Gary was born in Pontiac, Michigan – a 5th generation Michigander. His father, a World War II veteran, worked as a public school teacher and NEA union member for more than 30 years. His mother – who survived Nazi occupation of France and met Gary’s father while he served in Europe during the war – worked as a nurse’s aide at a local nursing home. She helped organize her workplace and became an SEIU union steward.
As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Gary is focused on reducing wasteful government spending and conducting oversight to hold the federal government accountable and ensure Michiganders’ taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and effectively.
The first bill Gary introduced as a new member of the Senate – which was signed into law – encourages the federal government’s vehicle fleet to use remanufactured automotive parts, which can help cut costs while reducing waste, without compromising safety. Gary has also passed legislation streamlining government to better identify programs at high-risk of duplicative and improper spending. He also passed his bill to streamline the federal inventory review process to sell and dispose of excess property – instead of storing it.
He also has worked on successful efforts to cut improper payments, require federal agencies to consider leasing rather than purchasing heavy equipment to save taxpayer dollars and direct federal agencies to more frequently identify unneeded property that could be sold or given away to their public and private sector partners.