Latest news with #Slotkin
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Democratic senators regret voting to confirm Kristi Noem as DHS secretary
WASHINGTON — Five days after President Donald Trump's inauguration, seven Senate Democrats voted to confirm Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Nearly five months later, most of them are critical of her, with some going as far as to say they regret their votes. "I'm very disappointed. I'm very disappointed in her," Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told NBC News this week. "If I were voting on her today, I definitely wouldn't vote for her." Freshman Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., also said he would vote differently and oppose her nomination if he could do it again. "She's weaponizing the Department of Homeland Security. She is taking so many actions right now that are making us less safe and going against a lot of the things that she said that she was going to focus on," Kim said Wednesday. "So I have no confidence in her leadership right now." The five other Democrats who voted to confirm Noem were Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters, both of Michigan; Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both of New Hampshire; and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. The vote on Jan. 25 was 59-34, with Republicans unanimously voting for Noem. Seven senators, six of whom caucus with the Democrats, missed the vote. At the time, several Democrats were struggling to find their way forward on the issue of immigration enforcement, which is largely run by DHS, following Trump's election victory. Now, the mood has changed in the wake of the administration's aggressive deportation agenda and moves to target green card holders and international students. On top of that, Democrats expressed outrage after Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a DHS news conference last week when he tried to ask Noem a question. Slotkin said she voted for Noem because Michigan has "major equities with the Department of Homeland Security" as a border state that is "about to open up a huge new bridge" to Canada. But while Slotkin stopped short of saying she'd switch her vote, she was critical of Noem's performance. "She has, frankly, not been in much control of policy. I see her more as a bystander, often, to policy — especially what's going on right now," Slotkin said. "And you know, we've been urging our committee to take more accountability on her." Peters, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees DHS, said he's "not surprised" by Noem's actions and disagrees with many of them. Asked whether he stands by his vote to confirm her, Peters said, "I'm the ranking member on the committee, and I have to have a working relationship with the secretary, regardless of the positions that they take." "And so far we've, we've been able to have that," he said. Fetterman — who has broken with his party on some issues, including immigration — didn't comment when he was asked whether he stands by his vote for Noem or how he rates her performance. The two New Hampshire senators criticized Noem in statements provided by their offices without saying whether they stand by their votes. 'Senator Hassan has serious concerns about some of the Department of Homeland Security's recent actions and continues to press for more answers and oversight — including into Senator Padilla's treatment last week,' Hassan spokesperson Sahil Mehrotra said. And Shaheen spokesperson Brendan Duff said: 'Senator Shaheen has been disappointed by the Secretary's tenure heading the Department of Homeland Security and remains concerned by her leadership of the agency thus far, including her severe lack of transparency. She intends to continue demanding answers and holding the Department accountable.' A DHS spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who voted against Noem, tore into her performance. "It's really hard to imagine someone doing a worse job as the secretary of homeland security," Schiff said in an interview. "The draconian, inconsistent, inflammatory immigration policies; the lawlessness; the rendering of people outside the country to maximum-security prisons; the arrest of U.S. citizens; the constant, bizarre spectacle of her doing dress-up outside of a maximum-security prison; or in her various cosplay. It's embarrassing, and it takes the focus off of what should be the heart of that job, and that is protecting our homeland security." This article was originally published on
UPI
2 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Senate committee grills Hegseth on protests and the Middle East
1 of 3 | Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied ordering troops to shoot Los Angeles protesters during a Senate Armed Services Committee budget hearing at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 18 (UPI) -- Some members of the Senate Armed Forces Committee and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred over Los Angeles troop deployments and the Israel-Iran war during a hearing on Wednesday morning. Hegseth appeared before the committee to answer questions about the proposed $961.6 billion Fiscal Year 2026 defense budget, but the questioning quickly turned to current events. Sen. Elise Slotkin, D-Mich., said Hegseth deployed 4,700 military personnel to Los Angeles and asked if he had "authorized uniformed military to detain or arrest protesters" there. "You're not a protester if you are throwing concrete at law enforcement officers," Hegseth responded. Slotkin agreed "100%," and said, "Throw them in jail," before adding, "What you're doing is something different." She again asked if Hegseth gave an order for 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to "detain or arrest" protesters in Los Angeles. Hegseth said his orders to the troops in Los Angeles are a matter of public record and they are there to protect law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while they try to do their jobs. "If necessary, in their own self-defense, they could temporarily detain or hand over to ICE, but there's no arresting going on," Hegseth said. "You know this better than anyone," he told Slotkin and accused her of "playing political games." Slotkin also asked Hegseth if he had "given the order ... to be able to shoot at unarmed protesters in any way." Hegseth asked what basis Slotkin had to ask the question and what evidence she had to suggest such an order ever had been given. Slotkin cited a book written by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper in which Esper said he rejected a similar order by President Donald Trump in 2020. "Senator, I'd be careful what you read in books and believing it, except the Bible," Hegseth responded. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., chastised Hegseth for the troop deployments in Los Angeles and for discussing pending military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in Signal chats. "I wonder when you will actually focus on our nation's warfighting mission," Duckworth said. "We know that California is just a deliberate, systematic, political and dangerous campaign led by you." When Duckworth asked if Hegseth plans to remove troops from Los Angeles, he said he will respect a federal appellate court's decision allowing the deployments and not a district court judge's decision against them. Democratic Party Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire asked Hegseth if Trump had ordered him to create options for military strikes in the Middle East. Hegseth declined to answer Shaheen's question. "If I had or had not, I wouldn't disclose that in this forum, senator," Hegseth told Shaheen. Hegseth and Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., also exchanged barbs as the senator asked if he would fire a staffer who is accused of making anti-Semitic comments. Rosen cited comments attributed to Defense Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson. "Since I don't believe the characterization of many officials in the news media, I would need to see precisely what's being characterized," Hegseth responded. Hegseth said Wilson "does a fantastic job" and accused Rosen of engaging in hyperbole. Rosen then accused Hegseth of not being "serious" about "rooting out [and] fighting anti-Semitism within the ranks of the Department of Defense."
NBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Some Democratic senators regret voting to confirm Kristi Noem as DHS secretary
WASHINGTON — Five days after President Donald Trump's inauguration, seven Senate Democrats voted to confirm Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Nearly five months later, most of them are critical of her, with some going as far as to say they regret their votes. "I'm very disappointed. I'm very disappointed in her," Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told NBC News this week. "If I were voting on her today, I definitely wouldn't vote for her." Freshman Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., also said he would vote differently and oppose her nomination if he could do it again. "She's weaponizing the Department of Homeland Security. She is taking so many actions right now that are making us less safe, and going against a lot of the things that she said that she was going to focus on," Kim said Wednesday. "So I have no confidence in her leadership right now." Apart from Kaine and Kim, the other five Democrats who voted to confirm Noem were Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters, both of Michigan; Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both of New Hampshire; and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. The vote on Jan. 25 was 59-34, with Republicans unanimously voting for Noem. Seven senators, six of whom caucus with the Democrats, missed the vote. At the time, several Democrats were struggling to find their way forward on the issue of immigration enforcement, which is largely run by DHS, following Trump's election victory. Now, the mood has changed in the wake of the administration's aggressive deportation agenda and moves to target green card holders and international students. On top of that, Democrats expressed outrage after Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a DHS news conference last week when he tried to ask Noem a question. Slotkin said she voted for Noem because Michigan has "major equities with the Department of Homeland Security" as a border state that is "about to open up a huge new bridge" to Canada. But while Slotkin stopped short of saying she'd switch her vote, she was critical of Noem's performance. "She has, frankly, not been in much control of policy. I see her more as a bystander, often, to policy — especially what's going on right now," Slotkin said. "And you know, we've been urging our committee to take more accountability on her." Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which oversees DHS, said he's "not surprised" by Noem's actions, and disagrees with many of them. Asked if he stands by his vote to confirm Noem, Peters said, "I'm the ranking member on the committee, and I have to have a working relationship with the secretary, regardless of the positions that they take." "And so far we've, we've been able to have that," he said. Fetterman — who has broken with his party on some issues, including immigration — did not comment when asked if he stands by his vote for Noem, or how he rates her performance. The two New Hampshire senators were critical of Noem in statements provided by their offices, without saying whether they stand by their votes. 'Senator Hassan has serious concerns about some of the Department of Homeland Security's recent actions and continues to press for more answers and oversight — including into Senator Padilla's treatment last week,' Hassan spokesperson Sahil Mehrotra said. And Shaheen spokesperson Brendan Duff said, 'Senator Shaheen has been disappointed by the Secretary's tenure heading the Department of Homeland Security and remains concerned by her leadership of the agency thus far, including her severe lack of transparency. She intends to continue demanding answers and holding the Department accountable.' A DHS spokesperson didn't immediately return a request for comment. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tore into Noem when asked to assess her performance as DHS secretary. "It's really hard to imagine someone doing a worse job as the secretary of Homeland Security," Schiff said in an interview. "The draconian, inconsistent, inflammatory immigration policies; the lawlessness; the rendering of people outside the country to maximum security prisons; the arrest of U.S. citizens; the constant, bizarre spectacle of her doing dress-up outside of a maximum security prison; or in her various cosplay. It's embarrassing, and it takes the focus off of what should be the heart of that job, and that is protecting our homeland security."
Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: Bipartisan duo wants to ban cellphones in military's K-12 schools
Congress is joining the phone wars, with a bipartisan pair of freshmen senators introducing a bill on Tuesday that would ban the use of cellphones in schools for kids of U.S. military members. Why it matters: Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) — both veterans who sit on the Armed Services Committee — want to draw attention to an issue that bedevils parents and experts alike. There are more than 65,000 children of service members who attend DoDEA schools in the U.S. and overseas. Some school districts already ban students from using their cellphones during the school day. Research highlights the harms of cellphones — and social media — to child development, but implementing changes has been challenging. Driving the news: The Banks and Slotkin bill is titled"Restoring our Educational Focus on Children of U.S. Service Members at" Department of Defense Educational Activity — or REFOCUS DoDEA Act. "Cell phones in the classroom distract from learning and lead to all kinds of issues for students," Banks said in a statement first provided to Axios. "At school students should be able to focus, learn, and build real relationships, and we cannot shy away from taking bold action to support that goal, including banning cell phones in the classroom," Slotkin said in her statement. The bill allows for exceptions such as medical emergencies and lets DoDEA decide where and how cellphones should be stored. Zoom out: Just this year, governors of Arizona, Arkansas and New York have signed school cellphone bans into law. D.C. officials announced this month they would enforce a ban next school year.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Got a gripe? Here's how to reach your Michigan members of Congress
Got a question or a gripe for someone in Congress, or Michigan? Here's how you can get in touch with someone. Just in case you've forgotten your high school civics lessons (or maybe never had them), here's the lowdown: Every person living in any state has effectively three people representing him or her in Congress, two in the U.S. Senate, who represent everyone in that state and are elected to staggered six-year terms, and one member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who represents a smaller geographical area in each state and is elected to two-year terms. In Michigan, you're represented in Congress by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin and one of 13 members of the U.S. House of Representatives (who are often referred to as congressmen or congresswomen, even though Congress really encompasses both the Senate and the House). The easiest way is online. For Peters, go here and there's a link for "contact" at the top. From there you can link to forms to get help with a federal agency or to share your thoughts with the senator's staff. The latter also includes additional links to sign up to tour a federal building in Washington like the Capitol or the White House. There is also a link to try to schedule a meeting with the senator. Make sure to note if you want a response from the senator's staff and hit submit. For Slotkin, it's pretty much the same, just start here and go to "contact" at the top. She also has links from there not just for help with an agency or questions but for whistleblowers (people who spot potential wrongdoing by federal agencies) to file complaints. Both senators also have addresses and phone numbers for their offices around Michigan and in Washington at the bottom of their websites and contact pages. If you want to go the old school way, you can call Peters' office in Detroit at (313) 226-6020 or toll-free at (844) 506-7420 or his office in Washington at (202) 224-6221. You can also send him correspondence at the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building, 477 Michigan Ave., Suite 1837, Detroit, MI 48226 or at the Hart Senate Office Building, Suite 724, Washington, D.C. 20510. For Slotkin, the Detroit-area phone is (313) 961-4330 and the Washington line is (202) 224-4822. Her address in Detroit is 719 Griswold Street, Suite 700, Detroit, MI 48226 and in Washington it's 291 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. By the way, if you want a list of all the senators nationwide and their contact information, you can find it at and follow the links from there. It's a little more complicated since there are currently 13 U.S. House districts (or seats) representing Michigan and you first have to figure out who your House member is. That's still pretty easy online, if you go here and type in your ZIP code. For instance, type in 49862 for Munising, and you get U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman. Type in 48650 for Pinconning and it might be either Bergman or U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (it will ask for your street address to determine which one). From there, you can follow the links to contact your member of Congress, make a tour request, etc. More: Trump signs measure to block California car standards, says it will 'rescue' automakers If you're not online, it's a little more difficult finding out who your member of Congress is, though you can always call your local city or township clerk's office, or drop in and ask. And while we can't give you a specific answer as to who represents you (since it's based on where you live and we don't know that), here's a rough outline of each of the state's 13 U.S. House districts, who currently represents each and the address, email and phone for a couple of their main offices: U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman Traverse City: 1396 Douglas Drive, Suite 22B, Traverse City, MI 49696 T: (231) 944-7633 Washington: 566 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4735 U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar Caledonia: 8980 North Rodgers Court, Suite H, Caledonia, MI 49316 T: (616) 528-7100 Washington: 246 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-3561 U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten Grand Rapids: 110 Michigan St. NW, Suite 460, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 T: (616) 451-8383 Washington: 1317 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-3831 More: Trump has kind words for Slotkin, UAW's Fain, though without mentioning them by name U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga Holland: 170 College Ave., Suite 160, Holland, MI 49423 T: (616) 251-6741 Washington: 2232 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4401 U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg Jackson: 401 W. Michigan Ave., Jackson, MI 49201 T: (517) 780-9075 Washington: 2266 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 T: (202) 225-6276 U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell Ann Arbor: 2006 Hogback Rd., Suite 7, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 T: (734) 481-1100 Washington: 102 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4071 U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett Lansing: 328 W Ottawa St., Suite A, Lansing, MI 48933 T: (517) 993-0510 Washington: 1232 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4872 U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet Flint: 601 Saginaw St., Suite 403, Flint, MI 48502 T: (810) 238-8627 Washington: 1408 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-3611 U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain Lake Orion: 30 N Broadway St., Lake Orion, MI 48362 T: (586) 697-9300 Washington: 562 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-2106 U.S. Rep. John James Warren: 30500 Van Dyke Ave., Suite 306, Warren, MI 48093 T: (586) 498-7122 Washington: 1519 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4961 U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens Farmington Hills: 30500 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 525, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 T: (734) 853-3040 Washington: 2411 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-8171 U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib Detroit: 7800 W. Outer Dr., Detroit, MI 48235 T: (313) 463-6220 Washington: 2438 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-5126 U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar Detroit: 400 Monroe St., Suite 420, Detroit, MI 48226 T: (313) 880-2400 Washington: 154 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-5802 Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@ Follow him on X @tsspangler. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How to reach your Michigan members of Congress
