Courtesy Photo U.S. Congressman Jack Bergman, second from left, poses for a photo with staff at the Alcona Health Center in Alpena on Friday. Bergman was in town to attend the annual Lincoln Day dinner Friday night.

ALPENA — U.S. Congressman Jack Bergman, R-Watermeet, says most people who depend on Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and other vital government programs should not worry about large cuts to their benefits.

Bergman said people who qualify and need the benefits should continue to receive them, but people who can support themselves and take advantage of the public programs may see changes to their benefits.

Bergman was in Alpena on Friday to attend the annual Lincoln Day dinner and took time to provide an update on business in Washington, D.C. He said there has been a whirlwind of activity since President Donald Trump was reelected and Republicans took the majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Bergman said that after four years of gridlock and inaction from the Joe Biden administration, it is refreshing to conduct business and work to fulfill the wishes of Trump and the agenda set by the voters in 2024.

“I am energized because finally, after four years of doing nothing and having an administration that was paralyzed by fear and lack of being able to make a decision, we have energy now at all levels,” he said. “That energy has started at the executive branch and has enabled the legislative branch to get things done.”

Bergman said it still is not an easy task getting bills passed in the House because the Republicans hold such a slim margin, but he said if common sense laws and budgets are proposed, he believes potential Republican holdouts will support them.

Bergman, who is on the House’s budget committee, said the Republicans in Congress are working with Republicans in the Senate to draft a budget reconciliation package. He said the framework of a budget has been created, and both chambers can fill in the lines with their appropriations.

Bergman said he wants the new budget to be fair to the taxpayers, but also wants to know how every penny is being spent.

“We want to make sure where we are spending and where we need to make cuts so we can get the savings we need to redirect the savings into the programs that need it, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and to those who need it. However, if you are receiving a freebie from the government that you don’t need, chances are you aren’t going to get it. But, if you are in that population that needs it, you’ll be just fine.”

Bergman said Democrats and the media have frightened many people, claiming there will be large cuts to SNAP and food stamps. He said that is simply not true.

“That is not happening — it is only a fear tactic that is being used,” Bergman said.

The congressman also responded to reports that Trump intends to cut Head Start, which is a government program that helps promote school readiness for children in low-income families. He said he supports Head Start and believes the president does too. Bergman said he knows how important the Head Start programs are to families, especially those who live in northern Michigan.

“Head Start, like everything else, is going to get looked at, but when you think about northern Michigan, the programs provide essential services for families where both mom and dad work, but aren’t making a whole lot of money,” he said. “The Head Start programs will be fine.”

Over the last several months, Trump has made it clear that he wants significant cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. People in Northeast Michigan are concerned that the proposed cuts to NOAA, which are primarily focused on the National Weather Service and programs that conduct studies centering around climate change, could impact the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena.

Bergman said the primary purpose of the NOAA facility lines up well from significant cuts, but he didn’t rule out that it would avoid cuts altogether.

“I’m not seeing cuts because what you have here is essential to keeping the Great Lakes healthy, and a research center is required for that,” he said. “Every entity, whether it is NOAA or the Department of Defense and Department of Education, is going to be looked at internally to see if the money they spend is being used to complete your mission.”

Bergman also said he believes Trump and the United States need to continue to work with Ukraine, Russia, and other countries to try to help reach a ceasefire and peace deal for the War in Ukraine. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin can’t be trusted, but he also needs to be a part of a solution. Bergman said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also needs to be open to negotiations and compromise in order to stop the deaths caused by the war that is now in its third year.

“Putin is a bad actor,” Bergman said. “He always has been and always will be. The one thing you can be sure of is you can’t trust Vladimir Putin. But it is not all him, it is also the philosophy of the people like him in the Russian territories that empower him, and it has been that way for about 600 or 700 years. They believe they can just go out and conquer. President Trump meant what he said that he will do everything he can to end this, and he is not going to stop. I think he will find a way to get a deal done.”

Bergman also addressed some of the concerns about Trump’s proposed tariffs and how they will impact the economy. He said in order to ensure a vibrant economy for the long term, Trump is utilizing tariffs in the same way as other presidents before him have.

Bergman compared Trump’s tariffs and his pivots on them to changing tools when you work on a car.

“Sometimes you pull out a tool and it doesn’t work, and you pull out another one,” he said. “For President Trump, tariffs are a tool in his toolkit, and he changes his tools when he sees how it is working. His goal is to bring people to the table, and that is what is happening now because they see he is serious.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.