Key Issues

• Keeping Our Promises to Our Veterans

  Our United States Senator, Debbie Stabenow, believes our veterans should not stand at the back of any line. Whether it’s health care, education, the chance at a good job, or the military recognitions they earned in service, our nation must keep its promises to our heroes who have served. More

• Lowering Costs of Prescription Drugs

  Debbie Stabenow believes healthcare is a basic human right and everyone should be able to afford the medications he or she needs. Drug companies treat prescription drugs as a commodity to be priced at whatever the market will bear, even if patients can’t afford critical life-saving medicine. In fact, the price for the most popular brand-name drugs has risen 208% from 2008-2016. Meanwhile, the median salary of a pharmaceutical CEO was $14.5 million in 2015, according to AARP. Now, since getting a huge tax giveaway, Big Pharma has spent $50 billion buying back its own stocks to help CEOs and big investors instead of lowering the costs of prescription drug prices. More

• New Skills for New Jobs Agenda

  As Sen. Stabenow travels the state, she frequently meets with business owners who express a critical need for more skilled workers. She also meets with labor leaders who offer opportunities for training and apprenticeships for good-paying jobs in the skilled trades. And she hears from parents frustrated with the lack of opportunities for their children who are not college-bound as well as educators who are innovating to meet these needs. Last summer, she brought all of these leaders together in communities across the state to discuss how we can partner to meet the needs of employers and provide job opportunities for all Michigan workers and students. Now she is introducing her New Skills for New Jobs Agenda to help every young person get the skills they need for a good-paying job. More

• American Jobs Agenda

  Senator Stabenow is laser-focused on creating jobs here in America.  Her American Jobs Agenda will ensure we are making products in America, closing loopholes that send jobs overseas, and holding countries like China accountable for unfair trade practices. More

• Protecting our Great Lakes

  The Great Lakes and Michigan's water resources are a vital part of Michigan's identity and are critical to our economy including tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and commercial shipping. They contain one-fifth of the world's fresh water, and supply safe drinking water to thirty-three million people. Senator Stabenow is committed to protecting this critical economic asset. More

• Permanent Prevention of Asian Carp Act

  Asian Carp pose a serious threat to our Great Lakes and our economy - threatening our $7 billion dollar recreational fishing industry and $16 billion recreational boating industry, both of which create thousands of jobs in Michigan. The discovery of Asian Carp very close to Lake Michigan should serve as a wake-up call to government agencies about the urgency of this situation.  Senator Debbie Stabenow has been working with Senators from neighboring Great Lakes states on legislation to erect barriers to prevent the spread of Asian Carp into Lake Michigan.   More

• Biobased Manufacturing

  Today's business leaders are combining the two largest sectors of our economy - manufacturing and agriculture. Across our state, entrepreneurs are using new technologies to make things in Michigan with Michigan-grown products. Senator Stabenow is committed to supporting these Michigan innovators to spur new job growth. "When we grow things and make things in Michigan, we create jobs in Michigan." -U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow More

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  #InTheRed: A Path to Debt-Free College

  U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow believes that when hard-working students graduate college, they should get their fair shot at the American dream. Instead, many are saddled with crushing debt. Total student loan debt has now reached $1.3 trillion, and in Michigan the average student graduates with nearly $30,000 in debt. This makes it harder for them to make a down payment on a home or buy a car. Senator Stabenow wants to put Michigan students on a path for debt-free college, and the first step is to pass the In The Red Act. More

• Supporting Michigan Agriculture

  Senator Debbie Stabenow is a champion for Michigan agriculture and rural communities. As author of the bipartisan 2014 Farm Bill, Senator Stabenow worked to streamline more than 100 programs while making historic investments in land and water conservation, clean energy, local food systems, and specialty crops. This legislation is helping to reinvigorate the economies of small towns and rural communities through her support of cutting-edge research and biobased manufacturing. More

• Excellence in Mental Health Act

  U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow's Excellence in Mental Health Act is one of the most significant steps forward in mental health funding in decades, expanding access to community mental health services and strengthening the quality of care provided for those living with mental illness. More

• HOPE for Alzheimer's Act

  For over 25 years, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow has been leading the effort to improve the way Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed, increase support for caregivers, and prioritize research into treatments and a cure. She has strongly and consistently supported increased research at the National Institutes of Health and President Obama's Brain Mapping Initiative to determine the causes of Alzheimer's disease. Now, Senator Stabenow is using her new role as Ranking Member of the Senate's Finance Subcommittee on Health to champion early diagnosis and treatment options through Medicare. More

• Making Health Care Affordable

  Senator Stabenow has made access to quality, affordable health care a top priority for families and veterans. High health care costs are causing cuts in benefits and increases in premiums, adding to the ranks of the uninsured at alarming rates. More

• New Skills for New Jobs Act

  At a time when thousands of Michigan residents are looking for work, we also have businesses struggling to find new workers to fill good-paying jobs in high-growth industries like advanced manufacturing, construction, finance, and health care. In manufacturing alone, there are expected to be roughly 3.5 million new jobs in the decade to come – and yet due to the skills gap, roughly two million of those jobs will not be filled, because employers can’t find workers with the right skills. More

• Student Loan Changes

  As part of the recently-passed Health and Education Reconciliation Act, Congress made a number of important changes to the Student Loan Program to help save students and families money and reduce wasteful government spending. More