Got a gripe? Here's how to reach your Michigan members of Congress
Got a question or a gripe for someone in Congress, or Michigan? Here's how you can get in touch with someone.
Just in case you've forgotten your high school civics lessons (or maybe never had them), here's the lowdown: Every person living in any state has effectively three people representing him or her in Congress, two in the U.S. Senate, who represent everyone in that state and are elected to staggered six-year terms, and one member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who represents a smaller geographical area in each state and is elected to two-year terms.
In Michigan, you're represented in Congress by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin and one of 13 members of the U.S. House of Representatives (who are often referred to as congressmen or congresswomen, even though Congress really encompasses both the Senate and the House).
The easiest way is online.
For Peters, go here and there's a link for "contact" at the top. From there you can link to forms to get help with a federal agency or to share your thoughts with the senator's staff. The latter also includes additional links to sign up to tour a federal building in Washington like the Capitol or the White House. There is also a link to try to schedule a meeting with the senator. Make sure to note if you want a response from the senator's staff and hit submit.
For Slotkin, it's pretty much the same, just start here and go to "contact" at the top. She also has links from there not just for help with an agency or questions but for whistleblowers (people who spot potential wrongdoing by federal agencies) to file complaints.
Both senators also have addresses and phone numbers for their offices around Michigan and in Washington at the bottom of their websites and contact pages.
If you want to go the old school way, you can call Peters' office in Detroit at (313) 226-6020 or toll-free at (844) 506-7420 or his office in Washington at (202) 224-6221. You can also send him correspondence at the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building, 477 Michigan Ave., Suite 1837, Detroit, MI 48226 or at the Hart Senate Office Building, Suite 724, Washington, D.C. 20510.
For Slotkin, the Detroit-area phone is (313) 961-4330 and the Washington line is (202) 224-4822. Her address in Detroit is 719 Griswold Street, Suite 700, Detroit, MI 48226 and in Washington it's 291 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510.
By the way, if you want a list of all the senators nationwide and their contact information, you can find it at https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm and follow the links from there.
It's a little more complicated since there are currently 13 U.S. House districts (or seats) representing Michigan and you first have to figure out who your House member is. That's still pretty easy online, if you go here and type in your ZIP code. For instance, type in 49862 for Munising, and you get U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman. Type in 48650 for Pinconning and it might be either Bergman or U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (it will ask for your street address to determine which one). From there, you can follow the links to contact your member of Congress, make a tour request, etc.
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If you're not online, it's a little more difficult finding out who your member of Congress is, though you can always call your local city or township clerk's office, or drop in and ask. And while we can't give you a specific answer as to who represents you (since it's based on where you live and we don't know that), here's a rough outline of each of the state's 13 U.S. House districts, who currently represents each and the address, email and phone for a couple of their main offices:
U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman
Traverse City: 1396 Douglas Drive, Suite 22B, Traverse City, MI 49696 T: (231) 944-7633
Washington: 566 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4735
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar
Caledonia: 8980 North Rodgers Court, Suite H, Caledonia, MI 49316 T: (616) 528-7100
Washington: 246 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-3561
U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten
Grand Rapids: 110 Michigan St. NW, Suite 460, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 T: (616) 451-8383
Washington: 1317 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-3831
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U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga
Holland: 170 College Ave., Suite 160, Holland, MI 49423 T: (616) 251-6741
Washington: 2232 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4401
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg
Jackson: 401 W. Michigan Ave., Jackson, MI 49201 T: (517) 780-9075
Washington: 2266 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 T: (202) 225-6276
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell
Ann Arbor: 2006 Hogback Rd., Suite 7, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 T: (734) 481-1100
Washington: 102 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4071
U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett
Lansing: 328 W Ottawa St., Suite A, Lansing, MI 48933 T: (517) 993-0510
Washington: 1232 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4872
U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet
Flint: 601 Saginaw St., Suite 403, Flint, MI 48502 T: (810) 238-8627
Washington: 1408 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-3611
U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain
Lake Orion: 30 N Broadway St., Lake Orion, MI 48362 T: (586) 697-9300
Washington: 562 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-2106
U.S. Rep. John James
Warren: 30500 Van Dyke Ave., Suite 306, Warren, MI 48093 T: (586) 498-7122
Washington: 1519 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-4961
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens
Farmington Hills: 30500 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 525, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 T: (734) 853-3040
Washington: 2411 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-8171
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib
Detroit: 7800 W. Outer Dr., Detroit, MI 48235 T: (313) 463-6220
Washington: 2438 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-5126
U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar
Detroit: 400 Monroe St., Suite 420, Detroit, MI 48226 T: (313) 880-2400
Washington: 154 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 T: (202) 225-5802
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How to reach your Michigan members of Congress
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