The future of Northwest Indiana may depend in part on the ability of the Region’s new congressman to continue securing federal support for transformative transportation infrastructure initiatives, such as the South Shore Line commuter rail expansion, and defending key industries, including steel manufacturing.
U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, this year succeeded U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Gary, as the face and voice of Northwest Indiana in the U.S. House, after Visclosky decided to retire following 36 years representing Indiana’s 1st Congressional District in Washington, D.C.
Mrvan’s first weeks in Congress only can be described as extraordinary.
He was sworn in Jan. 3 wearing a face mask and staying well apart from his new colleagues in accordance with COVID-19 prevention protocols.
Three days later, Mrvan was among the last lawmakers in the House chamber as Capitol Police fired gunshots to repel a violent mob incited by Republican President Donald Trump trying to halt by any means necessary — including the threatened lynching of Republican Vice President Mike Pence, a former Indiana governor — congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
“It was pure chaos and disarray,” Mrvan said at the time. “Something I never thought I would see in the United States of America.”
WATCH NOW: U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan speaks during U.S. House impeachment debate
Mrvan then voted Jan. 13 with the House majority to impeach Trump for causing the insurrection. It was just the 17th vote Mrvan cast as a member of Congress and came just 10 days after his term began.
“I support the article of impeachment so that we can move forward to do the work that our constituents sent us here to do,” Mrvan said. “Only by sending the unequivocal message that any insurrectionist act will not be tolerated in our nation will we be able to begin the healing process and move forward to immediately address the great health, economic and social challenges facing our nation.
“We must begin the work to promote a robust and rapid COVID-19 vaccination program, improve educational opportunities, advocate for our veterans and restrengthen our economy to the benefit of everyone,” he added. “My vision for Northwest Indiana is one in which we address the immediate health and economic challenges to create a thriving economy where each person is afforded the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential.”
Indeed, Mrvan has since had the opportunity to begin focusing on those issues and the task of representing Northwest Indiana at the Capitol.
He’s secured appointments to the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the 117th Congress.
The 50-member Education and Labor Committee oversees all federal initiatives dealing with elementary, high school and post-secondary education, as well as all federal labor policies.
Much of the panel’s work is managed by its five subcommittees. Mrvan has been selected to serve on the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee and the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee.
“The Education and Labor Committee will be at the forefront of defending organized labor and making sure that our regional and national economies grow with good-paying union jobs,” Mrvan said.
“I am proud to have been able to stand with labor throughout my career, and I will use every opportunity on this committee to be a voice for our union brothers and sisters.”
WATCH NOW: Congressman recognizes Gary family’s public service in celebration of Black History Month
Concerning education, Mrvan said he hopes to focus on programs that protect children from predators, such as expanding the No More Secrets campaign he led during his 16-year tenure as North Township trustee into a national model.
“This program facilitates conversations about body safety, internet safety and phone responsibility, and it strives to educate, enable and empower all students in every K-12 school in Indiana,” Mrvan said.
“This type of resource is all the more important during this challenging health crisis, and I look forward to again building a coalition of supporters and advocates to expand the availability of this program to students throughout our nation.”
On the 30-member Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Mrvan was chosen for the Subcommittee on Health and elected chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.
“Throughout my career at the trustee’s office, I have had a very positive and collaborative relationship with veterans and veteran organizations in Northwest Indiana, and they have brought to my attention many pressing issues, including those related to technology and health care,” Mrvan said.
“One of the subcommittee’s priorities will be to oversee the Department of Veterans Affairs major $16 billion electronic health record modernization project.”
Mrvan separately is co-chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Steel Caucus, a group of representatives organized to look out for issues that affect the nation’s steel industry.
For example, the caucus recently sent a letter urging the Biden administration to maintain the Section 232 steel tariffs enacted under Trump to protect a vital industry that supports more than 2 million jobs across the United States and supplies the metal needed for cars, appliances, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure.
“As members of the Congressional Steel Caucus, we work closely with industry and labor and recognize the impact that unfairly traded imports and global steel overcapacity have had on the nation’s steel sector,” the letter said.
“It is important that these tariffs and quotas remain in place to ensure the industry can continue its road to recovery.”
The domestic steel industry and United Steelworkers union have pushed for trade protectionism for years because of concerns about foreign-made steel being dumped in the United States below fair market value. They say the global steel industry suffers from significant overcapacity, largely as a result of China’s state-run steel industry, which single-handedly produces more than half the world’s steel.
“It is necessary for the American steel industry to have a level playing field so that our innovative companies and skilled workers can lead the world in manufacturing the most environmentally-friendly and efficiently produced steel,” Mrvan said.
“I look forward to continuing to engage with Steel Caucus members, my colleagues, and the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure that the American steel industry remains the foundation of our national economy and our national security.”
In addition, Mrvan said he’s diligently working to ensure the system for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine is as transparent, rapid and efficient as possible.
“The current health pandemic has uprooted our sense of normalcy and added an unsettling degree of uncertainty to our economy, our education systems and our mental health,” Mrvan said.
“Getting through this health crisis, ensuring that everyone has access to the vaccine, and promoting the mental and physical health and well-being of all individuals is something that I believe we can all agree upon and work on together so that we can better protect ourselves, our families and our communities.”
The congressman also thanked Region workers who have remained on the job throughout the pandemic, protecting their communities and providing essential services to help everyone get through the challenges of COVID-19.
“Innumerable instances of the strength of our workers continue to give me hope and inspiration as I work to secure emergency relief and assistance to support our communities in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Mrvan said.
“There remain great challenges before us in the weeks and months ahead, but I believe with the essential workers of Northwest Indiana on our side, we will get to brighter days ahead together.”
This article originally ran on nwitimes.com.
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