Twelve congressional leaders addressed an attendance of over a hundred Great Lakes stakeholders during a breakfast reception on March 16th in honor of Great Lakes Day. The breakfast reception, co-hosted by the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Great Lakes Commission, was an opportunity for House and Senate members to welcome stakeholders from across the Great Lakes Basin as they arrived on Capitol Hill to meet with their senators and representatives.
Speakers’ remarks focused on the special importance of this year’s Great Lakes Day in light of President Trump’s just-released budget blueprint, which requested no funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in Fiscal Year 2018. With the news of this severe cut hanging over the reception, speakers emphasized the importance of bringing together lawmakers and stakeholders to collaborate on messaging during this year’s appropriations process.
Among the speakers were Co-Chairs of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, Congressmen David Joyce (OH) and Rick Nolan (MN), as well as Congressman Bill Huizinga (MI), Co-Chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force. Other speakers included Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI), Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI), Rep. Bob Gibbs (MI), Rep. Brian Higgins (NY), Rep. Dan Kildee (MI), Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI), Rep Sander Levin (MI), Rep. Brad Schneider (IL), and Rep. Jackie Walorski (IN).