Stand With Gina for Mother's Day

This Mother’s Day I had a lot to be thankful for. After celebrating the weekend with my beautiful daughter, enjoying flowers, presents, and all that spring has to offer; I took a few minutes to consider some of the environmental and health issues that mothers and their children are faced with every day.

Most mothers know children are more susceptible to respiratory illnesses from air pollution because their immune systems and lungs are still growing. Pollution from coal plants lead to countless health issues for children, including asthma. I want to thank my Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin for standing up for the health of my family and all Michiganders by opposing the anti-Clean Air Act amendments proposed by Republicans during the Senate budget debate in March. Those dirty budget proposals would have blocked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) historic Carbon Pollution Standard, as well as other clean air standards that play a major role in protecting our children’s health.

Gina McCarthy, a mother of three and President Obama’s nominee to lead the EPA, also believes that our children deserve clean air to breathe. Throughout her career she has worked with Republicans, Democrats, industry leaders, and public health advocates to develop commonsense and bipartisan solutions to protect public health and reduce carbon pollution.

Over the course of the EPA nomination process, McCarthy has answered hundreds of questions submitted by Republicans on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. In 2009, she was swiftly confirmed by the Senate to head up the Clean Air Division of the EPA, and this confirmation should be no different. Unfortunately, last Friday Republican members of the Committee put corporate polluters before kid’s health by boycotting the nomination of Gina McCarthy to be EPA administrator. Tell your senators that this is unacceptable!

Each day this vote is delayed, health risks increase for millions of American children and families. Republican members of the Senate should stop playing political games with our health and vote to send Gina McCarthy’s nomination to the Senate floor for an immediate confirmation. Please take a minute and urge your Senators to stand with Gina and protect our environment and our children's future.