Two U.S. Representatives from Michigan made an appeal for more cooperation between political parties at a forum hosted by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Democrat Debbie Dingell and Republican Fred Upton agreed that important legislation should be bipartisan for the good of the country. The two representatives are part of the Problem Solvers caucus--a group that works to create bipartisan cooperation on important policy issues.
Dingell says there's a lot of common ground between the two parties in the Michigan delegation.
"The common ground is Michigan," she said. "We love this state. We want to do what's right for it. So the Great Lakes, the auto industry, PFAS, so many issues that really matter to people in this state."
Other topics covered included the recent government shutdown and how to pull the country back from its state of extreme polarization. Dingell and Upton are old friends, and their friendly banter at times drew laughter from the crowd.
For example, Upton and Dingell agreed that bills pushed through without bipartisan support aren't as strong as those that include input from both parties. Upton said that Trump's tax bill could have been better and he wished it had had some Democratic votes. "Then you should have written a better bill," Dingell quipped.
