Six candidates are running for Michigan's First Congressional District seat in the primary election on Aug. 4. The seat is currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, who is running for a fifth term.
WCMU Public Media sent a questionnaire to all six of the candidates in this race on July 9, asking for their views on different issues impacting the region.
Bergman is one of three Republican candidates in the race. His responses are listed below.
Methodology: The same survey was sent to all six candidates. Each response was thoroughly reviewed for grammar and accuracy. We also included links and/or editor's notes for additional information and clarity as needed.
Residents throughout the district are most concerned about affordability. What legislative ideas do you have to make life more affordable in northern Michigan?
"Affordability starts with lowering taxes, reducing inflation, and bringing down energy costs. That's why I supported the Working Family Tax Cuts which made permanent tax relief for working families, expanded the Child Tax Credit, protected tax cuts for small businesses, and eliminated taxes on overtime and tips for millions of Americans. Those are real savings that help families keep more of what they earn instead of sending it to Washington.
I also voted to reduce burdensome regulations that drive up the cost of energy, housing, and doing business. Lower energy costs mean lower prices for everything from groceries to home heating, which is especially important for families in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
I've consistently supported policies that strengthen Michigan's manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, mining, and tourism industries because the best way to make life more affordable is through good-paying jobs and a strong economy. My focus will continue to be cutting unnecessary government spending that fuels inflation, unleashing American energy production, and ensuring families across Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula can afford to live, work, and raise a family right here at home."
Many communities have been affected by PFAS contamination, including Oscoda and Grayling. Residents there are upset after the Department of Defense recently announced that clean-up efforts would be delayed for five more years. What actions can be done in Congress to address people's concerns about the clean-up timeline?
"The Department of War has an obligation to the communities that have supported our military for generations. Delaying cleanup is unacceptable.
I successfully secured $25 million in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act for PFAS remediation at Camp Grayling while also supporting provisions requiring greater transparency from the Army regarding PFAS contamination and cleanup efforts. Those are important steps, but there is still more work to do.
I have led the fight to hold the Air Force accountable for PFAS contamination at former Wurtsmith AFB, demanding the Department meet EGLE’s stricter standard for PFOA and PFOS and provide written, independently validated commitments on cleanup scope and timeline. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, I have consistently used my authority to press Air Force leadership directly, refusing to let Oscoda families settle for vague assurances after over a decade of contamination and broken promises.
I will continue pushing the Department of War for regular public updates, greater accountability, and a faster cleanup timeline. We can support military readiness while also ensuring neighboring communities have clean drinking water and confidence that the federal government is meeting its obligations."
How should the federal government involve communities when making decisions about implementing AI data centers?
"Local communities must always have a seat at the table.
Federal agencies should work with local governments, utility providers, tribal communities where appropriate, and residents before major projects move forward. I support a one-year moratorium in Michigan on building new AI Data centers, until we can ensure the impacts are understood and local townships and counties can put proper regulations in place that protect our communities."
After two years of floods and ice storms, what do you think the federal government should do to help prepare northern counties for future disasters?
"Preparedness means investing in our communities before disaster strikes, not just cleaning up after. In the UP and Northern Michigan, that starts with the basics too many rural counties have had to go without: emergency communications that don't cut out the moment cell towers lose power, roads and utility lines built to withstand more than one bad storm, modern equipment for volunteer fire departments and road commissions running trucks well past their service life, and first responders who are properly staffed, trained, and not stretched across three, four, or five townships at once.
And when disasters do strike - because we know they will - our federal support systems need to actually be responsive to local needs, not built around the assumption that every county has a full-time grants office. We need to fix the federal process itself: simplifying grant applications and putting hands-on technical assistance behind those communities instead of leaving them to navigate the paperwork alone. I'm proud to cosponsor the FEMA Act of 2025, which would pull FEMA out of DHS and make it directly accountable to the President and speed up how public assistance and hazard mitigation dollars reach communities after a disaster - instead of leaving counties waiting months for a declaration."
Several dams across northern Michigan were at risk of failing after historic floods this spring. How should Congress address improving the district's dam infrastructure?
"Watching dams in the district come within inches of failing this spring was a gut check for the whole region. Much of the water infrastructure in our regions have outlived their design life, and fixing it is going to take real federal investment, not just state grant programs stretched too thin.
One of Congress's main tools here is the Water Resources Development Act. This year's version includes a five-year reauthorization of the High Hazard Potential Dam Rehabilitation Grant Program - one of the only federal funding sources built specifically to help rehabilitate aging, high-risk dams like the ones we saw nearly give way this spring. I support getting that reauthorization across the finish line and making sure Northern Michigan's aging dams are competitive for that funding, not overlooked in favor of bigger downstate projects.
I also want to see better coordination between federal regulators and the state - right now, oversight of Michigan's dams is split in ways that create gaps, and that's exactly the kind of gap that turns an aging dam into an emergency."
Last year, President Donald Trump called a national energy emergency which would accelerate the permitting for different projects regarding oil, power and gas. Line 5 was one of the first projects chosen to fast track the decisions to reconstruct a tunnel. Do you back the Trump Administration's assessment in declaring this emergenyc and fast-tracking of the tunnel permitting process?
"Yes. I support the Administration's emergency declaration and the fast-tracked permitting for the Line 5 tunnel. This project has been stuck in bureaucratic limbo for years while Michigan families and businesses bear the cost of energy uncertainty. Cutting red tape to get this built safely and quickly is exactly the kind of decisive action our energy infrastructure needs."
Housing costs are another major concern for voters. Experts say one way to help the market is to build more housing units. How can Congress make it easier for contractors to build more homes, or do you believe other solutions are necessary to alleviate the cost of housing?
"Housing affordability requires increasing supply while lowering the cost of building homes.
That's why I helped introduce and support the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, legislation that removes unnecessary barriers to housing construction, expands workforce development, modernizes federal housing programs, and makes it easier for communities to build the housing they need.
Congress should also reduce burdensome regulations, support skilled trades, improve infrastructure, and pursue economic policies that lower inflation and interest rates. Building more homes and making construction more affordable will help young families, workers, and seniors across Northern Michigan find housing they can afford."
What role should American foreign policy play moving forward in Iran?
"Iran's continued pursuit of nuclear capability and its support for terrorist proxies across the Middle East remain among the most serious threats to American and allied security. As a retired Marine and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I believe our policy must rest on peace through strength: maintaining maximum pressure through sanctions, standing firmly with Israel and our regional partners, and ensuring our military retains the credible deterrent capability to respond decisively if Iran or its proxies threaten American lives or interests. Diplomacy only works when backed by strength, and I will continue pushing for a policy that puts America's and our allies' security first."
