Applying Mayhew's Theory to Michigan's Third Congressional District
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During his time in the Grand Rapids area, Amash is often present at local events. He finds importance in simple things such as hosting town hall meetings, as he did for the towns of Marshall and Caledonia. Amash also hosted a high school "Academy Night" for students to learn more about U.S. service academies. Noteably, Amash honors the achievements of his constituents, as he did for the winners of ArtFest 2018 and service academy appointees. Amash makes his name known by spending quality time in his district, while hardly ever missing a vote in D.C.
Credit Claiming
Additionally, Amash introduced Eminent Domain Just Compensation Act (EDJCA) on January 10, 2019 "to ensure private property owners are fairly compensated if the federal
government takes their land for border security or enforcement
activities." The Fifth Amendment ensures property owners "just compensation" for the confiscation of their property. However, even if the property owner does not find the payment satisfactory, the government still removes their property before settlement takes place. Thus, property owners struggle to attain proper payment in addition to the inconvenience of yielding their property to the government. With the EDJCA, property owners receive settlement in court proceedings, prior to the removal of their property. Introducing legislation does not ensure the
betterment of government procedure, such as the EDJCA. Rather, Justin Amash intricately
displays his efforts to fulfill the desires of his constituents. Amash expressed his intent for the EDJCA, “It is unjust for the government to seize someone’s property with a low ball offer and then put the burden on them to fight for what they’re
still owed. My bill will stop this practice by requiring
that a property’s fair value be finalized before DHS takes ownership.”
Position Taking
President Trump declared a national emergency to build the border wall on February 15, 2019. In turn, the Democrats made an effort to block the declaration. Amash made headlines as the only House Republican to support the block on the president's emergency declaration. Wishing to explain his opposition toward the president and his own party, Amash described his postition on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1096429639441043456"A national emergency declaration for a non-emergency is void. A prerequisite for declaring an emergency is that the situation requires immediate action and Congress does not have an opportunity to act. @POTUS @realDonaldTrump is attempting to circumvent our constitutional system."
This is far from the first instance Amash acted as a thorn in the president's side. Perhaps his most pressing concern with President Trump is government overspending, and he's not afraid to let the president know his position. If Amash holds traditional conservative values, why does he so often side with the Democrats? Amash champions the Constitution, instead of staying behind party lines. When taking a position, he utilizes social media to thoroughly explain his reasoning. Ultimately, despite his frequent opposition to the GOP, Justin Amash continues to be a prominent conservative in the U.S. House.
