By Jon King, Michigan Advance
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin on Friday laid out a national security and foreign policy vision rooted in the economic concerns of middle-class Americans, as the Democrat from Holly called for sweeping reforms to address emerging global threats and technological competition with China.
In remarks made at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City, Slotkin said her approach was forged out of the input she gathered during town halls held in Troy and Benton Harbor, where constituents linked national security to day-to-day economic stress.
“A national security strategy worth its salt must do two things,” Slotkin said. “First, protect U.S. citizens, the homeland, and our way of life. And second, advance American prosperity. That’s it.”
Slotkin said many Americans have lost confidence that the United States has a coherent foreign policy that truly advanced the nation’s priorities.
“And they have good reason to feel uneasy,” she said. “Informed by them, I’m going to focus on the three big things that, if we get right, will define American security for the next 50 years.”
Slotkin said those three priorities included treating economic security as national security, which required leaders to be “ruthless about growing the middle class.” Secondly, she said the U.S. had to treat the tech race like it did the nuclear and space races and ensure the nation dominates in that sector. Finally, Slotkin said the government needs to rethink how it protects Americans in a rapidly changing threat landscape.
Slotkin proposed a series of policy initiatives she said were aimed at reshaping how the U.S. approaches global competition.
Among them: creating a Cyber National Guard that would be focused on defending against digital threats, a Manhattan Project-style effort to win the AI race against China, and a Sovereign Wealth Fund that would invest in high-risk, high-reward technologies.
Slotkin warned that China has weaponized global supply chains and called for stronger domestic production of critical items.
“While some items, like Rubik’s Cubes and ladies’ razors, will never again be made in the U.S., critical items like pharmaceuticals, chips, and autos should be made, at least in part, in the U.S.,” she said. “China has weaponized these supply chains, giving them a veto on our economy that we should not accept.”
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official, painted a stark picture of technological rivalry with Beijing.
“We are in a tech race with China right now,” she said. “And there’s no area more important to win than on artificial intelligence. The last time we were in a race like this, we won by setting up the Manhattan Project … We need the same level of ambition now, updated for the modern age.”
Amidst that national security focus, she also urged policies that would also improve middle-class livelihoods.
“Smart industrial policy also means prosperity for the middle class,” Slotkin said. “New manufacturing, engineering, and construction jobs. And critically, it means spreading the wealth across America, not just enriching 18 tech executives in Silicon Valley.”
Slotkin’s remarks came amid a broader debate in Washington over how to confront China’s global influence, secure domestic supply chains, and ensure U.S. leadership in critical technologies.
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jon King for questions: info@michiganadvance.com.
