Bart Stupak talks to 4,100 people on the phone. At once

NEWS RELEASE

U.S. CONGRESSMAN BART STUPAK

************************** More than 4,100 constituents join Stupak for first telephone town hall

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) held his first-ever telephone town hall meeting on Thursday night, taking questions from constituents across Michigan’s First Congressional District on issues such as climate change, health care reform, assistance for the domestic automakers and the housing crisis. 

Stupak spoke with 4,106 constituents all across the district from just off the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was voting on the fiscal year 2010 budget during the call.

“With the new administration and the urgency of economic recovery, Congress has been working at a rapid pace since January,” Stupak said. “Our district is rather expansive, but the telephone town hall allowed us to all come together from the far Western Upper Peninsula to Saginaw Bay and the floor of Congress to talk about what is important for Northern Michigan.”

Over the course of the hour-long call, Stupak spoke about recent congressional action on the federal budget, economic recovery legislation and assistance for the automakers, as well as upcoming action on climate change legislation and health care reform. 

Stupak stressed the importance of focusing on the economy in everything Congress does. 

He noted that constituents across the district are particularly engaged right now. 

He cited the steady flow of letters, e-mails and phone calls his office receives, and said at this pace he will respond to 50,000 to 60,000 constituents this year, up from approximately 37,000 last year.

“It was great to hear from so many people on the call and to hear from you every day in the letters, emails and phone calls to my offices,” Stupak said. “Michigan and the country are facing challenging times and important decisions in the days, weeks and months ahead. In considering every piece of legislation I am looking for job opportunities for Northern Michigan and continue to value your input as I work to represent the First District in Congress.”

Stupak told constituents on the call that the First District has been awarded $98 million so far from the economic recovery package and received another $30 million from earmarks Stupak secured in the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill. 

Despite the success and positive feedback from the telephone town hall, Stupak reminded constituents that they would not completely replace town hall meetings in the district. 

Stupak’s next town hall meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at the Tuscarora Township Hall in Indian River.

“I was very pleased with telephone town hall and appreciate your important feedback,” Stupak said. “I have already asked my staff to begin planning another telephone town hall in the coming months. But I also look forward to hearing from you as I travel across the district in the weeks and months ahead.”

Residents of Michigan’s First Congressional District can sign up to receive email notice of Stupak’s town hall meetings – including telephone town halls – at www.house.gov/stupak or by calling Stupak’s office at 1-800-950-7371.

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