Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Local U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin delivered her maiden speech from the U.S. Senate floor this week.

The maiden speech represents the first formal remarks delivered by a newly elected Senator from the Senate floor, a tradition dating back to the beginning days of the Senate.

The Holly Democrat’s speech emphasized how she will prioritize the middle class on issues like small businesses, education, energy, housing, immigration, national security, the Great Lakes and more.

Slotkin said “Nothing matters more than my home state. This speech is my love letter to the state of Michigan. To stand here and represent the state that I love in the Senate is the greatest privilege of my life. As a US Senator my highest priority is to help make Michigan a place where that American dream is achievable again.”

Slotkin said parents can’t provide to their kids what was provided to them – like that fishing cabin up north or a trip to Disneyland. She stressed that across Michigan, there are so many families that feel like hard work doesn’t seem to be enough anymore and the middle class has shrunk over the past 40 year. Slotkin added that when people feel like they can’t get ahead or provide for their kids, they feel anger and shame and lose their dignity, and then look for something or someone to blame.

Slotkin said "Michigan has been the place where hard work means something. It's here the middle class was invented, where you could work at an auto plant and afford the car you were building. That was a revolutionary idea at the time, it shouldn't be revolutionary now.”

Slotkin said her goal in office is to address the threat of the shrinking middle class. She said “Especially now, there are things we need to do now to bring back the middle class and make it thrive. This is my north star. It will guide my work in the Senate”.

Slotkin further stated government needs to change as it not working for a majority of Americans and get back to the basics. She said “These basics are jobs that pay you enough to save every month, healthcare, you can actually afford a home you can call your own, schools that prepare our kids for the workforce, energy to power our lives, an environment we can pass on to our kids and safety and security from fear. That is it.”

A link to the full speech is provided.