High-profile Democrat breaks with party, embraces key pieces of Trump agenda

DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Rep.

Haley Stevens, D-Mich., threw her support behind three of the Trump administration’s signature economic policies in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Collaboration between ratepayers and data center developers, public stakes in high-growth industries and loan guarantees for critical mineral extraction are all areas where the Michigan congresswoman says the Trump administration is charting the right course.

She also pointed to bolstering American manufacturing and deterring the nation’s adversaries from hostage taking as areas where she believes bipartisan collaboration is possible.

"It's not just about taxation," Stevens told Fox News Digital when asked how revenues can be raised to fund healthcare and infrastructure programs.

"If federal dollars are used, like what Mr.

Elon Musk got from the federal government, so potentially this current administration could be right that ownership stakes should be on the table." PROGRESSIVE PRAISE FOR TRUMP AS WARREN BACKS PUSH TO CURB DEFENSE CONTRACTOR CEO PAYOUTS The Trump administration has increasingly pursued direct equity stakes, alongside grants and loans, to steer capital into industries it considers strategically important, such as semiconductors and critical minerals .

For instance, the administration converted $8.9 billion in federal funding into a 9.9% nonvoting stake in Intel, while the Pentagon took a 15% stake in rare-earth producer MP Materials.

Both investments have increased in value since the government took them, although those gains are not realized until the shares are sold.

While Stevens thinks stimulating economic growth is part of the equation for balancing the federal balance sheet, she did say that the "wealthiest of the wealthy" should "absolutely" pay more in taxes.

Stevens rose to national prominence during her primary contest against Abdul El-Sayed , who has since become the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan.

She cast herself as a more moderate alternative to El-Sayed, who she accused of unfairly singling out Jewish Americans.

DEMOCRATS' CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN Though the primary feud between the two was intense, Stevens endorsed El-Sayed following a narrow primary defeat and signaled that, while she may agree with President Donald Trump on some things, she still sees his broader agenda as dangerous for America.

"I personally think [Republican nominee] Mike Rogers is going to continue to rubber-stamp Donald Trump’s chaotic agenda," she said in an interview after endorsing El-Sayed.