Congressman Mike Gallagher has represented Wisconsin’s 8th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. Mike was born and raised in Green Bay, where he now lives with his wife Anne and daughter Grace.
Mike served for seven years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, including two deployments to Iraq. Mike also served as the lead Republican staffer for the Middle East and Counterterrorism on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and worked in the private sector at an energy and supply chain management company in Green Bay.
Wisconsin's 8th District relies on agriculture to create jobs, grow the economy, and feed its citizens. I am committed to helping farmers and the agriculture industry in Northeast Wisconsin thrive. One of the most important piece of legislation that the 115th Congress will work on is reauthorizing the Farm Bill. I will work diligently with my colleagues to make sure this bill works for the men and women in our proud agriculture industry.
It is an honor to represent the hard working men and women who get up every day to help make Wisconsin America's Dairyland. Wisconsin is the second largest milk-producing state and is home to more dairy farms than any other in the nation. Wisconsin's roughly 9,500 family-owned dairy farms, totaling well over 1 million cows, produce roughly 14 percent of the U.S. milk supply each year. These farmers are the lifeblood of our communities and the fresh milk they produce supports many jobs in the agricultural and food manufacturing sectors of our state.
The dairy industry in Wisconsin and nationwide has faced significant struggles in recent years. Our current trade challenges with Canada are particularly acute in Wisconsin, a major manufacturer of ultrafiltered milk, and our producers continue to struggle with labor costs and challenges. Moreover, milk prices deteriorated significantly last year, causing dairy farmers added pain during an already challenging climate. We must address these issues to ensure our farmers are being treated fairly in trade and have a functioning farm safety net.
Whether it is Russia conducting cyberattacks on our homeland, China engaging in industrial espionage and intellectual property theft, or terrorist organizations like ISIS attempting to recruit using social media, cybersecurity has become a critical element of our national security in the 21st century. As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee, I am proud to be on the frontline working to protect and strengthen our national security from evolving cyber threats.
Our nation was founded on the principle that government should be by the people and for the people. Yet over the years Congress has failed to uphold this principle by catering to special interest groups and only being concerned about the next election, rather than focusing on the needs of their constituents. We must implement structural changes that will make Congress work again by creating a sense of urgency and accountability among members to immediately address the pressing issues we face as a nation. It's time for both parties to come together and confront the institutional problems affecting Congress and Washington D.C. by returning the power and purpose of our government back to the People.
I am a firm believer that in order to foster job creation we must get big government out of the way to allow the American entrepreneurial tradition to prosper again. For too long, burdensome regulations have limited economic and job growth in this country, which is why I'm a strong proponent of regulatory reform and ensuring that the competitive spirit of the American economy is restored. Earlier this Congress, I voted in favor of eight resolutions to disapprove of midnight regulations rushed by the Obama Administration on their way out of office.
I am strongly in favor of a simpler and fairer tax code that provides economic relief to the middle class and incentivizes job growth in Northeast Wisconsin and across the country. The last time Congress truly tackled tax reform was in 1986, that was 31 years ago. Since then, our tax code has become a monstrosity of special interest loopholes that make it burdensome for small businesses and hard working Americans to navigate. We must enact legislation that simplifies our code and is pro-growth and benefits the hard working men and women of Wisconsin's 8th District.
Another area that must be addressed is financial reform. Since the enactment of Dodd-Frank, one in four community banks has closed. I support replacing this misguided and job killing legislation with fair and strong regulation that will enable more investment and growth on Main Street that has been struggling under this law.
As a nation, we must ensure that every child, regardless of their zip code or income, has access to a high-quality education that prepares them to succeed in today's increasingly competitive world. This will require the U.S. to invest in the necessary resources and make the proper structural reforms that will result in a more successful education system. We should empower parents and teachers to make decisions that are the best fit for their children's needs in their local school districts, rather than leaving these decisions to bureaucrats 1,000 miles away in Washington, D.C.
Congress must expand accessibility and reduce the cost of higher education in order to close the skills gap that is costing our economy thousands of jobs. Americans owe about $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, which is spread among nearly 44 million borrowers and is now the second highest form of household debt. The average college graduate from the class of 2016 has over $37,000 in student loan debt, setting them back as they try to begin their career. We must work not only to relieve the burden of student loan debt, but also get the actual cost of college under control.
As I travel Wisconsin's 8th District, I am constantly told by employers that they cannot find workers with the skills needed to produce their products or provide their services. We need to invest in certification programs, apprenticeships, and technical schools that will provide these skills to help our economy thrive. In Congress I'm working toward strengthening both our K-12 and postsecondary education system by supporting legislation that returns greater authority from federal bureaucrats to our state and local governments.
Growing up in Wisconsin, I have a deep appreciation for our lakes, rivers and forests. These treasures are an important part of what makes our state so special, and I believe that we have a responsibility to protect them for future generations. But while we focus on preserving our natural resources, we must also ensure that businesses in Northeast Wisconsin are able to succeed without harmful and burdensome regulations.
As we continue exploring economically sound solutions, we should be encouraging private sector problem-solving. I am proud to continue the work of my predecessor, Congressman Ribble, through the Save the Bay initiative and I believe this effort is an example of the bottom-up problem solving that is vital to addressing these issues in our communities.
Twice during the last century, America stood idly by as the world drifted towards war. Rather than avoiding foreign entanglements, American inaction only raised the costs once we were inevitably dragged into the conflict. After WWII, leaders who had experienced the devastation and tragedy of war firsthand wisely decided that America needed to remain globally engaged and present overseas in order to defend our allies and our interests. More than seven decades later, we've seen the consequences when United States retreats from the world stage. From the Middle East to Asia, America's enemies are on the march as the result of a feckless foreign policy that accommodated our adversaries and alienated our allies. We must reverse this trend, and once again support our friends while standing up to our adversaries in order to restore U.S. global leadership.
Providing for the common defense is the foremost Constitutional obligation of our government. Equally important, it is a sacred contract we maintain with our men and women in uniform who sacrifice on a daily basis so that we may enjoy our rights and freedoms here at home. Unfortunately, for far too long Congress has failed to provide our service members with the resources they need to safely carry out their duty. I am committed to ending over $900 billion in destructive and arbitrary defense cuts and rebuilding America's military capabilities.
I am passionate about renewing our nation's defenses because I believe in peace through strength. I want would-be aggressors to look at America's military and realize that potential gains from conquest are not worth the inevitable American response. Maintaining a military beyond challenge is an investment in a stable and secure world. It takes resources and dedication, but it is ultimately a bargain compared to the horrors and destruction of war.
As a Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces and Readiness subcommittees on the House Armed Services Committee, I proudly advocate for the hardworking men and women of Marinette Marine and the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship.
Threats to the ecosystems in the Great Lakes and waters of NE Wisconsin include hypoxic pools – often referred to as dead zones.
Green Bay has a long history with hypoxia occurring in the Bay. According to NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, however, the number of days of low oxygen levels (5 mg/ltr) have increased from 10.6/year between 1986 and 1995 to 36/year for 2011-2020. Dead zones (<2 mg/liter) increased from 1.9 days to 14.5 days.
In 2015, then Congressman Reid Ribble (WI-08) hosted a summit on contributors to hypoxic pools in the waters of Green Bay. The overwhelming response to the summit sparked conversations on reducing the levels of phosphorous in the bay. Thus, he launched an initiative to "Save the Bay."
Understanding Hypoxic Pools: Layers are created in bodies of water when summer sun warms the surface and cold water sinks to the bottom. During the summer months, the upper layer pulls oxygen from the air. The cool (deep) zone gets re-oxygenated in the fall when upper water level temperatures drop to match the lower level temperatures, allowing waters to mix. Water layers are typically not a problem in oceans or deep lakes, because the large cold layer provides sufficient oxygen for aquatic life. It can be a problem in shallower waters, such as in Green Bay and Lake Winnebago, because the cold layer is thinner, making it prone to run low on oxygen in late summer.
A dead zone refers to a low oxygen (hypoxia) pool that causes serious stress on aquatic life. Dead zones occur when algae that grows near the surface dies and sinks to the bottom. As algae decomposes, oxygen is consumed. If algae consumption is excessive, a cold zone becomes a "dead zone" and cold zone organisms that do not have air bladders have difficulty leaving these impacted areas. The greater the expanse of algae, the greater the risk for hypoxic pools. Phosphorus, which is prevalent in manure, plants and other sources, feeds algal blooms. Studies have identified agriculture as a contributor to phosphorus loads in tributaries leading to Green Bay and Lake Michigan.
Standing idly by as the number of Green Bay's dead zone days increased was not acceptable to then Congressman Reid Ribble. Thus, he launched an initiative to "Save the Bay.
Success in our highly competitive global economy depends on the safe, rapid, and efficient movement of people and freight. Technology has made it possible to order a product online and have it delivered from halfway across the country to your doorstep within hours. At the same time, innovations like self-driving vehicles, autonomous drones, and ride-hailing apps promise to deliver untold levels of both progress and disruption. But these developments are threatened by the sorry state of our infrastructure and by the career politicians' unwillingness to make tough decisions. We have a once in a generation opportunity to leverage private and public investment to design a new transportation policy framework that will do for the 21st century what Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System did for the 20th. Fixing our broken transportation system is an important part of returning America to economic growth, prosperity, and global leadership.
The House has been leading efforts to make this promising future a reality. H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act, is an excellent example of the bipartisan problem solving necessary to overcome these major challenges. HR 4 greatly reduces government red tape in the aviation and technology industries to protect America's place as the world leader of technology and business innovation while also implementing strong consumer protections and safety requirements. These important reforms will improve the efficiency, safety, and passenger experience of air travel--goals all Americans can be proud of.
Most recently, the House unanimously passed the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. The piece of legislation authorizes locally driven infrastructure improvements to be carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on our harbors, ports, locks, dams, inland waterways, flood protection, and other water infrastructure. The bill also addresses storm water and wastewater infrastructure improvements, reauthorizes and strengthens the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program, and incorporates substantial portions of the Drinking Water System Improvement Act to help modernize the country's aging drinking water infrastructure.
After putting their lives on the line to defend our nation, our veterans deserve world-class care and benefits as they transition to civilian life. Unfortunately, recent abuses, systemic failures, and shocking scandals at the Veterans Administration have failed our veterans. Tragically, many of these abuses and scandals have contributed to a nation-wide epidemic of veteran suicides that shames our nation. In light of these challenges, business as usual is no longer an option. We need innovative and bold solutions to help our veterans heal from the scars of war, both seen and unseen, while bringing transparency, accountability, and modernization to the VA. I am under no illusions that this will be easy, but this is a mission we cannot afford to fail.