People feel overwhelmed by the news cycle, and by this nagging feeling that the kind of vitriol out of Washington is just not how we are supposed to act as a government, and as a nation.
— Elissa Slotkin
Each week, I will release a public schedule of how I am spending my time, and who I am meeting with in my Congressional office.
Even if you’re not a union member, you’ve likely benefited from the hard-fought advancements our unions spearheaded: Have you taken a sick day, received paid leave for medical reasons or vacation, or received overtime pay? Unions paved the way for all of these.
I use the lessons my father taught me every day. And I believe the simple value of integrity matters, even in a complicated place like Congress.
I have a very politically diverse district.
Michigan has always been a swing state, so we understand that the goal is to have two political parties, debating the issues with empathy and respect.
Before the Affordable Care Act, one in five bankruptcies in this state was health care related.
I am a Midwestern Democrat, which I believe means practical, reasonable, willing to work across the aisle and focused on the economy and the middle class, saving the middle class.
My father was a Republican and my mother was a Democrat. In Michigan, we always fought about sports, not politics.
The thing I get pulled over for in Kroger is the cost of health care and the cost of prescription drugs.
I want to be very honest, that I believe impeachment is a very big step - I believe it is something that should not be taken lightly - and it has to be something where we bring people along.
But I think when you have something like the Green New Deal, which tends to be about big, bold ideas, instead of specifics, and then adds in other controversial topics like universal health care, and a guaranteed job for all Americans, it makes it less likely that it will pass, not more.
As a newcomer to politics, I knew in my bones that we as a country were better than what we see coming out of Washington. And we are.
I know from personal experience the issues veterans are facing, issues around PTSD, making sure our military officers and enlisted can transition to new careers.
Our family lives military and veterans issues in a way few others do.
I don’t consider myself part of the Resistance because that’s against something, and you have to be for something.
So it's a really sort of mixed issue but I think, no matter whether you're a Democrat or an independent or a Republican, the idea that a sitting president would attempt to leverage dirt on a political opponent from a foreign leader is just beyond the pale.
If people are going to donate huge sums of money to influence elections, we have the right to know who is donating, and this will also play a key role in helping to fight off foreign influence in our elections.
I believe that in order for our democratic system to work as intended, the average person must have faith in their government. Citizens must believe that our system is working to represent them, and that it is capable of advancing issues like healthcare access, lowering prescription drug costs and improving infrastructure.
It is my responsibility to always have my ear to the ground on issues affecting the people of our district, and whether it’s supporting the veterans of Michigan’s 8th district or anyone else, I will always do my best to listen and follow through on the needs of folks here.
When I was negotiating with our foreign allies, I knew I had to do so in good faith, or trust would be broken - and those allies wouldn’t be there when we really needed them.
Our American experiment deserves an advocate, and the American people respond best to inspiration, not fear-mongering.
Between stagnant wages and the cost of everything going up - particularly health care and college tuition - people have less money to save and less money to spend.
You know, because of my military background, I talk to voters who for the first two minutes think I’m a Republican.
Where people are trying to split Americans from each other I want there desperately to be bipartisanship.
In my district, I have a very clear mandate to work across the aisle.
We obviously - I'm from Michigan, so we saw a disproportionate number of these social media ads targeting us, targeting our population. So I want to close that loophole. That's my amendment, so that no foreign entity can buy an ad for or against a candidate in our democracy.
I’m always going to have a strong preference for things that can actually pass into legislation. We can talk about big issues and have big goals while also working on pragmatic things.
Listen, I think we all believe that we need to take aggressive steps to mitigate the effects of climate change.
I ran for Congress as a first-time candidate to fight to protect everyone with a pre-existing condition, to bring down the skyrocketing costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, to fight for clean drinking water, and to help restore civility and decency to our politics.
I bring a voice to veterans’ issues in a real clear way. On military insurance, I know in extreme detail both the positives and negatives with military health care.
So, when I saw Congressman Bishop smiling at the White House after voting to gut protections for pre-existing conditions, something inside me broke.
I don’t believe all Republicans are bad.
There’s so many things, when you’re in national security, that you do that aren’t perfect, but you do them because you think you’re doing what the country needs to be safe.
While normal people have to disclose donations directly to a candidate, there is no such transparency on people donating to certain types of nonprofit organizations that can play a major role in our elections.
Labor Day is a time to recognize and reflect on that work, and for elected officials to recommit to the too-often ignored task of fighting to improve the lives of working families.
I come from a service family - I met my husband Dave during my third tour in Iraq serving as a CIA analyst alongside the military.
When I was working in the Pentagon, I had to own the recommendations I made up the chain of command.
I do not have to agree with everything a candidate believes, but I do have to believe that they represent core American values, and they will lead with decency and sincerity.
That hasn’t been easy, because in order to run a clean and transparent race, I announced in January I was not going to accept any corporate PAC money.
I worked for President Bush and President Obama. I had Democratic bosses and Republican bosses. I believe in order to actually get things done, we do need to buckle down and often reach across the aisle.
You take an oath to defend the constitution. Congress is the next chapter of our national service. We pledged an oath to defend the constitution and that means working together to make our constituents’ lives better.
A big reason I ultimately decided to run was because of my family’s experience when my mom was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer and did not have health insurance at the time.
I'm a former CIA officer and Pentagon official. I'm a deep believer in border security, but we have to be a nation of moral - of morals and, like, a moral core.
My job is to represent my district. That’s who I’m responsible to and for.
I believe in our country. Fiercely. And our institutions are the bones that keep us upright. We can and must restore decency to our system - and that requires the exercise of the checks and balances intended by our Founders.
I have spent my life working to protect our country. I served three tours in Iraq with the CIA, served in national security positions under Presidents of both parties, and at the Pentagon.
My stepdaughter, who is based in Alaska right now, is a brand-new lieutenant in the Army. She could be deployed in 18 months. And another stepdaughter is a physician for the VA.
I think mixing political and personal with professional and national security issues is always a dangerous game and never worth it.
Since Ronald Reagan we have had this assumption in the United States that the Republicans are the party of the military, the Republicans are the party of patriotism, the Republicans are the party of American values.
