Congressman Sander Levin

Latest News

Levin Statement on CARS Program 8/20/2009
Congressman Sander Levin released the following statement regarding the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program:

Army Corps of Engineers to Fund Restoration Effort in Red Run Drain 8/19/2009
The US Army Corps of Engineers has updated its list of projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including several previously unfunded projects. Included in the new projects is a total of $3.75 million to reduce sedimentation and improve water quality in the Red Run Drain.  The Red Run Drain is a tributary of the Clinton River.  

Michigan Members Have Questions About Skyrocketing Blue Cross Rates 8/19/2009
Congressmen John D. Dingell (D-MI15) and Sander Levin (D-MI12) have questions for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan President and CEO Daniel J. Loepp about a series of rate hikes the company announced late last week.  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan plans to hike monthly premiums for 163,000 Michigan citizens who buy the insurer's nongroup or group conversion plans on average by 22 percent.  Blue Cross will also increase supplemental Medicare policies, known as Medigap, held by about 210,000 Michigan seniors by an average of 4.7 percent.  Blue Cross had requested an average 56 percent hike for its nongroup plans and 41 percent for its group conversion policies.

Michigan Firms Awarded $966 Million to Jump-Start U.S. Battery Manufacturing 8/5/2009
The Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $2.4 billion in Recovery Act funding to support advanced batteries and electric vehicles manufacturing and development today.  These funds include $1.5 billion for advanced battery manufacturing.  The battery awards come about as a result of $2 billion that was included for advanced batteries in the economic recovery bill approved by Congress earlier this year and were a top priority of the Michigan congressional delegation. 

House Approves Additional $2 Billion for “Clunkers” 7/31/2009
The House of Representatives today approved legislation to re-direct $2 billion from Recovery funds for the Consumer Allowance Rebate System (CARS), also known as “Cash for Clunkers.”  The funding was considered on an expedited basis after the Department of Transportation informed Members of Congress that dealerships across the country may have already sold enough care to exhaust the $1 billion in funding previously provided. 

Sandy's Blog

Health Care Mis-information - Setting the Record Straight I’m used to the communications battles on any issue of major importance, so I welcome the opportunity to jump right into to debate the substance of an issue.  But, I get really mad when people are provided information that is simply wrong and intended to scare them.  On Tuesday, a nice gentlemen joined a telephone town hall that I hosted on health care and he conveyed to me an email that he received.  This email claimed that senior citizens would have to meet with doctors every year to discuss end of life issues, and at 70 they would no longer receive insurance.  Absolutely false.  No senior citizen is going to lose their health insurance.  Indeed, the reform strengthens Medicare by eliminating co-pays and deductibles for preventative services, phasing on the prescription drug “donut hole” to lower drug costs and extending the solvency of the program for the future.  

Macomb County Worker Training Accolades Continue Macomb County is a national leader in innovative and effective training programs.  President Obama visited recently and was introduced by a re-trained worker and today the U.S. Department of Labor announced a nearly $1 million grant to the Macomb / St. Clair Workforce Development Board so that they can lead in starting a new program to help unemployed workers 55 years and older throughout southeast Michigan.   

Telephone Town Hall on Health Care Technology is amazing.  In the last months we have experimented with holding telephone town halls.  I was skeptical at first because I am a fan of the regular in person town halls.  Since I have been in Congress they have been a staple of my work.   But since it is hard for people to gather on the weekend, I saw the telephone town hall as a way to talk to folks about issues when I had to be in D.C. during the week.   What happens is that computer calls people and asks them to stay on the line if they would like to be joined to a live telephone town hall with me.  When the call starts, they can press *3 to ask a question.  My staff, sitting at a computer, can press a button that makes each person’s phone live so they can ask me a question directly.  So for about an hour we ask and answer questions, and hear comments.  Thousands of people listen in during the calls.  Even more tech savvy, we can ask questions and people can respond by pressing a number on their phone.  The results are tallied immediately.   

Explosion and Bridge Collapse Everyone that watched the explosion, the black smoke rising for miles, and bridge collapse on the Detroit news last night experienced shock at the magnitude of the impact and relief that no one was harmed.  I spent today making phone calls to state and federal officials in between consideration of the Health Care Reform legislation in Ways and Means committee and 25 votes on the floor.  I spoke to Secretary Ray LaHood and Transportation Chairman Jim Oberstar about the Federal Emergency Relief program which is available to reimburse States in these types of situations.  I was pleased to learn that local communities can also submit expenses they are incurring as the handle the emergency on the ground.