Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow surprised many when she announced that she’s declining to seek a fifth term and won’t be on the ballot next year. But, Stabenow says she still has a lot of work left before she leaves the Senate.
She spoke Friday with Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta.
Interview Highlights
On why her announcement not to seek a fifth term comes now
It's important for me to do this when I believe I can pass the torch to the next generation of leaders, very confident that I can pass it to a Democrat. And it coincides, for me, with an important time in my life in the fact that my mom's 96. Days are precious with her now. And rather than the rigors of another campaign, I'll finish, run through the tape next two years on my job, but have the opportunity to pass the torch and at the same time not have any regrets.
On the achievement she'd like to be remembered for
There's just not one thing, there's so many things. I've always said you don't have an economy unless somebody makes something and somebody grows something. And that's been my mantra, which has now become the mantra of others. And so that's home, bringing jobs home and manufacturing and agriculture is important.
Interview Transcript
Melorie Begay: Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow surprised many when she announced that she's declining to seek a fifth term and won't be on the ballot next year. But Stabenow says she still has a lot of work left before she leaves the Senate. She spoke Friday with Rick Pluta.
Rick Pluta: Senator Stabenow, thanks for joining us.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow: Absolutely.
Rick Pluta: You've made your announcement and people have started to digest the news and plan accordingly. I assume you've been getting a lot of calls, including from potential successors. Why are people so surprised?
Stabenow: Well, I think I've had the good fortune to represent Michigan for a long time. In 2018, when I last ran for reelection, I had thought I would be running again. And it's a six year term. And so you kind of evaluate as you go. So, I'm not surprised that people did not anticipate this coming. But it's, it's important to me to do this now so that people have the opportunity to make their own plans. It's important for me to do this when I believe I can pass the torch to the next generation of leaders, very confident that I can pass it to a Democrat.
And it coincides, for me, with an important time in my life in the fact that my mom's 96. Days are precious with her now. And rather than the rigors of another campaign, I'll finish, run through the tape next two years on my job, but have the opportunity to pass the torch and at the same time not have any regrets.
Pluta: So like you said, you're not done yet. And your professional focus as chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will be on the legislation that's commonly called the Farm Bill. It's a very expansive piece of legislation. What do you want to accomplish in your final Farm Bill?
Stabenow: Well, Rick this is really important. I mean, this is done every five years. It's really the safety net for farmers and the safety net for families. It's the largest investment we make as a country in land and water conservation. This next bill is very important to me. We are expanding what we're doing to affect the climate crisis, our farmers are on that front line. And so part of this farm bill is really, you know, locking down those priorities in the role that farmers, producers can play in battling pollution.
And then nutrition and food assistance, extremely important. I'm not going to cut food assistance, I will see on the other side, particularly Republicans in the House, want to cut assistance to families. And, you know, this is an incredibly important part of our value system as a country in terms of supporting low-income children and families who need help, most of it temporary assistance, I'm going to make sure we're robust there.
One of the things I'm really proud of is that in the bill we just passed, the omnibus bill at the end of the year, I was able to get my Republican partner on the committee to work with me to establish first-time-ever permanent funding for summer meals for children. So you know, it's a broad bill, it may be one of the very few things that passes on a bipartisan basis.
Pluta: And if there is one policy initiative that you would like to be remembered for as basically your signature achievement, what would it be?
Stabenow: There's just not one thing, there's so many things. I've always said you don't have an economy unless somebody makes something and somebody grows something. And that's been my mantra, which has now become the mantra of others. And so that's home, bringing jobs home and manufacturing and agriculture is important.
I do think from a signature standpoint, this last summer in the gun safety bill is a combination of 10 years of work for me working with my Republican colleague, Senator Roy Blunt, to transform community mental health funding in our country from grants to a part of the healthcare system. And now we're going to be funding it through Medicaid. We have set up high quality standards for community care, clinics that will have to take all comers who walk in the door, and we are now funding 38 clinics in Michigan with more to come. And so, this will literally over the next few years transform behavioral health care. That's something I'm very proud of.
Pluta: Senator Debbie Stabenow, thanks for your time.
Stabenow: It's wonderful to talk to you.
Begay: That's Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with Rick Pluta.