[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 21, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3000-H3001]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING 10TH DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN'S DISTRICT OFFICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania). The Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. James) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, we had a slogan in Army aviation: ``High 
Above the Best.'' It was a reminder that the American people entrusted 
us, me and my men, to provide air support for the soldiers fighting for 
their lives on the ground each and every single day. Likewise, in 
Congress, our constituents, our customers, have entrusted our staff and 
myself to provide air support to the good people in our district 
fighting for their livelihoods each and every single day.
  I stand here to say that my district staff has exemplified this 
slogan, ``High Above the Best.'' In under 6 months in this office, my 
team has already delivered on a monumental constituent casework 
milestone in a freshman office.
  Earlier this month, my team surpassed $100,000 in Federal casework 
dollars returned to our constituents, to our customers. They are 
providing that air support to Michigan's 10th Congressional District, 
just like Army aviators.
  It is a lot of work setting up a congressional office. Both our D.C. 
and district teams have burned the midnight oil to get everything up 
and running so

[[Page H3001]]

that we can serve you, our constituents, and deliver on the promises we 
made.
  On top of all the work that had to be done getting our district 
office up and running, this staff delivered for the constituency and 
has returned over $100,000 in Federal dollars and about a trillion-and-
a-half passport requests.
  I recognize each and every single member of my district staff by 
name, in alphabetical other: Russ Cleary, Lisa Damon-Brown, Phil Rode, 
Linda Torp, and Kris Zrinyi.
  I thank them all for helping me serve Michigan's 10th Congressional 
District, the greatest district in the United States of America.
  Of the many cases my district team has closed this year, there are a 
couple that I reviewed that really stuck out to me.
  We got a call from a veteran in our district who hadn't received his 
VA benefits in nearly 2 years. Together, my staff elevated this case 
within the VA and got them to act. Now, this veteran in my district has 
thousands in backpay and a monthly payment of roughly $2,000 that he 
earned serving our country in uniform.
  My team also helped a single mother of two get her tax return from 
all the way back in 2015. This young mother is currently attending 
nursing school to better the future for herself and her two children 
and to serve her community. Between being a single mom and a student, 
she didn't have enough time in her busy schedule to work with the IRS, 
but she had time to give us a call. That is all that mattered. My 
diligent team was able to step up for her and help her to retrieve 
$9,000 from her tax return.
  These are just two of the many stories and constituent cases that our 
district office worked so diligently to close over just the past 5 
months--in under 6 months, under half a year. I am so grateful for all 
the work they have done for our constituents.
  I am a combat veteran, but I am also a businessman, and I believe 
that constituent services, customer service, is why I am here.
  Customer service, serving constituents, is my number one priority in 
Congress. I have served my country in combat, but the chance to serve 
this community is the honor of my lifetime. We are ready to continue to 
serve the good people of Michigan's 10th Congressional District. I 
thank them for trusting me to be High Above the Best.

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