 Mike Rogers, Michigan's 8th District
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers’ leadership positions, experience and legislative record make him an effective advocate for the citizens of Michigan’s 8th District in a multitude of areas that affect our everyday lives. Mike consistently reaches out to assist citizens in dealing with federal agencies on issues related to Social Security, veterans care, education, IRS, health care, and many others. He also is proactive in helping workers and businesses with job growth and retention, and supporting communities with a variety of development, funding, and service-related matters.
Mike’s leadership skills are acknowledged by House leaders in his appointment to serve on two major committees, the powerful Energy and Commerce panel and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Mike was appointed to the Intelligence Committee for his experience and personal interest in national security. The panel oversees the intelligence community, including operations and budgetary oversight, and is the primary panel responsible for overseeing implementation of the intelligence community restructuring.
In Congress, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mike’s expertise was sought out during development of the USA PATRIOT Act, which gives law enforcement the tools necessary for tracking terrorists with today’s technology. Mike’s expertise proved invaluable in understanding how wiretaps are obtained and used, the complex checks and balances that prevent abuse of wire taps, and why the rules based on 1970s technology were no longer applicable in the day of cell phones and the Internet.
Only a few weeks before 9/11, Mike traveled in the Middle East where he talked with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and has since made more than a dozen Middle East visits. Mike visited Afghanistan where he met with U.S. troops as well as leaders of Afghanistan, including President Karzai. Later he traveled in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and then to Turkey, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, where he met with U.S. military troops as well as leaders of those four nations. He was sent again to Turkey to talk with new leaders there about basing U.S. military troops on Turkish bases. Mike was a member of the first official Congressional delegation to Iraq following major combat operations, and has returned to the country multiple times. The first-hand knowledge gained from these fact-finding missions, and his own personal interest in national defense and world affairs, make Mike a valuable resource for his Congressional colleagues and the citizens he serves in Michigan.
On the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mike’s subcommittee assignments include: Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection; Health; and Environment and Hazardous Materials. Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It serves as the principal guide for the House in matters relating to the promotion of commerce and to the public’s health and marketplace interests.
Mike has been aggressive in Congress on a number of issues, including measures that strengthen the economy and help build a stronger jobs base for Michigan communities, including more investment in developing alternative fuels to help get America off its dependence on foreign oil, and a focus on issues that will make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans. Mike is fighting to get U.S. officials to enforce trade laws that would prevent China from manipulating its currency to give its businesses an unfair advantage over American business and workers. He has authored legislation to help stop scam artists from defrauding Americans and stealing their hard-earned savings and investments, to stop the flow of Canadian trash into Michigan and other border states, to empower low-income and minority families to become homeowners, and to establish protocols and provide treatment for millions of Americans suffering from severe chronic pain. Rogers’ measures already signed into law include a segment of tax cut legislation that makes college savings account earnings free from federal taxes; the Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act, to protect families at funerals for their fallen heroes by keeping away demonstrators; and making Health Savings Accounts available to low-income families.
In the Michigan Senate (1995-2000), Mike earned a reputation as a leader on education, jobs, and Internet crime prevention. He authored laws creating Michigan’s highly successful college and vocational training tax-free savings plan, created laws leading to thousands of new jobs, and led the fight to protect children from sexual predators while surfing the Internet and creating higher penalties for using the Internet to commit crimes related to stalking, gambling or bombing. He championed telecommunications consumer protection laws and spearheaded efforts to put Michigan’s Veteran’s Trust Fund in a "lockbox" to guarantee its availability to meet veteran’s needs.
A 1985 graduate of Adrian College in Michigan, Mike earned his reputation as a leader, problem solver and "people person" during service as a U.S. Army officer/company commander (1985-88), FBI Special Agent investigating public corruption as a member of the Chicago Bureau’s organized crime unit (1988-94), and in the Michigan Senate (1995-2000) where he served as Senate Majority Floor Leader (1999-2000).
Mike also has a strong business background. He is a co-founder of E.B.I. Builders, Inc., a family-owned home construction business in Brighton, and is a member of several chambers of commerce. Mike served in the University of Michigan Reserve Officer Training Corp (R.O.T.C.), belongs to the Society of Former Special Agents for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is an honorary member of Brighton Rotary Club.
Mike has two children, a daughter and a son. He commutes to the nation’s Capital each week, and can often be seen in the 8th District where he is a familiar face at many community events and activities.
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