Honorable Bruce Braley from Iowa (Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa’s 1st District)

7/14/2025

Honorable Bruce Braley

c/o Leventhal Puga Braley P.C.

950 South Cherry Street, Suite 600

Denver, CO  80246

Dear Honorable Braley,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history including social justice. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others.  Honorable Braley, the main reason why I’m writing you a letter is to explain how when you served as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa’s 1st District to be very inspiring to me. 

When you served as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa’s 1st District from 2007-2015, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for rights of people with disabilities’ rights, supporting Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help allow filing for equal pay discrimination lawsuit when being discriminated in pay based on gender, supporting Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act to expand on protection for minorities, gender, people with disabilities, and people with sexual orientation from a hate crime. On the environment, I really liked on how you supported the need to protect national parks from being damaged, work with Republicans on supporting finding ways to reduce pine beetle from damaging the environment to help preserve natural resources, and pushing for renewable energy (wind, solar, biofuel, and energy efficient products) to reduce our addiction to oil with gas including reducing pollution, and having the  courage to oppose the Keystone Pipeline to help protect public lands including Native American Reservations from being polluted by toxic spills. To make the economy stronger, I was very proud on how you supported the American Recovery Act, a stimulus bill to fund job training programs to help workers including youth improve or develop on the job-skills. Having the courage to support the Affordable Care Act to help people with pre-existing conditions or who can’t afford health insurance get the care they need without being denied including allowing people under 26 to stay under their parent’s health insurance and vote in favor of funds for stem cell research to help combat against different diseases like Parkinson’s disease. Another thing that I liked about your work in congress was how you were an advocate for the need to protect civil liberties like the 4th amendment from being weakened and supported the idea of campaign finance reform to reduce dark money in elections including campaigns.

Honorable Braley, I have autism including a learning disability. y, I have autism with a learning disability.  Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including rights of people with disabilities really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your support for the American Recovery Act helped me get into a job-training program in Michigan called The B. Side of Arts where they had lectures about how business works and job training skills session to help me and other people learn different job skills and got paid. The American Recovery Act made a great difference for me and helped me expand on my work skills where it helped me get a prepared for the work force.  Your role as former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa’s 1st District  helps give me motivation to continue to learn history including social justice. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others.  

I strongly believe that you made a great difference in public service. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights including rights of people with disabilities, protect the environment, expand on health care reform improvements, and many others. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn about your work, and continue to learn history including social justice. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate for common sense ideas including rights of people with disabilities when our country is broken.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick