broken. There is no bigger issue facing Michigan families right now than the rising cost of healthcare. There is something terribly wrong when working families have to rely on the charity of their communities and kick-starter campaigns to afford cancer treatment or their child’s medication.

In Congress, my priority will be finding immediate, common-sense solutions to bring down the costs of healthcare, including and especially lowering the cost of prescription drugs. I support policies that will ban insurance companies from raising rates on people when they get sick, denying people coverage for having a pre-existing condition or dropping them when they get sick. I will work tirelessly to prevent insurance companies from increasing premiums and deductibles while reducing coverage. I will defend the Affordable Care Act and work every day to expand on it, including working to create a public option like Medicare, for all Americans who want it.

Jobs and the Economy
We can, and we must continue fighting to create good-paying jobs, with good benefits in West Michigan.

My mom was a public school teacher and MEA member. Watching her go above and beyond to help her students taught me the importance of hard work, the dignity of work, and how unions helped build the Michigan economy. While in high school, I worked on the Assembly Line at Royal Plastics. I saw how West Michigan families rely on Michigan manufacturing. To help thousands of families and workers across West Michigan, we must strengthen American manufacturing and have strong trade laws that protect Michigan workers.

Especially now, as so many employers and employees alike are being impacted by COVID-19, it has never been more crucial to ensure that every West Michigan small business is aided toward recovery and is guaranteed to get the same opportunities as large corporations.

In Congress, I'll be proud to:

1. Champion small business that fuel our West Michigan economy, especially as they work to recover from the devastating impact of COVID-19.
2. Fight for fair wages and an economy that works for everyone – not just those at the top.
3. Invest in our infrastructure, make sure Michigan gets its fair share of road money, and fix our roads the right way.
4. Work to increase the minimum wage and encourage large businesses to support the $15 minimum wage.
5. Fight for collective bargaining rights and be an unflinching supporter of the Davis-Bacon Act (1931) that established a prevailing wage for public works.
6. Support trade deals that put American workers first, hold China accountable, and close the loopholes for companies that ship jobs overseas.
7. Fight to ensure everyone has access to paid family and medical leave.

Education
The difference a strong school and a good teacher can make has always been clear to me. Growing up, my mom was a special education teacher in Grand Rapids Public Schools. I saw the way her work impacted her students, many of whom came from less fortunate homes. And after working my way through college and law school, my own education opened up opportunities for me I never dreamed possible. I want to make sure my own sons have the educational opportunities to succeed here in Michigan.

In Congress, I'll be proud to:

1. Strengthen Michigan public schools and defend them from attempts to divert resources to for-profit schools.
2. Create opportunities for low and middle income students to attend college and work to help Michigan families escape the burden of crushing student debt.
3. Look for ways to create and expand job training and apprenticeship programs so that Michiganders who don’t go to college learn a trade and prepare for 21st century jobs.

Social Security and Medicare
As the daughter of a public school teacher and local newspaperman, I don’t have to look far to see a generation of Michiganders who worked a lifetime paying into Social Security and Medicare expecting the benefits to be there when they needed them. We have to live up to that promise.

In Congress, I'll be proud to:

1. Oppose privatization of Social Security.
2. Fight against efforts to cut benefits or raise the retirement age.
3. Support efforts to increase efficiency and crack down on fraud, waste and abuse.
4. Support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
5. Fight efforts to turn Medicare into a voucher program.

Energy and the Environment
Part of what makes Michigan so great is our Great Lakes, great outdoors, and beautiful natural resources. Being good stewards of the environment means both creating jobs and keeping our state -- and our families -- safe from dangerous pollution.

In Congress, I'll be proud to:

1. Protect our drinking water. From dangerous lead in our water supply to toxic PFAS chemicals, Michiganders know what can happen when our water supply is tainted. I’ll stand up to corporate polluters to make sure that when you and I put a glass of water on our family’s dinner table, it’s safe to drink.
2. Fight to curb our climate crisis. Climate change is an economic and a national security threat and the United States cannot turn our back on the rest of the world. Instead, we need to work with allies -- and adversaries -- to stop climate change before it’s too late.
3. Defend the Great Lakes. This is about standing up for Michigan’s economy and our families. I’ll work to protect the Great Lakes from pollution and vote against any effort to cut Great Lakes funding.
4. Invest in a new energy economy with tax credits for renewable energy innovations to create good paying jobs while protecting our planet.

Roads and Infrastructure
It used to be that Michigan had some of the best roads in the country, and now you can tell when you’ve crossed into Indiana or Ohio -- because the car stops shaking. Our roads are a danger to our safety, they cost the average Michigander hundreds dollars in repairs a year, and they will only get more expensive to fix as they get worse.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

In Congress, I'll be proud to:

1. Work to get the standards and weight limits for our Michigan roads in line with the rest of the country.
2. Advocate for Michigan’s fair share of road funding from the Federal government. Right now, Michigan gets a lower share of federal funding for our gas tax dollars than the average state, even though we have some of the worst roads in the country. That has to change, and I’ll make sure we’re getting what we deserve from Washington in road funds.
3. Make sure the roads get fixed the right way, with the right materials. I’ll make sure any new road funding is getting put to work fixing the roads the right way, saving us money in the long run.

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Our country was founded on the prevailing notion that the guarantees of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are fundamental. For far too long, these guarantees have only belonged to a privileged few. We need to expand our civil rights and civil liberties protections so that all individuals, regardless of race, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, familial status, marital status, etc. can access these same guarantees. And I won’t stop until we do.

Criminal Justice Reform
At our core, so many of us all want the same thing--a safe and healthy community in which to live and enjoy life. However, for far too many, the lack of justice in the criminal justice system prevents that. We need to rethink how we’re keeping our communities safe, who we’re incarcerating, and what that period of incarceration looks like.

In Congress, I'll be proud to:

1. Support and promote the hardworking public safety officers in West Michigan who are committed to building strong community relationships that enhance public trust.
2. End the incarceration of more nonviolent drug offenders to keep more families together and keep our community intact by promoting efforts geared towards crime prevention, instead of detention.
3. Retroactively address injustices created by those still incarcerated for marijuana convictions.
4. Work for positive bail reform so that financially vulnerable people aren’t unfairly criminalized at higher rates.
5. End the school to prison pipeline.
6. Create thriving communities where individuals can successfully re-enter public life after a period of incarceration.

Covid
Each and every one of us are being impacted by COVID19 – even if we’re lucky enough not to know someone who gets sick, many of us live with worries that we or someone we love will get sick, or about the economic toll this will take. The pandemic has shown a bright light on why we need a voice in Congress who will fight for West Michigan– not play politics or grandstand. We need a member of Congress willing to roll up their sleeves and take real measures to slow the spread of the virus, and work to help people recover. We don’t have a Congressman who will do that, but I’ve never been shy about stepping up to help people.

Public health experts recommend that we all stay home and avoid going out in public except for essential reasons. If you do need to leave, try to minimize the number of trips you take and practice safe social distancing. Stay at least six feet away from people. Even if you do not feel sick, you may be carrying the virus and exposing someone vulnerable. Wash your hands, and avoid touching your face. Here are some additional resources to keep yourself healthy during these times.

If you are suffering financially as a result of the shutdown, click here for some resources that can help people and small businesses stay afloat.^[2][3]

Candidate

Officeholder

Personal