HOUGHTON --Twenty of the League of Women Voters Copper Country Chapter (LWVCC) Board of Directors and members conducted a Zoom meeting with three members of Michigan First District U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman's Washington D.C. staff on Monday, Feb.24, in order to share their concerns over the current executive orders impacting the local area, all of Michigan, the entire country, and around the world. Since it was very difficult to get Rep. Bergman to hold in-person meetings locally, even during the recent Congressional break, the League's Board of Directors arranged the next best option of a zoom call. (Inset logo courtesy League of Women Voters of the Copper Country.)During the 40-minute Zoom call, the group identified eight top concerns, invited Board members and other members to prepare 3-minute statements describing their concerns, and stated what they would like Rep. Bergman to do to address these concerns.
A letter summarizing the concerns presented and possible next steps that Rep. Bergman could take was sent to Rep. Bergman following the meeting.
In their discussion with Bergman's staffers, the LWVCC group began their letter, summarized here, by noting common ground in the following concerns:
1. Support for Ukraine: The letter asks Rep. Bergman to check the executive branch’s false statements about the war and work with Congress to continue support for Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russia’s invasion.
2. DOGE and Congress’s role in budgets for federal agencies: Noting that the First District has federal employees working in four National Parks, three National Forests, and five National Wildlife Refuges, the LWVCC group asks Bergman "to speak out to check DOGE and the executive branch to properly vet employees accessing sensitive information, and utilize Congress and agency leadership in determining workforce and national security needs before layoffs and elimination of programs."
3. Congress and the Budget: The letter states, "The budget that is before congress when it returns attempts to make permanent tax cuts for the most wealthy individuals and corporations while we are seeing threats of funding cuts to Medicaid and Social Security." The group asks Bergman and other members of Congress to consider the negative effects that budget would have on middle and working class families in rural Upper Peninsula communities.
Based on the discussion with Bergman's staffers, the letter then lists the following concerns the LWVCC group believes they disagree on:
1. The Save Act will drastically impact millions of Americans' ability to vote: This Act would increase costly barriers to voting rather than increase access to voting, which is at the heart of the League's mission. The restrictions the Act proposes would make voting more difficult for people in rural areas and married women who have changed their names to verify their voting status. LWVCC asks Bergman to oppose this legislation.
2. Line 5: The letter cites the great risk to the Great Lakes and their contribution to economy and culture, the lack of benefit from the oil pipeline in Michigan, and Enbridge's terrible environmental track record. LWVCC asks Bergman to support relocating the pipeline to Canada.
3. Climate Change: Noting the damage from extreme weather could cost the global economy $3 trillion per year by 2050, the letter urges Rep. Bergman to support sensible policies to mitigate climate disasters and save spending billions on rebuilding and restoration.
4. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): The LWVCC group reminds Rep. Bergman that, despite the equality written in the Constitution, DEI has been weaponized for political gain and made those who have historically been excluded targets of further harm. As an organization with roots in women's suffrage, LWVCC requests that Bergman and all of Congress to describe DEI related programs and activities as intergenerational efforts to reflect what the Constitution promises.
To read the entire letter sent to Rep. Bergman, CLICK HERE.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. It is fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, in principle and in practice. The League of Women Voters of the Copper Country serves the people of Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties in Michigan. For more information on the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country, visit their Web site.
