Caucus dynamics, current events, and more were discussed during the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Meet Southeast Michigan Members of Congress event with Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6) and John James (R-MI 10), moderated by WJR’s Guy Gordon at the Townsend Hotel on Sept. 7.
Dingell and James on Government Shutdown, Caregiving Shortages, Aging Legislators
September 8, 2023
On Avoiding a Government Shutdown
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6)
“What we need is a continuing resolution. I flatly believe that the wrong way to govern [is] to shut the government down. It endangers our national security and their government employees that you depend on every single day for all kinds of things, from TSA at the airport to our military to your food safety.”
Rep. John James (R-MI 10)
“If you drive us off a cliff here with a government shutdown, you’re going to have to use it to put your money where your mouth is. Where I come from, [if] you don’t do your job, you don’t get paid. Yes, you should absolutely negotiate better spending, reducing our fiscal possibility, but the negotiation that it takes while we’ve just been in district for the past six weeks shouldn’t be done on the backs of people who are vulnerable.”
On the Child Care and Caregiving Shortages
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6)
“Workforce caregiving is a crisis that we have in this country. You do not have enough caregivers. We don’t pay the caregivers enough money. But I’m also going to tell you there are a lot of people that want to work from other countries and somehow, someday, we’re going to have to deal with immigration as an issue, because small businesses need more help. We’ve got a lot of people that want to work and would come in and help fill these caregiving gaps.”
Rep. John James (R-MI 10)
“It’s very short sighted, and being in business, we recognize the great in things like tax reform, regulatory reform, immigration reform. These are the inputs that will actually lower prices, that will actually help people to be able to achieve the American Dream. I do believe the federal government has a role in helping this, which I believe will boost our economy [and] address some of those labor issues…”
On Mental Health
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6)
“It’s a national problem. We don’t have enough providers … It’s going to take you to our budget problem, but we got to start putting money into mental health … We got to not have people be afraid to talk about mental health issues … because people need to know that they should not be stigmatized for talking about it.”
Rep. John James (R-MI 10)
“There are little things that are nibbling at the edges, right? But all we need is a fundamental shift from how we think about mental health. I think that by providing those additional resources to help people who need help are absolutely required.”
On Aging Legislators
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6)
“We need representative government. We need young people, and seniors are entitled to have representation too. I’m not a term limit person either because there are great people that you want the wisdom and experience [from].”
Rep. John James (R-MI 10)
“Look, we’re not saying to send people out to pasture, but we should allow a new generation to come up … and I think that that will help us to compete and to grow. I do think that there is time for a new generation of leadership and if the politicians won’t let it go, I think, the people need to demand it.”
This event was sponsored by Consumers Energy and Michigan Health & Hospital Association. The Chamber greatly appreciates Reps. Dingell and James and Gordon for the insightful discussion.