Media
Latest News
Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens on Wednesday announced proposed legislation — the Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act — that would allow people with physically demanding jobs to collect full Social Security benefits at age 60.
“Michiganders who work with their hands shouldn’t be forced to wait until their bodies give out to retire,” Stevens said.
“Hostages lose freedom. That means I wasn't earning an income. I wasn't saving for retirement,” Whelan told NPR.
Whelan said that when he returned home, his home and cars were gone and he had to rebuild his life.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens introduced the Paul Whelan Hostage Compensation and Reintegration Act, legislation to provide financial support to Americans who have been unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad as they return home and rebuild their lives.
CBS News Detroit reported on Stevens’ legislation to provide support to Americans returning home after being wrongfully detained abroad.
Whelan thanked Stevens for introducing the legislation and discussed the challenges former detainees can face after returning home.
The report highlighted Whelan’s more than five years of wrongful detention in Russia and the legislation’s effort to help Americans rebuild their lives after returning to the United States
“Reintegration should not stop at the airport,” Stevens said, describing Whelan’s experience returning home without a place to live or his former job after five and a half years of lost earnings.
“This is a very solid piece of legislation that brings some dignity to the people who I believe are American heroes.”
Stevens said the goal is to establish “a transparent and objective formula” recognizing the economic consequences of wrongful detention, including time taken away from a person’s career and livelihood.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens introduced the Paul Whelan Hostage Compensation and Reintegration Act, legislation to provide support to Americans who have been unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad as they return home and rebuild their lives.
“When an American is wrongfully detained abroad, we do everything we can to bring them home. Our responsibility cannot end the moment they step back on American soil,” Stevens said.
Whelan said former hostages often return home having lost their income, health insurance, employment, transportation and housing.
“Providing compensation to former hostages is a step in the right direction in supporting their positive and productive reintegration,” Whelan said.
Whelan called the legislation “a huge step forward” in ensuring wrongfully detained Americans receive support after returning home.
“For people like me who have come home after five-and-a-half years, we really don’t have very much. House is gone. Cars are gone. Employment’s gone. No health insurance,” Whelan told CNN.
Stevens said the legislation would ensure Americans who endure wrongful detention have resources to “regain their footing, reunite with their communities, and rebuild their lives.”
Washington, DC — This evening, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) will take to the House floor for a sixty-minute address to reflect on her time in Congress and her work alongside her Democratic colleagues.
The address will be streamed live here
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, alongside Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), announced a bipartisan resolution to recognize September 17th as National Physician Suicide Awareness Day and recognize the intense pressure and trauma physicians face in the workplace.