IRON MOUNTAIN -- Congressman Dan Benishek will run for a second term. Monday, he made the announcement at Dickinson Hospital in Iron Mountain. He wants to serve three terms before he retires.
There are three main things Benishek wants to improve during his time with Congress.
“We're going to work on balancing the budget,” said Benishek. “Of course, that's the big thing is the debt, and the budget, and the jobs.”
One of Benishek's main goals is to create jobs in the U.P. so people don't have to seek employment in other places.
“I'm worried about jobs here in northern Michigan,” Benishek says. “I'm here to try and create policies that will improve our economy here so my kids and grandkids can stay here in the U.P.”
One piece of legislation that Benishek says he's particularly proud of is the bill that promotes timber jobs which makes it easier to cut down trees in federal forests. Under the old law, the loggers could be sued at any point during the process. Benishek's legislations prevents this from happening.
“It should make it easier for us, here in northern Michigan, to harvest the trees in the federal forests,” Benishek says. “Give loggers and people that use those products in the woods more opportunity to work and make money and hire more people.”
Although he voted to extend certain areas of the controversial Patriot Act, he stands by his decision.
“I am firmly in belief that people need to have their liberties, and nothing that was passed and the stuff that I voted on allowed wire taps without a court order,” Benishek says.
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