U.S. CONGRESS 11TH DISTRICT - REPUBLICAN

Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Waterford, West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, Commerce, Wixom, White Lake, Walled Lake, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Part of Novi, Troy, Oak Park, Clawson, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Madison Heights

CHARLES FRANGLE

Charles Frangle of West Bloomfield is an attorney with Frangle Law Firm. He received his law degree at Lebanese University as well as at University of Mississippi Law School, where he also earned his LLM Master of Laws. He is involved with the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and the Farmington Hills Republican Club.

Israel – Hamas war

Israel is a vital US ally and our support for Israel must remain strong. The fact is there was peace on October 6th and Hamas brought war by slaughtering 1,200 innocent Israelis and using sexual violence and torture against others before taking even more hostage. Like any nation, Israel has a right to defend itself against these atrocities. Hamas is a proxy terror group funded by Iran. Having grown up in Lebanon I know how destabilizing and destructive Iranian proxy terror groups can be to a society. The Biden administration made a major mistake not keeping the Trump era Maximum Pressure campaign on Iran that deprived it of the ability to sell oil and then use the proceeds to fund terror. If we want to bring peace to that troubled region we need to strengthen our allies, not weaken them, and we must hold those who foster further war and destabilization to account. I would support a two state solution if there was an honest broker to achieve peace. Today, unfortunately, that partner does not exist so long as terror groups like Hamas hold power.

Ukraine support

The United States cannot continue to send an endless supply of money and arms to Ukraine while doing nothing to advocate for a peaceful solution. Unlike Israel, which has been a long standing ally of the United States, we are not in a military alliance with Ukraine. I believe strongly that we must do more to foster peace, not never ending wars in which U.S. participation is ever expanding and could put U.S. forces at risk of armed conflict with Russia. Just as the conflict with Israel and the Palestinian people is longstanding, so is the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Dialogue is needed and this administration has funded nothing but more war and conflict. It’s time to seek peace, not get U.S. forces involved in a war in Ukraine.

Supreme Court concerns

It isn’t easy to change the United States Constitution and it should not be easy. The fact is that our system of lifetime appointment for federal judges does an important job, separating them from the politics of the day. Today we have Washington politicians who are bent on destroying the court simply because they don’t like the outcome of particular cases. Chief Justice Roberts is currently reviewing ethical standards and has indicated that some changes may be made. Congressional interference in the operation of the court flies in the face of the separation of powers and should be avoided. Far more important will be to examine how the federal justice system has been weaponized against American citizens, like Joe Biden’s endless pursuit of legal action against his top political opponent. That is how banana republics operate and it must be ended in the United States so that we can settle political disputes where they belong, at the ballot box.

Border immigration problem

The bipartisan bill you speak of would have done nothing to stop Biden’s wide open border. When Joe Biden took office the border was secure, with illegal crossings at a decades long low. On his first day in office he took executive action ending Trump era policies like “Remain in Mexico” for those seeking asylum which threw our southern border wide open, and ended the process of building the border wall. The new legislation was a typical Washington attempt to avoid accountability for their actions. I support a return to policies that work and that means we need a new President and a Congress that truly wants to secure the border. As an immigrant who came to this country legally I find it offensive that some seek to reward those who broke the law to get here, and I will oppose any effort to offer amnesty for illegal border crossers.

National abortion policy

Abortion is a settled issue in Michigan with the passage of a Constitutional Amendment in our state that guarantees access. I don’t believe the people of Michigan want or need federal action on this divisive issue. The people of our state have spoken and I will not take any action that conflicts with Michigan Constitution.

Global warming policies

I fully support President Trump’s desire to end the Biden administration EV mandate which threatens our energy future, our national security, and our state’s most vital industry. Over 80 percent of the minerals needed to build electric vehicles are controlled by or processed in China. Forcing consumers into electric vehicles at this point does nothing more than make our nation more dependent on China, and if China shuts off access to those minerals the entire industry would come to halt. In Congress, I will fight to defend our domestic auto industry to create new jobs here at home. I will not support efforts to send those jobs to China. Today, global warming is near the bottom of the list of what hard working American families are most concerned about, fixing our economy, ending Biden’s inflation crisis, securing our border, and supporting our military to avoid conflict. Those will be my priorities.

Further regulation of election money

Running for political office is expensive and difficult, particularly against an incumbent like Haley Stevens who has access to unlimited amounts of special interest funding. Campaigns today are also very well regulated requiring campaigns to disclose every donor and expenditure. I don’t think it wise to further burden political campaigns that are sharply regulated already are needed, but finding a way to reduce the impact of deep pocketed special interests should be reviewed with an understanding that the First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of speech.

Validity of voting returns

While there were clearly issues with how the 2020 election was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic when some election officials overstepped their legal authority in the administration of those elections, I do accept the result. I also believe that we need to support ways to better ensure that only legitimate voters participate in our elections, particularly with the millions of people who’ve crossed the border illegally in the last four years. I fully support requiring voters to show an ID before voting, something that is supported by more than 80 percent of American citizens. I also support signature verification on absentee ballots, an important step that was bypassed by many election administrators across the country in 2020. We must always stand for free, fair and secure elections where every voter has access to vote and confidence that their vote is counted and not diluted by illegal votes. I’m hopeful and confident that we will get such an election 2024 and urge all of my fellow citizens to participate in the electoral process.