url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at https://bustos.house.gov/2017-year-review-bustos-continues-deliver-real-results-fight-illinois-working-families-give-heartland-voice-key-member-democratic-leadership/,"2017 YEAR IN REVIEW: Bustos Continues to Deliver Real Results, Fight for Illinois Working Families and Give the Heartland a Voice as a Key Member of Democratic Leadership",2017-12-27,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"ROCK ISLAND This past year, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) has continued her proven record of delivering real results for the hardworking families of Illinois 17th Congressional District. She has kept up her focus on economic growth, manufacturing, veterans and farmers. She has also demonstrated effective leadership in the House Democratic Caucus in her third term, while also working collaboratively across the aisle on commonsense solutions for working families. GIVING THE HEARTLAND A VOICE IN DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP After the 2016 election, Bustos was elected by her colleagues to serve as the Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC). As Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, and as the only elected member of the House Democratic leadership team from the Midwest, Bustos has given Northwestern and Central Illinois a voice at the decision-making table and helped ensure Democrats put forth a bold economic agenda for the American people. PRESENTING AMERICANS WITH A BETTER DEAL: BETTER JOBS, BETTER WAGES AND A BETTER FUTURE Bustos was one of the leaders who crafted the Democratic Partys agenda A Better Deal for hardworking Americans an economic plan for better jobs, better wages and a better future. Across America especially in the Heartland there are millions of hardworking men and women who have been left behind by outdated policies that put profits before people. This final agenda is the result of meeting with more than 180 Democratic members of Congress, experts from across the ideological spectrum and regular Americans who felt they have been forgotten by Washington. It will boost wages, lower costs and level the economic playing field so that all Americans can get ahead, not just special interests or the wealthiest few. It will restore opportunity in part by investing in our infrastructure, apprenticeships and workforce training, which will help create 10 million good-paying, full-time jobs. PROTECTING ILLINOISANS FROM TRUMPCARE In March, Bustos delivered the Democratic Weekly Address to highlight the many flaws with the American Health Care Act, commonly referred to as Trumpcare. This was a devastating bill that would have wiped out nearly 2 million jobs (including 60,000 in Illinois), stripped coverage from 24 million individuals, imposed an age tax on older Americans and placed nearly 700 rural hospitals at greater risk of closing their doors. Bustos also started a video series called Hear from the Heartland to share the stories of everyday Illinoisans who would be badly hurt by Trumpcare. In one of these videos, she spoke with a mother whose young son, Gryphon, was born with cerebral palsy and relies on Medicaid for critical care. If Trumpcare had become law, Gryphon would have been forced to either go without care or be relegated to an expensive high risk pool and reach his lifetime limit at an early age. FIGHTING FOR A BETTER DEAL FOR THE HEARTLAND As many as 23 million rural Americans lack access to high-speed broadband internet. This is a major problem for small towns and rural communities that struggle to compete with big cities to attract job creators and entrepreneurs. In September, Congresswoman Bustos helped introduce a plank of the Better Deal agenda focused on universal high-speed internet. Democrats are pledging to connect every American to high-speed, reliable internet by providing direct federal investments to deliver the highest quality internet access at the lowest price. Read the full A Better Deal: Universal High-Speed Internet planhere. In November, she hosted her Fourth Annual Economic Summit, focused on regional collaboration for job creation and economic growth. This was the culmination of a series of economic roundtables that Bustos hosted throughout the year. At this event, she brought together educators, business leaders and government officials to foster relationships and develop ideas for joint efforts to create jobs and prosperity. Opioid overdoses have risen at an unprecedented rate in rural areas, and some of these communities lack the sufficient infrastructure or resources to address this unprecedented crisis. In July, Rep. Bustos introduced bipartisan legislation to help rural communities better leverage USDA Rural Development programs to combat opioid and heroin use. As we work to combat the nationwide opioid epidemic, rural America must not be left behind. EXPANDING ROLE ON KEY COMMITTEES In the 115th Congress, Bustos expanded her role on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to include two new subcommittees Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials and Water Resources and Environment in addition to Aviation and Highways and Transit, of which she was also a member in the 114th Congress. With these new subcommittee assignments, Bustos continued to be a strong advocate for our regions transportation priorities and work to craft a national infrastructure strategy that helps both Illinois and America maintain its competitive edge. In April, she brought together the directors of our regions airports so that she could prioritize their concerns ahead of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill. Based on these discussions, Bustos wrote and included three provisions in the final bill. Bustos also serves on the House Agriculture Committee, which is preparing to write the next Farm Bill. In August, during Congress District Work Period, Bustos met with farmers from across Illinois 17th District to discuss their priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill. These conversations and listening sessions led Bustos to introduce the bipartisan Farmers of Tomorrow Act, which is designed to make it easier for young farmers and veterans to purchase land. She has also helped introduce legislation to double the funding for the Market Assistance Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program, which help Illinois farmers access markets abroad. In the 2014 Farm Bill, Rep. Bustos fought to protect the crop insurance program from devastating cuts and she will continue to advocate for a robust crop insurance program in the future. FIGHTING FOR GOOD-PAYING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING JOBS BY CLOSING THE SKILLS GAP Our region has seen too many factories boarded up and jobs shipped off to places like China and Mexico. After campaigning on the promise to bring these jobs back, President Trump has yet to propose any policies or legislation to grow our manufacturing economy. Thats why the first bill Bustos introduced this Congress was the Overseas Outsourcing Accountability Act, which would require President Trump to develop a national strategy to stop outsourcing and allow Congress to measure its success through a review every two years. Bustos also introduced bipartisan Buy American legislation to create jobs and improve our infrastructure. The Buy America for Drinking Water Extension Act would create jobs and grow the economy by ensuring that all iron and steel products used for projects funded by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) are made entirely in the United States. One of the top takeaways from Bustos economic roundtables was that educators and employers need to collaborate more to create the skilled workforce we need to grow the economy. Thats why she led members of the New Democrat Coalition in urging President Trump to invest in apprenticeship and workforce development programs. In November, Bustos hosted Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and Rep. Jimmy Panetta for a roundtable discussion in Peoria about the education and skills gap that prevents employers from filling open manufacturing jobs. This was part of the Whip Hoyers Make It In America listening tour. After visiting each of the seven community colleges in her Congressional District, Bustos heard from students and administrators about the need for more flexibility for Pell Grant awards. She reintroduced legislation to expand access to Pell Grants for students across the country, allowing them to use their scholarships year-round and enter the workforce faster and with less debt. This provision was included in the 2017 Omnibus Bill that passed the House in May and was later signed into law. BRINGING FAIRNESS TO DISASTER RELIEF DECLARATION Too often, smaller, Downstate communities in Illinois face discrimination under FEMAs disaster declaration process. Thats what we saw after a major tornado devastated the communities of Pekin, East Peoria and Washington, Illinois. Ever since then, Congresswoman Bustos has worked with Congressman Rodney Davis to bring more fairness to the disaster declaration process. This year, they passed the Disaster Declaration Improvement Act through the House of Representatives. This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give greater weight and consideration to the localized impact of a disaster when determining the need for federal assistance. Working to push this important bill into law, Bustos and Davis also worked together to include the entirety of their legislation in the disaster supplemental bill that passed the House late in December. ENSURING THE ROCK ISLAND ARSENALS SUCCESS FOR THE FUTURE This year, Bustos fought to include provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that would strengthen the Rock Island Arsenal and grow the local economy. This language came from her Army Arsenal Revitalization Act, and would require the Secretary of the Army to issue guidance on how the Department of Defense will decide which items to make at Army arsenals and which it will purchase from other sources with the goal of ensuring that arsenals have sufficient workload to keep their workforce skilled and their products affordable. Bustos also included language from her DOD Check Before You Rent Act to require the Department of Defense to certify that no usable space is available on existing military installations like the Arsenal before leasing space with rent costs exceeding $750,000 annually or purchasing new space valued at more than $750,000 total. This would help ensure that space at the Rock Island Arsenal, and other military installations, are maximized before the military leases additional space. Both of these provisions were included in the final version of the bill, which was signed by President Trump this month. HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES U.S. Army Sgt. Douglas J. Riney and U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan S. Bastean were American heroes who embodied what it meant to live a life of courage, loyalty and selfless service. Thats why Bustos was proud to introduce legislation and marshal Illinois delegation support to rename post offices in their honor in Fairview and Pekin, respectively. The bill to rename the Fairview post office in honor of Sgt. Riney passed in November. Bustos is continuing her effort to bring the bill to rename Pekins Post Office after Lance Cpl. Bastean and is hopeful that it will move in the coming year. SPEAKING UP FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT Workplace sexual harassment has been in the headlines in recent months, and we are in the midst of a cultural moment where this unacceptable behavior is being condemned. Bustos has been working since March to stand up for sexual harassment victims who have had their employers conduct swept under the rug by contractual forced arbitration clauses. Earlier this month, the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act was introduced in both the House and Senate. BY THE NUMBERS 14 Congresswoman Bustos visited all 14 counties in Illinois 17th District this year repeatedly and held several events, meetings and Supermarket Saturday visits when Congress was out of session. 133 As part of her aggressive outreach strategy, Congresswoman Bustos hosted or attended 133 events in 2017 in Illinois 17th Congressional District. 60 Over the course of 2017, Congresswoman Bustos has held 60 constituent meetings or discussions. 1,004 Congresswoman Bustos strives to make government work for the people she serves, and her office has closed 1,004 casework requests this year helping Illinoisans cut through red tape at the VA, IRS and other federal agencies. $663,669.55 This year, Congresswoman Bustos office has returned $663,669.55 to constituents in our District, which they recovered from the Social Security Administration, the IRS and the VA. Constituents having problems with any of these agencies are encouraged to reach out to one of our offices in Peoria, Rock Island or Rockford. 20,928 Congresswoman Bustos prides herself on having a responsive and attentive constituent services operation, and her office has replied to 20,928 messages or requests this year. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congresswoman-kelly-s-connected-government-act-passes-congress,Congresswoman Kellys Connected Government Act Passes Congress,2017-12-22,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed Congresswoman Robin Kellys Connected Government Act (H.R. 2331). The bill now heads to the Presidents desk for his signature. Quite simply, this bill will put nearly all government services in your pocket, said Congresswoman Kelly. The legislation mandates that all updated and redesigned federal government websites be mobile-friendly. ""Deep urban and remote rural communities are the most affected by our governments failure to provide mobile-accessible websites. Without broadband coverage, these Americans are tied to the mobile-only Internet. Since my district includes part of the City of Chicago and more than 1,200 farms, I understand how this bill will have different, but equally positive impacts throughout urban, suburban and rural communities, said Congresswoman Kelly, top Democrat on the Oversight Committees Information Technology (IT) subcommittee. According to an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) report, more than 40 percent of government websites are not mobile-friendly, including the application for federal student aid (FAFSA) and the launch point for bidding on government contracts. According to research conducted by Pew, one in ten Americans only access the Internet via a mobile device and 77 percent of Americans now have smartphones. More and more Americans are using smartphones to access government services. We have a responsibility to keep pace with technological innovation and make it easy for citizens to engage with their government, added Congresswoman Kelly. Id like to thank Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC), Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) for working with me to pass this common sense bill. On November 15th, the legislation was unanimously passed by the U.S. House. It passed through the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in September. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has declared that the legislation will have no significant cost to taxpayers. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/schneider-and-yingling-host-health-care-fair-offer-free-flu-shots-diabetes,"Schneider and Yingling to Host Health Care Fair, Offer Free Flu Shots, Diabetes Screenings",2017-12-22,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Brad Schneider, IL-10, and state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, are teaming up to host a free Health Care Fair for local residents on Sunday, Jan, 7 from noon to 3:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church located at 114 Lincoln Ave. in Round Lake. Theres nothing more important than the health of you and your family, said Schneider. Im glad to work with Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics and my colleague State Representative Yingling to bring flu shots and other health services to the Round Lake area free of charge. I hope you will join us on January 7th! This winter is expected to be one of the worst flu seasons on record, and it is important that we work to provide a safe and healthy community for all, Yingling said. By teaming up with Congressman Brad Schneider to help provide preventative health services at no cost to local residents, we can better help keep our communities healthy this winter and beyond. Schneider and Yingling are partnering with Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics to offer the free services including flu shots, blood pressure testing and diabetes screenings. Attendees can also work with Yinglings staff to see if they have any unclaimed funds or assets in their name through the states iCash program. Constituent Service Representatives from Congressman Schneiders office will be on hand to help attendees with any issues involving the federal government from Social Security and Medicare to the Veterans Administration and immig The event is open to the public and all services are donated by Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics. Assistance will be provided on a first come first serve basis or until supplies run out. Bilingual staff will also be available. For more information, please contact Yinglings office at 847-231-6262 or Schneiders office at 847-383-4870.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/schneider-wraps-active-2017-working-illinois-tenth-district,Schneider Wraps Up Active 2017 Working for Illinois Tenth District,2017-12-22,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"In his first year back in Congress, U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (IL-10) has focused on making a difference for his district through open community outreach, aggressive constituent service, and legislating with a focus on bipartisanship. Its an incredible honor to work for the people of the Tenth District, and Im proud of what weve accomplished during this first year back, said Schneider. I urge Tenth District residents to continue reaching out, sharing their opinions, and attending our events. Your input guides me as I represent our shared values in Washington, and I look forward to continuing to work together in 2018. Outreach & Constituent Service Since his swearing-in in January, Schneider answered questions from constituents at 17 in-person town hall events (called Congress On Your Corners) as well as 10 telephone town halls to keep in touch while he was in Washington. Collectively, Schneider has reached a total of 35,000 constituents through these public forums. Helping constituents with issues involving the federal government from Social Security and Medicare to the Veterans Administration and immigration is another priority. In 2017, Schneider helped 818 constituents, and recovered more than $471,000 in federal dollars for individual Tenth District residents. In addition to the main district office in Lincolnshire, constituent service representatives held 127 Neighborhood Office Hour events to connect with residents directly in their communities. Input on pending legislation and suggestions for Congress help guide Schneiders work. Since January, his office has responded to 79,688 letters, emails, and phone calls on issues of the day. The number one topic in 2017 was health care reform. Legislation In 2017, seven amendments offered by Schneider passed the House of Representatives on issues ranging from helping start-up business commercialize their ideas to increasing funding for entrepreneurial development to cracking down on the Iranian missile program and support for proxy groups. Bipartisanship is a major focus for Schneider. Seventy-two percent of the legislation he cosponsored and more than half of all the bills he introduced have bipartisan support. Schneider is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which proposed a health care fix that could be supported by both parties during the Affordable Care Act repeal debate, as well as the Bipartisan Working Group, which meets weekly. In the first term of the 115th Congress, Schneider introduced 19 pieces of legislation. Some highlights include: SECURE Firearm Storage Act would help prevent stolen guns by requiring Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) to lock their stock after hours. In 2016, more than 18,000 firearms were reported stolen or lost in 2016 from FFLs. Companion legislation was introduced by Sen. Durbin. Opioid PACE Act would help prevent the overprescribing of opioids by requiring the completion of continuing education requirements for prescribers of the drugs. Disapproval of Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal led resolution with 182 co-sponsors disapproving of President Trumps announcement to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. NIE on Iranian Proxy Forces Act - bipartisan legislation to require a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Irans support for proxy forces. Common SENSE Act would help ensure employers notify separating employees about potential eligibility to enroll in an ACA marketplace and Medicare. Under current law, employers are only required to inform separating employees of COBRA eligibility. STRANDED Act - would address the impacts of stranded nuclear waste by incentivizing economic development and providing federal assistance for communities like Zion, IL. Companion legislation was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/wheeling-4th-grader-designs-congressman-schneider-s-holiday-card,Wheeling 4th Grader Designs Congressman Schneiders Holiday Card,2017-12-22,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, U.S. Representative Brad Schneider announced artwork by Monika Duchoslav, a 4thgrade student at Eugene Field Elementary School was the winning design for his 2017 holiday card. Earlier this year, Schneider solicited greeting card designs from Tenth District elementary schools on the theme of Peace and Unity. Photo Caption: Monika Duchoslav, a 4thgrade student at Eugene Field Elementary School, who designed Congressman Schneiders 2017 holiday card cover. The message inside the card reads: Wishing you a very joyous holiday season filled with the warm company of family and friends. May the new year unite us all with the blessings of peace, good health and happiness. Happy Holidays from the Schneider family, Brad, Julie, Adam and Daniel",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bustos.house.gov/congresswoman-bustos-votes-provide-funding-emergency-disaster-response/,Congresswoman Bustos votes to provide funding for emergency disaster response,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"Bipartisan Bustos/Davis bill to ensure small communities arent left behind by FEMA included in larger package WASHINGTON Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos voted for a disaster assistance supplemental package to provide funding to places like Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico that are still recovering from recent hurricanes. Included in this supplemental is the entirety of the bipartisan Disaster Declaration Improvement Act which was authored by Reps. Bustos and Rodney Davis. Their bill permanently ensures that when a natural disaster strikes small communities, they arent unfairly denied recovery assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because of arcane funding formulas. Weve seen what happens when unfair FEMA formulas disadvantaged the communities of Pekin and East Peoria and Im proud to have included the bipartisan bill Rep. Rodney Davis and I introduced to level the playing field for small communities recovering from natural disasters, Rep. Cheri Bustos said. With so much division and partisanship in Congress right now, Im pleased to have worked across the aisle to advance this commonsense solution for hardworking families across the heartland who have been affected by natural disasters. This Christmas will be two years since storms caused $15 million in flood damage throughout Central and Southwestern Illinois. In the months following, Missouri would be granted public assistance, while Illinois would be denied, said Davis. I firmly believe the federal government should be there when states need help after a disaster and thats why Ive voted for every single disaster relief bill, but its time rural Illinois starts getting a fair shake as well. Year after year, my constituents have been unfairly punished by FEMAs process. This is wrong. Taxpayers in my district pay into the Disaster Relief Fund and it should be there for them when they need it. By passing this bill into law, we will help level the playing field. I appreciate Congresswoman Cheri Bustos for helping make this a bipartisan effort. Background: Bustos and Davis Disaster Declaration Improvement Act, which was included in todays Disaster Supplemental Bill, requires FEMA to give greater weight and consideration to the localized impact of a disaster when determining the need for federal assistance. Additionally, the Disaster Declaration Improvement Act requires FEMA to take into consideration the cumulative impact of multiple storms in an area. FEMAs Formula Currently, FEMA uses a per-capita formula to determine the need for public assistance. They multiply the states population with $1.39 then use this number as a threshold for determining the states need for public assistance. Illinois compared to surrounding states: Illinois $18 million Indiana $9.1 million Missouri $8.4 million Wisconsin $8 million Kentucky $6.1 million Iowa $4.3 million FEMA can also take into account damage done in a specific county but whether they take this into account and how much this will impact their decision is highly subjective. The formula used to determine this is $3.50 per capita in infrastructure damage in a county. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gutierrez.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/emergency-supplemental-completely-inadequate-puerto-rico-and-guti-rrez,Emergency Supplemental Is Completely Inadequate for Puerto Rico and Gutirrez Will Oppose,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Luis Gutiérrez,G000535,gutierrez.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Today in the House of Representatives, the next installment of hurricane relief funding for Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands along with relief for the California wildfires, is expected to be brought to the House floor for a vote. Given that the partisan package is wholly inadequate to respond to the severity of the disaster and crisis in Puerto Rico, Rep Luis V. Gutirrez (D-IL) announced he plans to vote against the measure. Puerto Rico is still facing the effects of the most devastating hurricane in its history. More than three months have passed since Hurricane Maria hit and half of the island continues to live without electricity and much of the island does not have consistent access to clean water. House Republicans have introduced an emergency supplemental funding measure that would provide $81 billion dollars for recovery efforts spanning the U.S. mainland and the territories. Given that Puerto Rico alone needs an estimated $94 billion to recover from its historic devastation, the supplemental is completely inadequate. In addition, Republicans failed to designate any of the proposed funds specifically for Puerto Ricosomething that will result in Puerto Rico being shortchanged in assistance. Given how the Trump Administration and the federal agencies have treated Puerto Rico in the face of this historic disaster, it is clear that the supplemental will do very little to help the Puerto Rican people recover, Rep Gutirrez said. It is completely inadequate and we cannot depend on this Administration to distribute the $81 billion in relief in a fair and equitable manner to the people of Puerto Rico. Any funding bill for hurricane relief should designate exactly what the island of Puerto Rico will receive. I dont trust President Trump or his Administration. Nowhere else in the U.S. would it be acceptable to allow citizens to live in squalor for months and months without electricity or water. We owe it to Puerto Ricans to get them what they need to rebuild the island, not insult and abandon them by tossing them paper towels. The measure, which will probably be voted on today, also expands the authority of the PROMESA Oversight Board, locally called the Junta, by giving them powers over hurricane funding. The bill also fails to include cost sharing waivers that Rep. Gutirrez and others have called for and does absolutely nothing to address Puerto Ricos Medicaid crisis. I guess the Christmas spirit of generosity from the Republican Party only extends to the Junta de Control and billionaires and not the people of Puerto Rico, Rep. Gutirrez said. I cannot support a bill that claims to help Puerto Rico but actually shortchanges them, again. Rep. Luis V. Gutirrez is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and the Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gutierrez.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/letter-rep-nadler-guti-rrez-says-be-prepared-react-immediately-if-trump,"In Letter to Rep. Nadler, Gutirrez Says Be Prepared To React Immediately If Trump Fires Mueller Over Christmas",2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Luis Gutiérrez,G000535,gutierrez.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Rep. Luis V. Gutirrez (D-IL) delivered a letter to Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the newly-elected Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, to be prepared to call the Committee back to Washington for immediate investigation and possible impeachment proceedings if the President fires Special Counsel Robert Mueller over the Christmas recess. The letter congratulates Rep. Nadler on his new position and expresses Rep. Gutirrezs concern that the President may use the absence of the Congress in Washington over the holidays to obstruct justice in matters related to Muellers investigation into Trump family, Trump campaign, and Trump White House ties to Russian meddling in U.S. elections. In his letter (pdf here:122117 Letter to Nadler re Mueller FINAL.pdf ), Rep. Gutirrez writes: Before we leave for Christmas, I want to be very clear that as the Ranking Member, you should be prepared to call the Committee back to Washington if and when this President attempts to undermine Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation by removing the Special Counsel from his post during this holiday season. Every Democrat on the Judiciary Committee should be ready to launch an immediate investigation into obstruction of justice if the President takes this action over the holidays and be prepared to fight to impeach him. Congressman Gutirrez concludes: While Christmas is my most cherished holiday, we must be prepared to put the nation ahead of this sacred celebration and our own families. I hope we are not called back to Washington, but we have learned that anything is possible with this President and we will have to be ready to act swiftly. Rep. Gutirrez even included his personal cell phone number in the letter so that Rep. Nadler could reach him over the holidays. Rep. Luis V. Gutirrez is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and the Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://rush.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rush-statement-on-house-passage-of-short-term-government-funding,Rush Statement on House Passage of Short-Term Government Funding Legislation,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Bobby Rush,R000515,rush.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.), today released the following statement on the passage of the Republican short-term government funding legislation (also known as the Continuing Resolution, or CR). For the second day in a row, Congressional Republicans have deliberately neglected the American people. Their focus continues to be on padding the pockets of the one percent and corporations at the expense of everyday Americans. This short-term spending bill does nothing to tackle the list of critical, overdue priorities bearing down on the American people. This hollow, irresponsible, and weak short-term CR leaves children at risk, does not protect DREAMers, and denies adequate funding for the resources our veterans desperately need. Congressional Republicans have abdicated the obligation of everyone in government, to fight for the least amongst us. Democrats asked for and encouraged bipartisanship and Republicans refused them. In doing so, they have left many Americans facing additional uncertainty. Their careless conduct only strengthens my resolve in continuing to fight and advocate for access to health care by supporting critical funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Health Centers (CHCs), defending DREAMers by supporting passage of the DREAM Act, and working on behalf of veterans who are facing a dire shortfall at the VA. I wish the same energy that Congressional Republicans put in to celebrating their tax bill was put into the basic responsibilities of governing and meeting the needs of the American people. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3605,Schakowsky statement on the GOP funding bill,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip, released the following statement after voting No on the Republican bill to keep the government funded until January 19th: With full control of the Presidency and both houses of Congress, Republicans have put their twisted priorities and inability to govern on full display. Back in September, the Childrens Health Insurance Program expired and President Trump announced the end of the DACA program. The health care of 9 million children and the lives of 800,000 passionate young people have been in limbo ever since. Republicans have spent the months since then working tirelessly to take away Americans health care and pass a tax bill that benefits only the wealthiest Americans and the largest corporations. Today, Republicans were unable and unwilling to pass a robust government funding bill. Instead they kicked the can down the road yet again only funding the government until January 19th. A day after passing their $1.5 trillion tax scam, my Republican colleagues pushed a disaster relief bill that fails to address the needs of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and a government funding bill that fails the American people. Their Continuing Resolution cruelly ignores Dreamers and barely scrapes together enough funds to pay for CHIP through March. Because they used funds from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, vaccination and other public health programs will suffer. These bills and this Republican Congress are a disgrace.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/schneider-donates-frequent-flyer-miles-help-wounded-service-members-and,Schneider Donates Frequent Flyer Miles to Help Wounded Service Members and Military Families,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, U.S. Representative was pleased to donate the frequent flyer miles he earned through his congressional travel to the Hero Miles program administered by the Fisher House Foundation. This program provides round-trip airline tickets to wounded, injured, and ill service members and/or their families who are undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center. This year, Rep. Schneider donated more than 82,000 miles earned on 65 trips between Illinoiss Tenth District and Washington, DC. The Fisher House Foundation and Hero Miles program plays an important role supporting our injured service members and their families, said Schneider. Easing the burden of travel during a difficult time to connect the men and women in our armed forces with their loved ones is the least we can do for those who serve us every day. This holiday season, Im proud to support the Fisher Houses work with the airline miles accrued during my official travel in 2017. The Fisher House Foundation helps both wounded, injured, and ill service members on approved leave travel to their homes, as well as families visit their loved ones in the armed forces while they are undergoing treatment at an authorized medical center. Partner airlines include: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/statement-continuing-resolution,Statement on Continuing Resolution,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10), released the below statement on his vote for the continuing resolution to fund the government until January 19, 2017: Funding our government is among the most fundamental constitutional duties of Congress. Sadly, the alternative to todays deeply flawed resolution was a disastrous government shutdown, which is why I voted to extend funding for 30 days. But by kicking the can into the New Year, Congress has failed to act in 2017 on several critical priorities. Its unacceptable that families who depend on the Childrens Health Insurance Program and community health centers are now left with doubts about these programs future. Its inexcusable that there was no vote on the DREAM Act that would give certainty to hundreds of thousands of young people and confidence that they have a secure future in our country, their home. I am a cosponsor of the DREAM Act, have signed the discharge petition that would bring it to the floor for an immediate vote over the objections of Republican leadership, and will continue to work tirelessly to pass this long-overdue legislation. And its irresponsible to fund our government a few weeks at a time. I continue to urge my colleagues to address these challenges and pass a full 2018 funding bill to give our economy and communities the certainty they need and deserve to succeed.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-press-metra-amtrak-freight-rail-for-update-on-positive-train-control-safety-technology,"Durbin, Duckworth Press Metra, Amtrak, Freight Rail for Update on Positive Train Control Safety Technology",2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.17 Durbin, Duckworth Press Metra, Amtrak, Freight Rail for Update on Positive Train Control Safety Technology WASHINGTONFollowing the tragic Amtrak derailment in Washington this week that left at least three people dead and about 100 others injured, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed Metra, Amtrak, and the American Association of Railroads (AAR) to provide the Illinois Delegation with an update on their ongoing efforts to implement positive train control (PTC) safety technology in Illinois by the December 31, 2018 statutory deadline. PTC is a federally mandated computerized system that prevents derailments and other accidents caused by excessive speed and increases safety for rail passengers and workers. Implementing PTC is vitally important to ensuring that Metra, Amtrak, and the freight railroads provide the highest level of safety for millions of riders and rail workers in Illinois and around the country, said Durbin and Duckworth. Despite the challenges involved, implementing PTC will save lives, and this weeks fatal Amtrak crash underscores why more must be done to ensure PTC is operational by the upcoming deadline. We stand ready to work with Metra, Amtrak, and the freight railroads to make sure more resources are available to achieve the highest level of safety for Illinois rail passengers and rail workers. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that Amtrak Train No. 501, which derailed in Washington this week, was traveling at a speed more than double the posted limit before it derailed. Given that the trains excessive speed likely played a role in its derailment, its possible that the fatal rail accident could have been avoided had PTC been in operation along those tracks. PTC safety technology integrates GPS, communications units, and a railroads centralized dispatching system. Together, these components track trains, convey operating instructions, and monitor the crews compliance. PTC will automatically stop a train if the system detects that a violation is about to occur. However, when the 2008 Rail Safety Improvement Act mandated PTC implementation by 2015, there was no technology capable of achieving these safety objectives for all railroads. Our nations railroads have had to develop it, facing significant costs and technological challenges along the way. In late 2015, Congress extended the December 31, 2015 PTC implementation deadline by at least three years to December 31, 2018, with the possibility for two additional years if certain requirements are met. Full text of the letter to Metra is available here. Full text of the letter to Amtrak is available here. Full text of the letter to AAR is available here. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-speaks-with-cdc-director-about-deadly-situation-at-quincy-veterans-home,Durbin Speaks With CDC Director About Deadly Situation At Quincy Veterans' Home,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.17 Durbin Speaks With CDC Director About Deadly Situation At Quincy Veterans' Home CDC Commits to Release Latest Sample Results and Recommendations in Early January 2018 WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald about the Illinois Veterans Home (IVH) Quincy and the continued outbreaks of Legionnaires disease, which have taken the lives of 13 veterans and residents over the past three years. During todays call, Dr. Fitzgerald noted that CDC staff visited IVH Quincy in early December and took samples. The laboratory results from those tests will be completed in early January and, at that time, CDC assured Durbin they will make recommendations on what next steps are appropriate for the veterans, residents, and infrastructure at IVH Quincy. What has taken place at the veterans home in Quincy over the past three years is nothing short of a scandal and an insult to the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to fight for our freedoms. There have been a series of unacceptable errors by Governor Rauner and his Administrationincluding a refusal to publicly disclose, in a timely manner, confirmed cases of Legionnaires at IVH Quincy and a refusal to engage with national public health agencies and experts soonerand it is time for them to stop. We need solutions, not cover-ups. Our veterans and their families deserve better, said Durbin. In early December, Durbin and Duckworth requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oversight of nursing home care across the country, including in state veterans homes such as Quincy. Today, that request was approved. Legionnaires' disease is a severe, often lethal, form of pneumonia. It's caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila found in both potable and non-potable water systems. Each year, an estimated 10,000 to 18,000 people are infected with the Legionella bacteria in the United States. Recent reporting by WBEZ revealed that Illinois public health officials delayed informing the public for nearly a week about a deadly 2015 Legionnaires disease outbreak at a state veterans home in Quincy despite knowing the facility was facing the beginning of an epidemic, according to internal emails from Gov. Bruce Rauners office. Further, WBEZ reports that the state has repeatedly provided misinformation regarding the timeline and number of confirmed cases of Legionnaires Disease. Eleven families are now suing the state for negligence. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-statement-on-government-funding-and-the-dream-act,Durbin Statement On Government Funding and the Dream Act,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.17 Durbin Statement On Government Funding and the Dream Act WASHINGTONU.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: I did not support this government funding measure because it did not include the Dream Act. Since President Trump abolished DACA three months ago, more than 13,000 Dreamers have lost that protectionat a rate of 1,000 each week. This isnt just about the Dream Act for these young peoplewe are fighting for the American dream. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-this-isnt-just-about-the-dream-act_-its-about-the-american-dream,Durbin: This Isn't Just About The Dream Act - It's About The American Dream,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.17 Durbin: This Isn't Just About The Dream Act - It's About The American Dream WASHINGTONU.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor today to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. More than 13,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status at a rate of roughly 1,000 each week. Beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was so frustrated with General McClellanhe wouldnt attack or do anything. He said, General McClellan, if youre not using your army, can I use it? said Durbin. I say to the House: if youre not going to use your Congress, can I borrow it? Can we have a debate over a real bill to solve a real problem? I think that might be a worthy thing for us to do. Across the board, 76% of the American people support what we are trying to do here. 76%. They think this is the right thing to do. When you come to know them and hear their stories, you come to the conclusion, for goodness sakes, that these are extraordinary young people. They have survived and flourished in a country that doesnt recognize them as legal. They went to our schools. They pledged allegiance to our flag and sang the national anthem and thats the country they know. Durbin spoke today about Miriam Gonzalez, the 105th Dreamer whose story he has told on the Senate floor, and who was brought to the United States from Mexico when she was six years old. She grew up in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. Miriam was an excellent student and athlete. In high school, she played on the softball and golf teams. She was a member of the bible club, chemistry club, and reading club. Miriam graduated as valedictorian of her high school. In college, Miriam did all she could to save money because she could not qualify for any federal aid due to her immigration status. She held down a job and commuted to school from her parents home using public transportationtwo hours each way, every day. Miriam excelled academically, making the Deans Honor Roll. Today, Miriam is dedicated to assisting students in low income neighborhoods and schools, much like she experienced, helping them overcome barriers to success. Video of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor are available here. Audio of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor is available here. Footage of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations. In July, Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the bipartisan Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. Other Dreamer stories that Durbin has shared on the Senate floor are available here. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/illinois-congressional-delegation-urges-cms-to-approve-illinoiss-1115-medicaid-waiver,Illinois Congressional Delegation Urges CMS To Approve Illinois's 1115 Medicaid Waiver,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.17 Illinois Congressional Delegation Urges CMS To Approve Illinois's 1115 Medicaid Waiver Illinoiss waiver to enhance opioid crisis response has languished under CMS review for fourteen months WASHINGTON The Illinois Congressional Delegation today pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma to promptly approve Illinoiss Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver. Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waivers provide states an avenue to test new approaches in Medicaid, and Illinoiss waiver would help provide more tools to address mental illness and combat the opioid epidemic. Illinoiss waiver application has been stuck at CMS review for more than fourteen months. In order to enhance the delivery of behavioral health care to the more than three million Illinoisans who depend on Medicaid, the State of Illinois submitted a Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver to CMS in October 2016. While Administrator Verma has personally committed to streamlining the 1115 waiver process, Illinoiss waiver has still not been approved, despite sitting at CMS for over a year. Among other new flexibilities, Illinoiss 1115 waiver would improve behavioral health services for justice-involved individuals, and would include policies from Senator Durbins Medicaid CARE Act to lift an outdated Medicaid rule that limits coverage to facilities with less than 16 beds. We appreciate your engagement with the State of Illinois as you evaluate its 1115 waiver application. In the height of the opioid epidemicthat is killing nearly 2,000 Illinoisans each yearwe urge you to expeditiously approve Illinoiss 1115 waiver, which would give the state new tools to respond to this crisis and broader behavioral health needs, the delegation wrote. The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-04), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Peter Roskam (R-IL-06), Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), Rodney Davis (R-IL-13), Randy Hultgren (R-IL-14), John Shimkus (R-IL-15), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16), Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), and Darin LaHood (R-IL-18). Full text of the letter is available here and below: December 21, 2017 Dear Administrator Verma: In order to enhance the delivery of behavioral health care to the more than three million Illinoisans who depend on Medicaid, the State of Illinois submitted a Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in October 2016. Illinoiss waiveran important initiative to address the opioid epidemic and improve mental health that has broad support within the statehas been pending at CMS for fourteen months, despite your commitment to streamlining the 1115 waiver process. We write to urge you to promptly approve the 1115 waiver that the state submitted last year. Illinoiss 1115 waiver aligns with the nationwide shift towards value-based and integrated care and is guided by an emphasis on prevention, targeting the highest service utilizers, expanding efforts to support whole-person wellness, coordinating services between providers and systems, and prioritizing the delivery of health care services in the most effective, low-cost setting. In particular, we support provisions of the waiver that help address the ongoing heroin and prescription opioid epidemic, including the furnishing of services and automatic enrollment in Medicaid for justice-involved individuals prior to release from incarceration, and expanding coverage for residential substance use disorder treatment in facilities presently inhibited by the outdated Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion. We also strongly support 1115 waiver provisions that promote supportive housing, employment assistance, and two-generational care for children and families who are exposed to trauma, such as witnessing violence. To meet the needs of Illinoisans, the 1115 waiver aims to reflect CMS own stated principles: to strengthen coverage, expand access to providers, improve health outcomes, increase the efficiency and the quality of care for individuals, and remain budget neutral. We urge you to protect beneficiary access to care by quickly approving the 1115 waiver, submitted last year, under Medicaids existing structure. We also strongly urge you to work collaboratively with the state on appropriate and flexible funding strategies, including through innovative Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments and Designated State Health Program (DSHP) mechanisms. Though we are aware of CMS recent announcement regarding DSHP funding, given that the state of Illinois submitted its 1115 waiver application in October 2016fourteen months agowe expect that any recent policy changes or reinterpretations by CMS would be implemented thoughtfully with states, and not unfairly punish our constituents through added delays, funding losses, benefit reductions, or new barriers to care. We appreciate your engagement with the State of Illinois as you evaluate its 1115 waiver application. In the height of the opioid epidemicthat is killing nearly 2,000 Illinoisans each yearwe urge you to expeditiously approve Illinoiss 1115 waiver, which would give the state new tools to respond to this crisis and broader behavioral health needs. Sincerely, Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bustos.house.gov/congresswoman-bustos-statement-re-vote-washington-republicans-tax-scam/,Congresswoman Bustos statement on re-vote of Washington Republicans Tax Scam,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) today voted against Speaker Ryans tax scam for the second time in two days. The fact that the House voted on a tax scam bill that violated Congressional procedure just shows how rushed and careless this tax plan is, Congresswoman Bustos said. Lets call it what it is a scam that will raise taxes on hardworking families, make it easier for big companies to ship their jobs overseas, and explode the national debt so Washington Republicans have an excuse to cut Social Security and Medicare. I am deeply disappointed that this partisan scam has been shoved through Congress to appease corporate special interests rather than the middle-class families I serve. I will keep fighting to repair the damage Washington Republicans have done, and will keep demanding better jobs, better wages, and a better future for all Americans. The Senate parliamentarian ruled that the bill the House of Representatives passed yesterday included provisions that violated Senate rules, requiring the House to vote yet again. Today the bill passed by a vote of 224 201. For additional background on what the Tax Scam does, click here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases/foster-leads-call-to-retract-order-banning-words-at-cdc,Foster Leads Call to Retract Order Banning Words at CDC,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Bill Foster,F000454,foster.house.gov,foster,https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) urged the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to retract any order that bans the use of particular words or phrases by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in budget requests. The letter was signed by 73 Members of Congress. ""Any directive that prohibits the CDC from using certain words and phrases in budget documents has the potential to degrade the CDC's ability to fulfill its mandate to protect public health and Congress's ability to set budget priorities and review accurate budget documents,"" Foster said. ""The work that comes out of the CDC and the rest of HHS is too important for our country's public health to censor the budget requests for critical public and global health programs. Congress needs access to the exact information contained within these budget requests and reports."" This week, news outlets reported that the Administration issued an order directing CDC officials to stop using words and phrases, including ""evidence-based,"" ""science-based,"" ""vulnerable,"" ""entitlement,"" ""transgender,"" ""fetus,"" and ""diversity"" from its budget requests and supporting materials.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T22:19:19Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-oversight-committee-investigation-clinton-emails,Congressman Krishnamoorthi On Oversight Committee Investigation Of Clinton Emails: House Republicans Would Rather Reinvestigate 5-year Old Emails Than Stop An Ongoing Threat To Our Democracy,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Oversight Committee issued the following statement in response to Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdys request to interview senior FBI officials tomorrow on their involvement with the agencys investigation of Hillary Clintons emails. House Republicans are so afraid of Special Counsel Muellers investigation that they would rather reinvestigate 5-year old emails than stop an ongoing threat to our democracy. After failing to hold a single hearing on Michael Flynn, who committed a felony while working in the White House by lying about his contacts with the Kremlin, Republicans are rushing to hold interviews about Hillary Clinton. Somehow, Congressional Republicans are more interested in relitigating a completed FBI investigation than addressing more than one hundred errors and omissions in the security application of Jared Kushner who failed to disclose his attempt to establish a secret back channel to Vladimir Putins government. After bashing Robert Mueller for a week, House Republicans are willfully neglecting the biggest counterintelligence failure since the end of the Cold War. Our adversaries couldnt have hoped for a better reaction than the ongoing attempts to end the investigation and undermine the special counsel.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3492,Lipinski Continues Push for Funding for Passenger Rail Safety Technology in the Wake of Amtrak Cascades Tragedy,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Following Mondays derailment of the Amtrak Cascades train, Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) released the following statement: My prayers continue to be with the victims of the Amtrak Cascades train crash and their families. While it is too early to determine the exact cause of the derailment, we have learned that the train was travelling in excess of the speed limit on the section of track where the incident occurred. As a member of the Subcommittee on Rail, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have continuously worked to ensure the safety of our rail system, especially rail passengers. Positive Train Control (PTC) is a lifesaving technology that can automatically slow and stop trains before accidents occur in certain situations, such as when a train is going too fast. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, PTC is not yet operational on the Port Defiance Bypass corridor and will not be until Spring of 2018. A problem for passenger rail agencies is that PTC is expensive and they struggle to find the money to pay for it. Locally, Metra estimates that PTC implementation will cost $350 to $400 million and will add $15 to $20 million a year to operating costs. During consideration of the comprehensive transportation bill known as the FAST Act, I authored a provision which created a $199 million grant program for the installation of PTC on commuter railroads across the country. Earlier this year, I was able to help Metra obtain $20 million from this program. In the wake of this tragedy, I am continuing my push to provide more federal funding to passenger rail agencies for this critical safety technology. I am hopeful that Congress will finally move forward in January with a long-awaited infrastructure bill and we can include funding that will speed the deployment of PTC and make passenger rail safer.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-statement-passage-republican-tax-reform-bill,Quigley Statement on Passage of the Republican Tax Reform Bill,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Mike Quigley,Q000023,quigley.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) released the following statement after the Republican tax plan passed both the House and Senate: Today, Republicans shamefully forced their partisan tax bill through Congress and on to the desk of President Trump. This is fantastic news if you are in the top 1 percent of earners who will receive 83 percent of the tax cuts, are a tax lawyer hired to exploit new loopholes, or are part of Trumps inner circle. But if you are a member of one of the 86 million middle-class families who will see their taxes go up in the next decade or one of the 13 million Americans that will lose healthcare coverage because of the repeal of the Affordable Care Acts individual mandate, then todays vote will be remembered as nothing more than another giveaway to the wealthiest among us on the backs of families struggling to get by. Now that were one step closer to adding $1.5 trillion in unpaid tax cuts to our growing deficits, Speaker Ryan has made clear his intention of slashing Medicare, Medicaid, and anti-poverty programs to address the debt crisis manufactured by this bill. While Congress has failed to uphold the Presidents promise that the wealthy will not be gaining at all with this plan, we must not allow him to break the pledge he made to protect Medicare and Medicaid. Ive heard from my constituents, who overwhelminglyalmost unanimouslyoppose this shameful bill, just like the majority of Americans across the country. I promise them that I will hold Republicans feet to the fire and continue to urge them to abandon their anti-middle class agenda, go back to the drawing board, and work with Democrats to pass an economic plan that addressees our real economic challenges by fostering growth, creating jobs, and delivering new opportunities and resources for Americans to prosper.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/chicago-area-households-may-likely-lose-under-gop-tax-plan,Chicago area households may likely lose under GOP tax plan,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON When it comes to federal tax policy and what is equitable the disconnect between congressional Republicans and Democrats is so vast its hard to see how it can it can be bridged, with the Illinois delegation fitting into this national picture. Consider: No Democrats in the House and Senate support the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. All Illinois Democrats in Congress the 11 in the House and Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth in the Senate are against this legislation. All seven Illinois House Republicans are for the measure President Donald Trump will eagerly sign into law this week. Republicans are pushing through Congress a sweeping tax cut bill with business America the clear winner. Corporate rates drop from 35 percent to 21 percent with other breaks for business in the legislation. How individuals fare depend on a lot of factors. Overall, this is not a good deal for many Illinois households, especially in the Chicago area. The shave in rates, and doubling of the standard deduction, and an increase in the child tax credit and some other new breaks may not counterbalance the new $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes. At present, all income and property taxes are deductible. Illinois residents in the northern part of the state with higher real estate taxes and with enough going on financially to file itemized returns may not all come out ahead. What I do understand out of the gate is that [the tax bill] is unfairly balanced to those at the top, said Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. He represents the north suburban 10th Congressional District. Some 83 percent of the benefits goes to the top one percent. The GOP measure is going to hurt a lot of Illinoisans. In the 10th District alone 140,000 people use the state and local tax deduction and are going to be impacted negatively by this tax bill, Schneider said. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., whose 13th Congressional District takes in exurban and rural central and southwest Illinois, said three-quarters of the people in his district dont file an itemized return and that will go up under this GOP tax bill. Ninety to 95 percent of my constituents wont have to itemize anymore, Davis said. Still, I think the impact of the tax bill depends on where you live, what you make and what your individual tax situation is. Well put, Rep. Davis. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., whose 8th Congressional District takes in the north and northwest suburbs, said the $10,000 cap is a killer for the suburbs of Chicago. . . . I dont know they will come out ahead. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who represents the 15th Congressional District in southern Illinois, asked about the state and local tax deduction cap said, Maybe Illinois should cut their taxes. That was Shimkus taking a shot at the Illinois Democrats in Springfield who raised state income taxes this year. Said Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., whose 2nd Congressional District includes part of South Side Chicago and the southern suburbs, I just cannot understand why my colleagues on the other side think this is good. Thats because what is not going to happen a massive tax cut for everybody. Lets define everybody. Everybody means everybody. Trump promised as recently as Dec. 13 a massive tax cut for the everyday, working American families who are the backbone and the heartbeat of our country. On the upside: If you are a salaried worker, look for more in your paycheck starting in February. Thats because there will be less money withheld for taxes because the rates are lower. But that could be just a sugar high. Be financially savvy. Whether your total federal taxes for tax year 2018 are lower wont be known until you file your return in April 2019. Or put in political terms past the 2018 mid-term elections. But in time for Trumps bid for a second term. Read the originial at the Chicago Sun-Times.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressional-leaders-ask-will-microsoft-s-new-sexual-harassment-policy,Congressional Leaders Ask: Will Microsofts New Sexual Harassment Policy Cover All Forms of Discrimination?,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Today, Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) sent a letter to Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella. The letter requested clarifying information about Microsofts decision to eliminate forced arbitration in sexual harassment cases. In the letter, they urge similar action be taken for all cases of workplace discrimination. They also request additional insights into Microsofts specific policies regarding discrimination. The full text of the letter is available here. In regards to the policy and letter, Congresswoman Robin Kelly said, if its good for the goose [sexual harassment,] then it should be good for the gander [all forms of discrimination] too. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://rush.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rush-statement-on-house-passage-of-republican-tax-bill,Rush Statement on House Passage of Republican Tax Bill,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Bobby Rush,R000515,rush.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.), today released the following statement on the passage of the Republican tax bill: Today, with the passage of the GOP tax bill, Congressional Republicans sided with the wealthiest Americans and corporations. They intentionally left hardworking middle-class households footing the bill to enrich the wealthiest one percent. Republicans promised the American people a simpler, fairer tax code. Instead, this bill is more complex, filled with new loopholes, and makes income inequality worse. Its a sad day to see Congressional Republicans cheering for a bill that raises taxes on tens of millions of working- and middle-class households, increases health insurance premiums, and explodes the debt by nearly $2 trillion. Congressional Republicans will have to defend their vote for this immoral, irresponsible, and unfair bill and explain why they stood decisively with the wealthy and well-connected. I will continue to fight for the middle-class and look forward to the day when we enact real tax reform that benefits hardworking Americans. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/tenth-district-constituents-send-holiday-cards-military-servicemembers-help,Tenth District Constituents Send Holiday Cards to Military Servicemembers with Help from Congressman Schneider,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"This week, U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (IL-10) delivered cards and letters collected from Tenth District residents to be distributed to members of the U.S. armed forces serving overseas this holiday season. As part of his Holiday Cards for Heroes Program, Rep. Schneiders office collected more than 200 cards and letters this month from constituents. Several area elementary and high school classes participated. The holidays are a special time for families and friends to gather together, but many of our brave men and women in our armed forces must spend this season far from family and home, said Schneider. A personal, handwritten card is a much-appreciated way to say thank you to the Americans serving our country, offer words of encouragement, and share holiday cheer. Im glad our office could help facilitate this program to connect constituents and our service members. The cards will be distributed with assistance from USO.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-is-this-the-last-chrismas-in-america-for-hundreds-of-thousands-of-young-dreamers,Durbin: Is This The Last Chrismas In America For Hundreds Of Thousands Of Young Dreamers?,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.20.17 Durbin: Is This The Last Chrismas In America For Hundreds Of Thousands Of Young Dreamers? WASHINGTONU.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor today to call on Congressional Republicans to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. More than 12,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status at a rate of roughly 1,000 each week. Beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. Yesterday, one of my Republican colleagues looked me in the eye and said were talking about amnesty. These are people who violated the law, said Durbin. Some of them, by his definition, violated the law when they were carried in their mothers arms to the United States at the age of two. Does that sound right? Does that sound just? Does it sound fair to say that these are people who have broken the law in America? I dont think so. We owe it to these young people to do the right thing. Durbin told the story of Karen Reyes, the 104th Dreamer he has highlighted on the floor, who was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when she was two years old. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where she was in girl scouts, went to summer camp with her church group, and played volleyball. Karen didnt even know she was undocumented until she was olderbut she was an excellent student and graduated with honors from high school. In 2012, Karen graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio. In 2014, Karen graduated with a Masters Degree in Deaf Education and Hearing Science. Today she works as a special education teacher in Austin, Texas. Video of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor are available here. Audio of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor is available here. Footage of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations. In July, Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the bipartisan Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. Other Dreamer stories that Durbin has shared on the Senate floor are available here. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-statement-on-devos-decision-to-slash-student-loan-relief-for-defrauded-students,Durbin Statement on DeVos Decision to Slash Student Loan Relief For Defrauded Students,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.20.17 Durbin Statement on DeVos Decision to Slash Student Loan Relief For Defrauded Students WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Betsy DeVos announced a new discharge process for borrower defense to repayment (BDR) claims that will lead to only partial debt relief for students who have been defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and universities. Under the Obama Administration, complete student loan forgiveness was granted. So let me get this straight: Secretary DeVos protects poor performing for-profit schools from being held accountable under the Gainful Employment Rule, but she's going to punish defrauded student borrowers? This is an outrage. The Department has already approved full relief for thousands of students granting partial relief going forward will only create more hardship for these student victims of fraud. I call on the Department to reverse this decision and continue providing full relief to these students. Following the collapse of for-profit giants Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute, thousands of students were left with a useless education and massive amounts of debt, leading many to apply to the federal government for relief from their student loans. Under the Borrower Defense to Repayment provision of the Higher Education Act, the Department of Education has the legal authority to provide defrauded students with complete, immediate, and automatic relief from their federal student loans. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bustos.house.gov/congresswoman-bustos-hails-passage-bipartisan-legislation-house-representatives/,Congresswoman Bustos hails passage of bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"Bustos is a cosponsor of both the RAISE Family Caregivers Act and the STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act WASHINGTON, DC Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) today hailed the House of Representatives passage of two bipartisan bills that she supported. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act and the STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act both passed with strong bipartisan support tonight. It is more important than ever that Congress devote itself to commonsense solutions, Congresswoman Bustos said. When so many of our friends and neighbors with disabled family members spend their time and energy as caregivers, its our responsibility to step up and make sure they have the support they need. Women are historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and I am proud to support responsible efforts to prepare the next generation of leaders in these fields. While we took two important steps forward tonight, I am deeply concerned that Washington Republicans intend to pass a tax scam tomorrow that will raise taxes on millions of middle-class families to give the ultra-wealthy another tax break. The RAISE Family Caregivers Actrequires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop, maintain and update a strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. The bill brings representatives from the private and public sectors, such as family caregivers; older adults and persons with disabilities; veterans; providers of health care and long-term services and supports (LTSS); employers; state and local officials; and others together to advise and make recommendations regarding this new strategy. The advisory council meetings will be open to the public, and there will be opportunities for public input. The strategy will identify recommended actions that communities, providers, government, and others are taking and may take to recognize and support family caregivers, including with respect to: Promoting greater adoption of person- and family-centered care in all health and LTSS settings, with the person and the family caregiver (as appropriate) at the center of care teams; Assessment and service planning (including care transitions and coordination) involving care recipients and family caregivers; Information, education, training supports, referral, and care coordination; Respite options; Financial security and workplace issues. The bill is endorsed by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act requires a report and recommendations to Congress from the National Science Foundation (NSF) on the effectiveness of NSF research and education programs aimed at broadening the participation of women and other historically underrepresented individuals in STEM education and careers. It also requires standardized data collection (demographics, award type, outcome, etc.) and reporting for federal science agencies issuing research grants. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bustos.house.gov/congresswoman-bustos-votes-washington-republicans-tax-scam/,Congresswoman Bustos votes against Washington Republicans Tax Scam,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"Job-Killing Tax Bill will raise taxes on 86 million middle-class households, raise health care expenses, increase national debt by $2.2 trillion and make it easier for big corporations to ship jobs overseas All to give windfall tax breaks to corporate special interests and the ultra-wealthy WASHINGTON Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos voted against Speaker Ryans tax scam. The non-partisan Tax Policy Center showed that this legislation will raise taxes on 86 million middle-class households while giving 83% of the benefits to the wealthiest 1% in our country. Additionally, by undermining the Affordable Care Act, this bill will lead to 13 million Americans losing their health insurance, increasing out-of-pocket expenses and premiums for working families while endangering those with pre-existing conditions. This shell game sticks our next generation with the bill for an estimated $2.2 trillion in new federal debt while providing new tax incentives for companies to ship good-paying American jobs overseas. The bill passed by a vote of 227 203. Bustos, who spoke on the floor of the House earlier today, issued the following statement: The very first bill I introduced in this Congress called on President Trump to develop a comprehensive plan to end the outsourcing of American jobs. Instead, today Speaker Ryan delivered a gut punch to millions of hardworking families who are already struggling by raising their taxes and making it easier for big companies to ship their jobs overseas. At the beginning of this debate, I said I would be open to working on tax reform, but only if we put hardworking families first, but thats not what this bill does. Over the last several months, Ive heard from hundreds of men and women across rural America who are sick of getting a raw deal from Washington and frankly they are scared about how theyll afford to pay their bills after this tax scam becomes law. On factory floors, in grocery store aisles and at kitchen tables across the heartland, families are going to have to figure out how to make ends meet after Washington Republicans raise their taxes, increase their health care expenses and raise the national debt by trillions of dollars to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and corporate special interests. This is a defining moment in our nations history and we, as Democrats, will stay united and continue fighting to undo the damage Washington Republicans caused today. Together we will stand up and demand a Better Deal for the American people rooted in creating better jobs, ensuring better wages and delivering a better future for all of our families. Background: The GOP Tax Scam will raise taxes on millions of middle class households in order to hand deficit-exploding giveaways to the wealthiest and corporations shipping jobs overseas. An analysis of the Conference Report on the GOP Tax Scam by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, released yesterday, found the Republican legislation will raise taxes on a staggering 86 million middle class households across America. Both the House and Senate GOP Tax Scams were very bad bills, but this Conference Report is even worse. The non-partisan Tax Policy Center found that the Conference Report gives 83 percent of the tax cuts to the wealthiest 1 percent a figure even higher than for both the House and Senate bills. The Conference Report on the GOP Tax Scam shows that Republicans are dead-set on raising taxes on middle class families across America: Raises Taxes on 86 Million Middle Class Families 86 million hard-working middle class families across a tax hike under this Republican legislation. Gives 83 Percent of the Tax Cuts to the Wealthiest 1 Percent, Explodes Deficit the GOP slashes taxes for the wealthiest and corporations, while sticking our children with the bill for exploding debt. Gives New Tax Break to Corporations Shipping American Jobs Overseas eliminating jobs, and driving down American wages & salaries. Democrats Are Fighting for A Better Deal Democrats want real, bipartisan tax reform that puts the middle class first with A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future. Puts Farm Programs and Medicare at Risk By violating Pay as you go rules with this deficit busting bill, several programs that support our agricultural economy and Medicaid will likely face automatic cuts. This bill also will increase deficits by $2.2 trillion, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Yet, Speaker Ryan has announced that the GOP will focus on cutting Medicare and Medicaid spending in 2018, citing the need to reduce large deficits! As the Washington Post reports, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Wednesday [December 6] that congressional Republicans will aim next year to reduce spending on both health care and anti-poverty programs, citing the need to reduce Americas deficit. Ryan said, during an appearance on Ross Kaminskys talk radio show, Frankly, its the health care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt. The final GOP Tax Scam legislation is yet another GOP attack on health care, particularly on those Americans with pre-existing conditions: The premium increase will result in Americans with pre-existing conditions losing access to affordable coverage. The final GOP Tax Scam legislation also slashes the state and local tax deduction for families, but allows corporations to keep it: The GOP Tax Scam slashes the highly popular state and local tax (SALT) deduction by limiting the total deduction for state and local taxes (including property, income and sales taxes) to $10,000. Millions of Americans live in counties where the average SALT deduction is currently worth double, triple, or even quadruple the legislations proposed cap of $10,000. Losing the full SALT deduction would impose enormous new costs on these families. The deduction is based on the simple notion that people should not be taxed on money that is going towards paying their state and local taxes. Taxation of this money amounts to double taxation, which is wrong and unfair. The state and local tax deduction is so common-sense that it has been part of the U.S. tax code ever since it was established in 1913. The Coalition Against Double Taxation strongly opposes the final GOP Tax Scam bill, stating, The substantial cut in the SALT deduction will raise taxes for homeowners in many states, drive down property values, and threaten funding for infrastructure and vital public services. Independent, non-partisan analysis has shown that the minor modification [of the Senate provisions eliminating the SALT deduction] made by the conferees would provide little relief for middle-class taxpayers. For instance, in California, the current average SALT deduction under present law is more than $23,000, exposing $13,000 to double taxation. The groups that belong to the Coalition Against Double Taxation and strongly oppose this slashing of the SALT deduction include International Association of Fire Fighters, National Sheriffs Association, National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, National Governors Association, National Association of Counties, and U.S. Conference of Mayors. Finally, here are several additional ways the disastrous GOP Tax Scam legislation will damage our economy. Adds $2.2 Trillion to the Deficit for Giveaways Targeted at Wealthiest and Corporations: Adds $2.2 trillion to the deficit in the first ten years for tax cuts flowing overwhelmingly to the wealthy and corporations. Shows Republican Priorities by Making Corporate Tax Cuts Permanent, While Making Individual Tax Cuts Temporary: Increases taxes on millions of middle-class Americans to pay for permanent tax cuts for corporations while making the few individual tax breaks temporary. Slashes The Top Rate, Benefiting Only the Wealthiest Americans: Provides huge tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, including lowering the top individual tax rate from 39.6 percent to 37 percent, after many Republicans bragged they werent going to. Provides Windfall for Wealthy with Lower Tax Rate for High-Income Pass-Through Business Owners: Provides a windfall for the wealthy by lowering the tax rate for high-income pass-through business owners like Donald Trump, who himself owns more than 500 pass-throughs. Slashes Taxes for Wealthiest 0.2% of Estates: Doubles the estate tax exemption, providing a large tax cut for the heirs of the wealthiest 0.2 percent of estates. Scales Back Tax Benefit of Buying A New Home: Scales back the tax benefit of buying a new home by lowering the cap on the mortgage interest deduction from $1 million to $750,000. In higher cost areas, this will lower home values and impose burdens on new homeowners. A wide range of organizations have also spoken out against the GOPs Tax Scam Bill: AARP: We remain deeply concerned by the negative effect the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on the nations ability to fund critical priorities. The tax legislation will increase the deficit by approximately $1.5 trillion over the next ten years, and an unknown amount beyond 2027. The large increase in the deficit will inevitably lead to calls for greater spending cuts, which are likely to include dramatic cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and other important programs serving older Americans. Such sweeping cuts would be detrimental to an already vulnerable population. [Letter, 12/18/17] AASA, The School Superintendents Association, Association of Educational Service Agencies, Association of School Business Officials, National Rural Education Advocacy Consortium, and National Rural Education Association: The comprehensive tax bill includes provisions that undermine the strength of our nations public school systems and compromises the ability of these systems to adequately and effectively provide educational opportunities and services to the students they serve. [Letter, 12/15/17] AFSCME: This unfair tax bill tilts the tax system against working families, weakens health care coverage, encourages corporations to send jobs overseas, and will lead to cuts to vital public services. AFSCME strongly opposes this tax bill. [Letter, 12/18/17] Alliance for Retired Americans: I am writing to urge you to oppose H.R. 1, a bill that will reduce taxes for corporations and wealthy Americans while harming seniors and middle class Americans. This fiscally irresponsible legislation will not be fully-paid for and will balloon the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. [Letter, 12/18/17] American Thoratic Society: The ATS is alarmed that the bill, as currently written, will increase the number of uninsured Americans, increase health insurance cost for insured Americans and result in spending cuts to the Medicare program. [Letter, 12/15/17] Communications Workers of America: The conference report on H.R. 1 is clearly designed as a massive wealth transfer from working families to the wealthiest Americans. The overwhelming majority of the benefits of this bill would go to the richest 1% of Americans, while tens of millions of working families would see little to no benefit, or even face tax increases. Even worse, the bill causes 13 million people to lose their health insurance, while also jeopardizing future funding for Medicare and Medicaid. [Letter, 12/18/17] The FACT Coalition: This bill would create significant new tax incentives to move U.S. jobs, profits, and operations overseas, while exploding the deficit. The bills complicated structure also creates multiple new loopholes to allow for expanded tax avoidance by large, multinational companies at the expense of small businesses and wholly domestic companies. [Letter, 12/18/17] Food Policy Action: [The GOP Tax Scam] largely reduces taxes for the wealthiest households and corporations, while raising taxes on millions of low- and moderate-income American families and food producers. According to estimates by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the revenue generated by economic growth as a result of this bill would fall far short of offsetting its price tag. The resulting decrease in federal revenues will increase pressure for further cuts to discretionary, non-defense programs, such as food and agriculture programs for the most vulnerable. [Letter, 12/19/17] International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers: The GOP tax plan would bestow enormous tax cuts to U.S. multinational corporations that outsource production and American jobsAny real tax reform plan should eliminate outsourcing incentives in order to encourage investment in domestic manufacturing, production, and employment. Instead, the GOP plan does the opposite, and it is working families who will pay the price as their jobs move overseas. [Letter, 12/18/17] National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare: The conference agreement on the tax bill will trigger an immediate $25 billion cut in Medicare spending and will inevitably lead to the unraveling of working and middle-class programs to pay for massive tax cuts for the very wealthy and profitable corporations. [Letter, 12/18/17] National Education Association: [The GOP Tax Scam] permanently slashes taxes on corporations and pass-through businesses. At the same time, it lowers the top tax rate for the wealthiest individuals and increases taxes on some working families. It will also add $1 trillion to the nations deficit The budget resolution that helped pave the way for this bill previews the next phase: calls to cut the growing deficit by slashing services that help our most vulnerable citizens, including Medicaid, Medicare, education, and more. [Letter, 12/18/17] National Farmers Union: We are greatly concerned over the negative impact this bill could have on farming and ranching families, rural residents and our countrys fiscal condition Our farmer and rancher members are seriously concerned with the CBOs assessment as it relates to PAYGO and sequestration. Lastly, individual rate changes disproportionately benefit high income earners. NFU policy supports simplifying the tax code, and creating a more progressive tax structure. H.R. 1 does neither. [Letter, 12/18/17] Twenty leading environmental & natural resources organizations, including Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, Nature Conservancy, Earth Justice, Clean Water Action: The GOP leaderships plan packages this tax legislation with unrelated, controversial legislation that would open up the iconic Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. This legislation would irreversibly damage one of Americas greatest wild places and is only being included in a desperate attempt to secure enough votes in the Senate for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans. [Letter, 12/18/17] ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bustos.house.gov/video-congresswoman-bustos-slams-congressional-republicans-tax-scam-job-killer-will-help-send-jobs-overseas/,VIDEO: Congresswoman Bustos Slams Congressional Republicans Tax Scam as a Job-Killer that will Help Send Jobs Overseas,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"Sure, this bill will create jobs it will create them over in China and Mexico and Malaysia. WASHINGTON Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos took to the floor of the House to call out Washington Republicans tax scam as a job-killer that will help big corporations move jobs overseas. It is expected that the final Republican tax plan will pass both the House and Senate today. Below is the text of her remarks: Mr. Speaker, Since Donald Trump became the leader of the Republican Party, they said they would start standing up for Americas workers. There were promises to stop outsourcing and bring millions of manufacturing jobs back home. But the two big items on Paul Ryans agenda have been cutting your healthcare, and a tax scam that is a direct attack on Americas middle-class. It raises taxes on 86 million middle-class households. It hands 83 percent of its benefits to the wealthiest one percent. And perhaps worst of all, its a job killer that will help big corporations move jobs overseas. They claim it does the opposite, but why are they trying to ram this thing through so fast? Because they know that in the fine print are new loopholes that make it easier for companies to shift our work out of America and pay less taxes. Sure, this bill will create jobs it will create them over in China and Mexico and Malaysia. Mr. Speaker, this tax scam is a huge broken promise. We can do better. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases/foster-statement-on-gop-tax-plan,Foster Statement on GOP Tax Plan,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Bill Foster,F000454,foster.house.gov,foster,https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC - I opposed the Republican Tax Plan, because it is a massive Christmas gift to large corporations and wealthy campaign donors that is paid with more than $1 trillion in new debt that our children must repay in the future. Hardworking Illinois families will be hit especially hard, a cruel blow on top of the $40 billion that Illinois already loses every year because our state pays far more in federal taxes than we receive back in federal spending. Tellingly, the few temporary scraps it provides for the middle class disappear over time, while the tax breaks for corporations and wealthy families increase over time and become permanent. This plan is the very definition of a scam – something that looks good at first but leaves hardworking middle class families and their children holding the bag. Republicans also failed spectacularly to deliver on their promise to simplify the tax code. With new loopholes for large corporations and wealthy campaign donors and their children, this tax bill will make our tax system so complicated that it will require an additional 500 page book in our tax code. Finally, this plan was concocted in secret and passed without hearings or public input, and it clearly shows the danger of having Trump and the Republicans in control of all of the levers of power in Washington.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T22:19:19Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-passage-gop-tax-plan-house-republican-egos-just,Congressman Krishnamoorthi On House Passage Of GOP Tax Plan: House Republican Egos Just Wrote A Check The Middle Class Shouldnt Have To Cash,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement in response to todays passage of the GOP tax bill. House Republican egos just wrote a check the middle class shouldnt have to cash. The tax bill Republicans just jammed through would add nearly $1.5 trillion to the national debt while raising taxes on working families, and destabilizing our health care system by leaving 13 million more Americans without insurance including 2 million who currently have employer-provided coverage. This legislation is a ticking tax bomb: millions of middle-class families could see their taxes increase over the next decade as state and local tax deductions and other middle-class provisions get dramatically scaled back. Health insurance premiums will jump by 10 percent per year, and massive additional debt will be piled on the backs of our children and future generations. Working families and small businesses are the heart of our country, and House Republicans just passed legislation that brings them nothing but tax increases, higher insurance premiums, and massive debt.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3488,Lipinski Votes Against Republican Tax Bill That Fails to Prioritize the Middle Class,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) released the following statement today: I voted against the Republican tax bill today because it prioritizes corporations and the wealthy over the middle class, sunsets individual tax cuts while making corporate cuts permanent, punishes local taxpayers by capping deductions for property and income taxes, fails to fix the trust fund that pays for roads and public transit, and adds more to a federal debt that is already out of control. I have been speaking for years with colleagues from both sides of the aisle about how important it is for the future of the middle class that we pass transformative tax reform. Unfortunately, this bill fails the middle class badly. Corporations will see the top corporate income tax rate fall from 35% to 21%, with only a limited portion of the cut offset through closing corporate tax breaks. Furthermore, most of the benefits for corporations are permanent, while everyone else will see what little help they get expire. As that expiration date approaches, middle-class families will have their ability to pay their bills or provide a better life for their loved ones yet again become a political bargaining chip. The cap on the amount of local property and income taxes that can be deducted from federal taxes will also hurt many families in our area. In addition, Republicans appear to have added a last-minute tax break for millionaire real estate investors into the legislation. Since the final version of this bill was rushed for a vote, there are bound to be even more loopholes or mistakes added to our tax code. Finally, Republicans said all along that their tax plan would not add to our debt, which is $20 trillion and rising. They promised economic growth would pay for the tax cuts. But every analysis done on this bill shows that it will add over $1 trillion more, plus interest, to our debt over 10 years. This is not something we should pass on to the next generation. With the middle class continuing to struggle even as the stock market soars, Republicans claimed this bill would prioritize middle-class Americans and give them a big boost. But while this bill spends a lot of money and may further fuel the stock market, it is another example of how Washington fails the middle class and leaves them behind.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/what-we-want-black-women-are-setting-their-policy-agenda-for-2018,What We Want: Black Women Are Setting Their Policy Agenda For 2018,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"Niya Kenny had never visited Capitol Hill until last week, yet the millennial found a welcoming space of sisterhood in whichto share her story during a Congressional roundtable focused on Black women and girls. Leading from the Black: How Black Women Lead Even When Ignored, was hosted by the year-old Congressional Caucus on Black Women & Girls in tandem with the Democratic Womens Working Group. The packed Dec. 13 event, open to the public, drew a multigenerational crowd, who had the ear ofAfrican American womenlawmakers during the listening session. Among the guests was 20-year-old Kenny, who gained national attention following a widely publicized police incident back in 2015 at a Columbia, South Carolina high school. On the viral video, a White deputy was shown yanking a Black student from her desk and tossing the teen across the room following a classroom dispute with a teacher. Kenny protested the officers aggressive manner towards her classmateand filmedthe drama on her cell phoneas it unfolded. She was arrested soon-after. I sat in handcuffs for an hour and was taken to an adult jail, the young woman tearfully told the attendees oftheforum. Kenny and her classmate were both charged under South Carolina'sdisturbing schools law which criminalizes such behavior as loitering or acting obnoxious. In 2016, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit (Kenny is the lead plaintiff) related to the statute, which has reportedly impacted thousands of Black youth in the state, some in elementary school. In March, a federal judge dismissed the case, but lawyers are appealing. Kenny left school and later earned her G.E.D. While the charges were dropped, theres lingering trauma even as she rebuilds her life. Im thinking about going to college, maybe an HBCU, she told ESSENCE, but sometimes just the thought of being back in a classroom scares me. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), who co-chairs the Black Women & Girls caucus with Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), said they convened the event to hearsuch stories and take steps toaddressthe issues behind them. Black women have long been on the forefront of change and progress in this country, said Watson Coleman. Sadly, we are so often left on the sidelines of critical discussions and policymaking that disparately impacts us and the communities we support. The wide-ranging dialogue moderated byDr. KimberlCrenshaw, a law professor and executive director of the African American Policy Forum in New York explored a range oftopics. Theyran the gamut from Black womens health care access, to the #MeToo Movement around sexual harassment and the history of assaults on Black womens bodies dating back to slavery. The panel included several legal minds: Barbara Arnwine, attorney and president of theTransformative Justice Coalition; Tanya Clay House, an attorney and consultant who formerly served in the U.S. Department of Education; and Ifeoma Ike, attorney and a co-founder of the #SheWoke Committee, whose advocacy helped lead to the creation of the caucus on Black women and girls. Rounding out the group of experts were activists and advocates: Janaye Ingram, who oversaw logistics for the Womens March, and Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, Editor-in-Chief of Black Women in the U.S. 2017, a report released in tandem with the Black Women's Roundtable. There was alsodiscussion of the keyrole that African American women voters played in Democrats winning a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama this month,and the importance of carving out a collective policy agenda for the midterms and 2020 presidential election. To that end, Rev. Leah Daughtry (who served as CEO of the 2016 DNC Convention Committee) told those assembledabout plans for the inauguralPower Rising Summit, a Black womens conclaveslated for February 2018 in Atlanta. Its time for us to have our own convention, she said. The event closed with theotherlawmakers present among them,Reps.Barbara Lee (D-CA),Gwen Moore (D-WI),Sheila Jackson Lee (TX),Terri Sewell (D-AL),Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) andLisa Blunt Rochester (DE)vowing with the caucusto commit themselves to minimizing and eliminating barriers for Black women and girls. Im already thinking about future legislation, said Congresswoman Jackson Lee.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congresswoman-robin-kelly-speaks-out-against-gop-tax-scam,Congresswoman Robin Kelly Speaks Out Against GOP Tax Scam,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Today, Congresswoman Robin Kelly spoke on the House Floor opposing the GOPs Tax Scam, which will raise taxes on middle class families. Kelly laid out the reality of the bill saying, its a tax scam that will force hardworking Illinois moms and dads to pay the bill for tax giveaways to the rich and well-connected. Congresswoman Kelly noted the unpopularity of the GOPs tax bill stating, Mr. Speaker, the American people know its a scam. A new poll from Monmouth University found that half of all Americans believe this GOP Tax Scam will raise their taxes. In closing, she asked her colleagues to vote no on the bill. She pledged, I will never vote to raise my constituents taxes just to pay for massive tax giveaways to major corporations and a handful of super wealthy families. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3603,"Merkley, Schakowsky Join Calls for New Election in Honduras",2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip and member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and Oregons Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following joint statement regarding the situation in Honduras: We are deeply concerned by the widespread irregularities documented by outside election observers in Honduras November 26 presidential election. It is striking that the Organization of American States (OAS) has stated it cannot certify the election results, and that it has called for a new election. We join OAS officials in calling for a new election, one that must be free, fair and transparent. We continue to support the peaceful protests of the Honduran people and urge Honduran security forces to refrain from violence and respect the peoples right to make their voices heard.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3604,Schakowsky statement on House Passage of the GOP Tax Scam,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip and member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statement after House Republicans passed their tax bill, known commonly as the GOP Tax Scam: With loud cheers and smug smiles on their faces, Republicans in the House just passed one of the most disastrous bills that I have seen come before Congress since I arrived here. And thats saying something. While crafting this bill, Republicans ignored the interest of the American people, the counsel of experts, and plain common sense. Instead, they listened only to the siren song of their corporate special interest donors. Shame on Republicans for supporting this monstrosity. There is no excuse for voting in favor of a bill that gives 83% of its benefits to the top 1% while ripping health care away from 13 million people, robbing $25 billion from Medicare, and raising taxes on 86 million middle class families. The Republican bill makes life even better for millionaires, billionaires, and corporate special interests at the expense of everyone else. Americans will remember this bold-faced betrayal.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/statement-tax-bill-vote,Statement on Tax Bill Vote,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10), released the below statement following his vote against the conference report on H.R.1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: I cannot support this legislation that raises taxes on my constituents, undermines health care coverage for millions, and irresponsibly adds $1.5 trillion to our childrens debt burden. This bill was not designed to help working families in Illinois, and in fact, eighty-three percent of the tax benefit goes to just the top one percent of earners. While those at the top reap the benefits, many middle-class families in my district will be saddled with higher taxes through the restriction of the state and local tax deduction, and higher health care premiums through the undercutting of the Affordable Care Act. The $1.5 trillion cost of this bill will be added to our already unsustainable national debt, and later cynically used to justify cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and other vital safety net programs that Americans depend on. We need to modernize our tax code, but this bill is a missed opportunity for which we will be paying the price for years to come. While this plan moves us in the wrong direction, I nevertheless remain willing to work across the aisle to achieve bipartisan, responsible reform. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-continues-to-press-republican-congress-to-pass-the-dream-act-now,Durbin Continues to press Republican Congress to pass the Dream Act Now,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.19.17 Durbin Continues to press Republican Congress to pass the Dream Act Now WASHINGTONMore than three months after the Trump Administration ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. More than 12,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status at a rate of roughly 1,000 each week. Beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. During his speech, Durbin shared the story of one Dreamer Maria Rocha, who was only three years old when her family brought her to the United States from Mexico. After graduating from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Maria was accepted into Teach for America. Currently, she teaches third grade in her home town of San Antonio. Nationwide, there are 20,000 DACA recipients who are teachers. With Teach for America alone, 190 DACA teachers and alumni are currently teaching 10,000 students across 11 states one third of them in Texas. Without DACA, Maria would not be able to work and could be deported immediately. But when asked what would happen to her without DACA, Maria only thinks of her students. She says: how are (my students) going to take it? Whats going to happen to them? Thats what scares me, said Durbin. In a few weeks, Congress is going to face the reality of this DACA provision by President Trump coming into full effect. Lets come together and legislate, Democrats and Republicans. Lets solve this problem. Thats why we were elected not to collect a paycheck and build a pension, but to solve the problems facing America. This one is real. It is timely. It is now. For Maria Rocha, for 780,000 other young people, theyre counting on us to do something. Lets not come up with excuses. Lets come up with answers. Video of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor are available here. Audio of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor is available here. Footage of Durbins remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations. Maria was an excellent student who graduated from high school 12th in her class. She also played varsity soccer, and was recognized as the San Antonio Scholar Athlete of the Week during her junior year. At the same time, Maria worked to support herself and her family. She was then accepted to the University of Texas at San Antonio. While enrolled as a full-time student, Maria juggled three jobs, as a housekeeper, babysitter, and personal assistant, in order to pay a total of about $40,000 out-of-pocket. Due to her immigration status, Maria was not eligible for financial aid. In May 2012, Maria graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. After her graduation, she was accepted into Teach for America, which places high-achieving college graduates in low-income schools. Today, Maria continues her career as a teacher. She teaches third grade in her home town of San Antonio, Texas. At the same time, she is pursuing a graduate degree in education. In July, Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the bipartisan Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. Other Dreamer stories that Durbin has shared on the Senate floor are available here. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-to-devos-where-are-gainful-employment-debt-to-earnings-rates,Durbin to DeVos: Where are gainful employment debt-to-earnings rates?,2017-12-19,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.19.17 Durbin to DeVos: Where are gainful employment debt-to-earnings rates? Department obligated under Gainful Employment Rule to release second round of data WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and Secretary Betsy DeVos on its development and future public release of the second round of debt-to-earnings rates under the Gainful Employment (GE) Rule. The Gainful Employment Rule, which has been in effect since July 1, 2015, uses debt-to-earnings rates to determine which career education programs meet the statutory requirement that they prepare their students for gainful employment. Programs that consistently saddle students with too much debt compared to the earnings they can expect after completing the program lose eligibility to receive Title IV federal financial aid. In June, the U.S. Department of Education announced a year-long delay of the deadline by which schools must make disclosures to students under the GE rule. It also delayed a deadline for schools to submit appeals. Despite your decisions currently being challenged in court by state Attorneys General to delay the processes by which schools appeal the first round of data and make disclosures to students about failing programs and to rewrite the rule, the Department is obligated under the current rule, which remains in effect, to develop and publish the second round of debt-to-earnings rates, wrote Durbin in a letter to Secretary DeVos. On January 9, 2017, the Department of Education published the first round of program debt-to-earnings rates under the Gainful Employment Rule. More than 800 programs 98 percent of which are at for-profit colleges had failing debt-to-earnings rates. Another 1,239 programs were on the brink of failing. Collectively, these programs enroll hundreds of thousands of students putting them and millions of taxpayer dollars at risk. In August, in a response to questions submitted by Durbin as part of the Senate Appropriations Committee's consideration of the fiscal year 2018 Department of Education budget proposal, Secretary DeVos revealed that the Department had made no progress toward generating 2017 debt-to-earnings data and had ""no timetable"" to do so. Full text of the letter is available here and below: December 19, 2017 Dear Secretary DeVos: I write today to seek an update from the Department of Education (the Department) on its development and future public release of the second round of debt-to-earnings rates under the Gainful Employment Rule. Under the Higher Education Act, career education programs are required to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation. The Gainful Employment Rule, which has been in effect since July 1, 2015, uses debt-to-earnings rates to determine which career education programs are meeting that requirement. Programs that consistently saddle students with too much debt compared to the earnings they can expect after completing the program lose eligibility to receive Title IV federal financial aid. On January 9, 2017, the Department published the first round of program debt-to-earnings rates under the Gainful Employment Rule. More than 800 programs 98 percent of which are at for-profit colleges had failing debt-to-earnings rates. Another 1,239 programs were on the brink of failing. Collectively, these programs enroll hundreds of thousands of students putting them and millions of taxpayer dollars at risk. Despite your decisions currently being challenged in court by state Attorneys General to delay the processes by which schools appeal the first round of data and make disclosures to students about failing programs and to rewrite the rule, the Department is obligated under the current rule, which remains in effect, to develop and publish the second round of debt-to-earnings rates. Earlier this year, I asked you in writing about the Departments progress in developing these new debt-to-earnings rates. In August you responded that the Department had made no progress toward generating the new rates and had no timetable to do so. Just weeks ago, during a meeting of the panel tasked with rewriting the Gainful Employment Rule, a Department official announced that the Department will, in fact, fulfill its obligation to release the second round of debt-to-earnings rates under the current rule. Given this announcement and the rapidly approaching one year anniversary of the first debt-to-earnings release, I request an update on the Departments progress. Specifically, has the Department compiled draft completers lists and provided those to schools? When does the Department expect to release the second round of debt-to-earnings rates? I look forward to your prompt response. Thank you. Sincerely, Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/wake-massive-atlanta-airport-power-outage-congressman-raja-krishnamoorthi,"In The Wake Of Massive Atlanta Airport Power Outage, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Requests Mayor Emanuel Order An Assessment Of The Repercussions Of An OHare Power Outage",2017-12-18,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote to Mayor Rahm Emanuel this morning regarding the potential consequences of a power outage at OHare International in response to the massive travel disruption caused by a power outage at Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International airport. The Congressman made this request so that the citys analysis could be used to aid Congress in preventing future disruptions like Atlantas and evaluating backup systems. The text of Congressman Krishnamoorthis letter to Mayor Emanuel follows and a signed copy is viewable here. December 18, 2017 The Honorable Mayor Rahm Emanuel City of Chicago 121 N. LaSalle Street, 5th Floor Chicago, IL 60602 Dear Mayor Emanuel: On December 17, a power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport caused massive disruptions to travelers in Atlanta and nationwide. Flight operations at the airport were suspended, more than one thousand flights have been delayed or cancelled, and tens of thousands of passengers had their holiday travel disrupted. The delays will ripple for days as passengers are rebooked, planes are repositioned, and flight crews reassigned. This is not the first time this year that a power outage had global effects on air travel. In May, a power outage at a British Airways facility effectively shut down Londons Heathrow airport with similar effects for both flights and passengers. I am very concerned that a similar incident at OHare International Airport would be even more disruptive. OHare is a hub for two global airlines, and tens of thousands of passengers connect through OHare to their final destinations every day. A 9-hour ground stop at OHare could have global consequences and cause severe disruptions for both passengers and cargo operations. To help Congress understand the issue and find ways to prevent such disruptions from happening again, I respectfully request that the City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Aviation perform and make public an analysis of what would happen to both flights and travelers should OHare lose power. In addition, I ask that the City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Aviation provide information regarding the backup systems in place now at O'Hare to prevent such a power outage and how such a system will be expanded to accommodate the OHare Modernization Program. OHares position in domestic and global aviation is too important to leave anything to chance. I will be sending a similar letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and will work with my congressional colleagues to increase federal oversight and resources for critical aviation systems. Sincerely, Raja Krishnamoorthi Member of Congress",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3486,Lipinski Leads Bipartisan Effort to Include Healthcare and DACA Fixes in This Week's Government Funding Bill,2017-12-18,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) released the following statement today: This week as Congress works on legislation to fund the government, I am working with my colleagues to include a bipartisan compromise developed by the Problem Solvers Caucus that would lower healthcare costs, and potentially include another Problem Solvers plan that would protect DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients and increase border security. I have been deeply involved in developing both of these commonsense compromises through negotiations in the caucus, which consists of 24 Democrats and 24 Republicans. In early August, the Problem Solvers Caucus released a plan that would lower the cost of premiums for health insurance plans in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by guaranteeing cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, adding a reinsurance fund, and making other changes. In October, President Trump officially announced he was going to stop the CSR payments, adding about 20% to the increase in premiums for ACA benchmark plans in 2018. The Problem Solvers plan would turn this around for 2019 and the resinsurance fund would mean an additional 10% decrease in premiums. Overall, the Problem Solvers plan would bring down costs, stabilize ACA markets, and help small businesses. This plan and a similar one are being discussed for possible inclusion in the funding bill this week, and I am hopeful we will be able to include it. The President announced in September that in six months he would be ending DACA, which provides temporary protection from removal as well as work authorization to immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. After House Democratic Leader Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Schumer announced later that month that they had made a deal with the President to protect DACA recipients in exchange for increased border security not including a wall the Problem Solvers Caucus began working on legislation that would implement that agreement. Most Americans agree that these immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship and more should be done to protect our border. I am on the task force negotiating that agreement and we are close to having legislative language ready for approval by the Problem Solvers Caucus. I am hopeful that this can be wrapped up in the coming days and be included in the funding bill later this week. Passage of both of these commonsense, bipartisan agreements would be a break from business as usual in Washington and good for our nation.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-announces-fifth-district-winner-congressional-app-challenge,Quigley Announces Fifth District Winner of the Congressional App Challenge,2017-12-18,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Mike Quigley,Q000023,quigley.house.gov,,,legacy,"CHICAGO This weekend, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) announced Ava Hollis, a freshman at York High School, as the winner of the Congressional App Challenge for Illinois Fifth Congressional District. Avas app, React, aims to help connect people to nearby EpiPens, inhalers, and other medical supplies and services when first aid can be administered before paramedics are able to respond. Avas app is the perfect example of how young Americans are embracing technology and STEM education to solve real world problems, said Rep. Quigley. While our emergency responders are committed to arriving on the scene as quickly as possible, there are times when first aid can and should be administered before they arrive. React is a life-saving tool that provides residents with the opportunity to help one another quickly in times of medical emergencies. Im very proud of Avas creativity and innovation and pleased that she is representing Illinois Fifth District in the Congressional App Challenge. I have always been passionate about helping people, and I felt that something needed to be created to help after many sad emergency situations have occurred in both my town and across the nation, said Ava Hollis. Out of every tragedy comes an opportunity for change, and I had an idea to create something that could connect people in need to nearby first aid that could arrive in a matter of minutes. I felt that technology could best represent my idea, so I set off to code simple elements (GPS, user group chat) that would allow people to quickly find their location and send for local help. My final product was an app that can be used in a variety of settings to provide people with easy access to EpiPens, inhalers, and other medical supplies. I appreciate the opportunities the Congressional App Challenge has provided me with, and I would like to continue making more first aid/medical apps. While Ava is still three years away from graduating high school, she plans channel her passion for helping people towards a career in neurosurgery or plastic surgery. TheCongressionalApp Challengeis designed to engage student creativity and encourage their participation in STEM education fields. High school students from across Illinois Fifth Congressional District were encouraged to create and exhibit their software applications for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM education and encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nations young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills. Ava came up with the idea for her app, React, after a young girl in her community died of an allergic reaction. The ambulance taking her to the hospital did not have an EpiPen and she passed away before reaching the hospital. The app allows users to get their precise location and send a text to other users with their medical need. This would increase the likelihood of first aid being administered if emergency services are delayed. Designed to assist citizens of her hometown, Elmhurst, Ava hopes her app could expand to provide services to people who are outdoors and away from home. Rep. Quigley with 2017 winner, Ava Hollis. One of the judges who reviewed this years submissions, Abby Ross, is the co-founder of education technology company ThinkCerca. The opportunity for students to participate in app development for the city is a true demonstration of civic engagement in the 21st Century, said Abby Ross. Upon judging the applications, I was astounded and inspired by the creativity of innovation and the demonstrated understanding of issues that impact our community. Providing STEM-centered opportunities like this challenge for our students is a critical way for our city to develop future talent of innovators. The second judge, Lauren Haynes, is the Associate Director of the Center for Data Science & Public Policy at the University of Chicago. ""It's very exciting to see students getting involved in technology to address problems they see in the community - to have seen a specific need, taken a thoughtful approach as to how to solve the problem, and then built the skills and the tools to address that problem, said Lauren Haynes. This years runner up was a submission by Anton Outkine and Christian Sparks of Northside College Prep School. Their app, myCTA, provides an easy way to view the CTAs schedule, bus stops, and train stops. Their goal is to reach commuters and enable them to better plan their trips and make commuting more efficient. Rep. Quigley is a member of theNew Democrat Coalition, a group of congressional lawmakers that promotes policies that harness American ingenuity, innovation and entrepreneurship to grow our economy. In May, he re-introduced the bipartisan Stopping Trained in America Ph.D.s from Leaving the Economy (STAPLE) Act, which helps foreign-born individuals who have earned an American Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) continue to stay and work in the United States, helping us maintain our position as a global innovation leader.Over the summer, Rep. Quigley celebrated Startup Day Across America by visiting mHub, a Chicago incubator for forward-thinking startups, and learned how entrepreneurs are driving the citys innovative spirit and strengthening the local economy. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/schneider-announce-tenth-district-winner-congressional-app-challenge,Schneider to Announce Tenth District Winner of Congressional App Challenge,2017-12-18,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) will announce the winner of Illinoiss Tenth Districts Congressional App Challenge at a ceremony in Vernon Hills this Wednesday, December 20. Participating high school students will showcase and demonstrate their apps at the event. Now in its third year, the Congressional App Challenge is an annual nationwide competition that encourages students to learn and use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills by coding their own application or app for any digital device. Tenth District submissions were judged by Robert Sompolski, Dean of Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science at Oakton Community College and Amy Torf, Executive Director, Noggin Builders. The Congressional App Challenge was open to all high school students who either live or attend school in the Tenth District, regardless of skill level. Students could choose to participate individually or as part of a team of up to 4 students. More information about the Congressional App Challenge is available online. Note: Due to a schedule change by the House of Representatives, Congressman Schneider will be in Washington, DC for votes on the day of this event. WHO: Students and teams participating in the Congressional App Challenge, friends and family WHAT: Tenth District Congressional App Challenge Award Ceremony WHEN: Wednesday, December 20, 2017 4:00-5:00pm WHERE: Vernon Area Public Library 300 Olde Half Day Rd, Lincolnshire, IL 60069",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-blasts-trump-administration-for-reported-list-of-seven-forbidden-words,Durbin Blasts Trump Administration for Reported List of Seven Forbidden Words,2017-12-18,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.18.17 Durbin Blasts Trump Administration for Reported List of Seven Forbidden Words WASHINGTONFollowing a Washington Post report that the Trump Administration is prohibiting officials and staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from using a list of seven commonly accepted words and phrases, U.S. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald to provide immediate clarification and a commitment that the agencys critical activities are not being compromised by extreme political ideology. Imposing a gag order on our nations top public health agency to advance a radical right-wing agenda is shocking and embarrassing, said Durbin. The reportedly banned terms include: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based, and science-based. In his letter, Durbin outlines three questions regarding whether or not CDC officials and staff had been banned or discouragedby anyone in the Trump Administrationfrom using the seven specific words and phrases in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget documents and requests a response by January 5, 2018. He also requests a briefing during the month of January, in order to better understand what ill-advised directives are being foisted upon our nations premier public health agency by officials within the Trump Administration. Full text of the letter is available here and below: December 18, 2017 The Honorable Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. Director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30333 Dear Director Fitzgerald: It has been reported that the Trump Administration is prohibiting officials and staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from using a list of seven commonly accepted words and phrases. Banning medical experts and staff from employing the appropriate terminology to carry out the CDCs missioneffectively imposing a gag order on our nations top public health agency in order to advance a radical right-wing agendawould be a shocking and worrisome development. I write to seek immediate clarification and a commitment that the agencys critical activities are not being compromised by extreme political ideology. According to a December 15 Washington Post reportwhich relied on accounts by CDC staff present at the banned words conversationpolicy analysts at the CDC have been prohibited by senior leadership in the Trump Administration from using a list of seven words or phrases in upcoming budget and supporting materials. The reportedly banned terms include: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based, and science-based. If true, this is appalling and would jeopardize the CDCs national and global standing in health protection and promotion. What is even more troubling is that these reports appear to follow a deeply concerning trend from this Administration, whereby other agencies and departments have reportedly been directed to either censor language to fit hyper-partisan agendas or even deny basic, universally accepted science. While different Administrations may have different priorities and opinions, it is unacceptable for different Administrations to impose draconian gag orders on public health scientists, researchers, and experts in order to undermine evidence- or science-based facts. The CDCs national and global leadership is too important to vacate for distorted and repressive political objectives. Therefore, by January 5, 2018, I request answers to the following questions: Have CDC officials and staff been banned or discouragedby anyone in the Trump Administrationfrom using any words or phrases in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget documents, including: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based, and science-based? If so, who imposed this gag order and what was the justification provided, if any? Did anyone within the Trump Administration provide written documentation to the CDC, outlining or clarifying the parameters of the gag order? If so, please provide copies of those documents in your response letter. As Director of the CDC, do you believe it makes sense for the following words or phrases to be banned from use at the CDC: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based, and science-based? In addition to receiving answers to these questions by January 5, I also request a staff briefing during the month of January, in order to meet the word police dictating terms to our nations premier public health agency. Sincerely, Print Email Tweet Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-raja-krishnamoorthi-responds-letter-trump-transition-team-its,Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Responds To Letter From Trump Transition Team On Its Emails In The Possession Of Special Counsel Mueller,2017-12-17,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"SCHAUMBURG, IL Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Oversight Committee released the following statement in response to a letter from President Trumps transition team to the Oversight Committee which argues that the General Services Administration should have refused to comply with Special Counsel Robert Muellers formal requests to produce documents and communications from the Trump Transition Team: Our Committee has direct jurisdiction over the Presidential Transition Act, and theres nothing in the act that supports withholding documents from a criminal investigation. As a former Special Assistant Attorney General in Illinois anti-corruption unit, I cant imagine any situation where our office would abandon legally-obtained documents to the subject of an investigation. The President and his attorneys have repeatedly claimed an interest in helping Muellers investigation. The Presidents transition team trying to withhold documents relevant to a criminal investigation is an odd way of cooperating.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-raja-krishnamoorthi-president-s-comments-flynn-pardon-even-richard,Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi On Presidents Comments On Flynn Pardon: Even Richard Nixon Never Publicly Dangled The Possibility Of Pardons For Witnesses Against Him,2017-12-16,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"SCHAUMBURG, IL Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi released the following statement in response to President Trump's comments on his consideration of pardoning Michael Flynn: Even Richard Nixon never publicly dangled the possibility of pardons for witnesses against him, but thats exactly what President Trump did yesterday with his comments on Michael Flynn. As part of his agreement with Special Counsel Muellers investigation, Michael Flynn is already a cooperating witness. While we dont know the precise details of his cooperation, there have been a number of reports on the Special Counsel looking into the Presidents potential efforts to obstruct justice, including through firing former FBI Director Comey after he purportedly refused the Presidents request of letting Flynn go. The President's touting of a potential pardon to an adverse witness approaches obstruction of justice. Unfortunately, this latest action adds to the growing list of actions that merit serious investigation."" ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-republican-tax-bill-if-i-ever-wrote-bill-bad-i,"Congressman Krishnamoorthi On Republican Tax Plan: If I Ever Wrote a Bill This Bad, I Wouldnt Want Anyone to Read it Either",2017-12-15,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"SCHAUMBURG, IL Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi released the following statement on the final version of the Republican tax bill: Theyre releasing this bill on a Friday so no one will read it and I can understand why: if I ever wrote a bill this bad, I wouldnt want anyone to read it either. Its clear that the more people know about this bill, the less they like it, which is why it should be no surprise that they are trying to ram this through Congress with as little public debate as possible. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are combining a giant tax hike on the middle-class with the stealth repeal of a pillar of the Affordable Care Act. This bill would raise taxes on millions of working and middle-class families while cutting them for Republican special interest donors. The Republican leaderships proposal would throw our health care system into disarray by leaving 13 million more people without health care while driving everyone elses premiums up by 10 percent. As if these policies werent bad enough, they would also cut billions from Medicare while exploding the deficit by nearly $2 trillion. The Republican leadership is so desperate to pass this bill, they havent bothered asking whether they should. This is public policy of the worst kind. I will be voting against this bill, and I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same. We must all put country over party and kill this bill.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-leads-press-conference-illinois-election-officials-remaining,Quigley Leads Press Conference with Illinois Election Officials on Remaining Hacking Threats & Ways to Strengthen Election Infrastructure,2017-12-15,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Mike Quigley,Q000023,quigley.house.gov,,,legacy,"CHICAGO Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), who serves as a Member on the House Intelligence Committee, led a press conference with Illinois election officials on the need to harden our defenses against election hacking. Rep. Quigley was joined by the Illinois State Board of Elections, Cook County Clerks Office, the DuPage County Election Commission, and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Click here to watch the press conference in its entirety. There is no doubt in my mind that the Russians will be back in future attempts to undermine our democracy and influence our elections, said Rep. Quigley. In order to safeguard our democratic process, we must harden our defenses and invest in election infrastructure updates that are long overdue. I am pleased that Illinois has taken necessary steps to implement initial security enhancements, but too many other states have not done enough to update systems, establish contingency plans, or provide clear guidance for election officials in case of another hack. We must address this from every anglefrom funding and resources to cybersecurity personnelin order to protect our democratic institutions from future attacks in the 2018 midterms, the 2020 presidential election, and beyond. Earlier this year, the American people learned that Russian targeted 39 state election systems, including Illinois, in the lead-up to the 2016 elections. In Illinois, Russian hackers gained access to the states voter database, which contains sensitive information such as names, dates of birth, drivers licenses, and partial social security numbers for 15 million people. Fortunately, the hackers failed to alter or delete any of the compromised information and theres no evidence that Russia tampered with the vote counting process. Click here to watch the video. Protecting the integrity of our multiple elections systems is necessary, its achievable, and it will be expensive, but the protection of the vote a foundational institution of this country is vital, said Cook County Clerk David Orr. Our security challenge is to ensure no attack exceeds our ability to detect and recover whether that means restoring lost data or even recounting ballots to establish election results that are true and trusted. An estimated 42 states continue to use outdated voting machines susceptible to cyberintrusions and system crashes. Many of these voting machines, which can be more than a decade old, are not equipped to handle modern-day cybersecurity software. Additionally, 13 states continue to use voting machines that fail to produce a paper ballot or record. The Election Landscape has changed. With this change come new challenges to face head on, said Joseph H. Sobecki, Executive Director, DuPage County Election Commission. I am optimistic that with the cooperation of Election Authorities, assistance of our elected officials, and consultation with our technology experts, we will be able to develop standards and guidelines of best practices that, whether you live in southern Illinois, Chicago, or the suburbs, will be uniform throughout the State. It is also my hope that once this roadmap is complete, DuPage and other Election Authorities will receive the required funding to make attaining this goal a reality. Often when we think of critical infrastructure, we think of financial networks, power grids and interstates. But our election systems should rank just as high, if not higher, given that the integrity of our elections is the very foundation for our entire government, said Jim Allen, spokesman, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. We look to Homeland Security to provide growing levels of resources for all election agencies rural, suburban and urban as we seek to continue to defend our elections from outside attackers. As Ranking Member of the Financial Services & General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Quigley introduced an appropriations amendment to preserve and fund the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which House Republicans proposed to eliminate. He has also cosponsored the Protecting the American Process for Election Results (PAPER) Act to provide assistance to states allowing them to strengthen the cybersecurity defenses of their election systems. As an active member of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Quigley is working to investigate Russias interference in the 2016 election and prevent future intrusions. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-joins-resolution-to-restore-fccs-net-neutrality-rules,Durbin Joins Resolution to Restore FCC's Net Neutrality Rules,2017-12-15,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.15.17 Durbin Joins Resolution to Restore FCC's Net Neutrality Rules WASHINGTONFollowing the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) vote to dismantle net neutrality protections, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and 14 other Senators to announce their plan to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would undo yesterdays action by the FCC and restore the 2015 net neutrality rules. Yesterday, the FCC walked away from its statutory duties and effectively eliminated its oversight over high-speed internet access. Once adopted, this proposal will permit providers to freely block, slow down, or manipulate a consumers access to the internet as long as it discloses those practices no matter how anti-consumer they might be, said Durbin. The FCC has turned its back on consumers, and I stand ready to fight this radical and reckless plan on behalf of the future of the free and open internet. Yesterday, the FCC approved an item that guts the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court upheld in 2016. The Open Internet Order prohibited internet service providers from setting up internet fast and slow lanes and ensured they could not block or slow down internet traffic. The resolution of disapproval would rescind FCC Chairman Ajit Pais item and fully restore the Open Internet Order. CRA resolutions allow Congress to overturn regulatory actions at federal agencies with a simple majority vote in both chambers. In accordance with the Congressional Review Act, the Senators will formally introduce the resolution once the rule is submitted to both houses of Congress and published in the federal register. Other Senators co-sponsoring the CRA resolution include Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (DCT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jack Reed (D-RI). Earlier this week, Durbin and Duckworth urged FCC Chairman Pai to abandon his plan to repeal the agencys net neutrality rules. A copy of the CRA is available here. Print Email Tweet Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-raja-krishnamoorthi-introduces-protecting-students-worthless,Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Introduces The Protecting Students From Worthless Degrees Act To Prevent Taxpayer Funds From Going To Predatory And Valueless Programs,2017-12-14,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi today introduced the Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act, which would shield students and taxpayers funds from predatory and valueless higher education programs. As education costs and student debt continue to mount, so has the need to ensure that students and taxpayers receive a worthwhile return on their investment in their career. “A good education is the foundation for building a career and a middle-class life, but too many students are completing training programs only to learn too late and after too much debt, that their programs failed to meet the standards necessary to help them start their career,” said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.  The Protecting Students from Worthless Degree Act would require that all higher education programs meet any federal or state accreditation and licensing requirements necessary for graduates to enter their intended occupation. Institutions failing to properly prepare their students by meeting these requirements would no longer be eligible for federal student financial assistance, including Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, or G.I. Bill benefits. Congressman Krishnamoorthi is proud to have worked on this legislation with his co-lead Congressman Mark Takano, as well as Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon who introduced a previous version of the bill in the 114th Congress and will be introducing the Senate companion in the current Congress. “This is a travesty for both students and taxpayers,” Krishnamoorthi added. “That’s why I’m introducing the Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act to hold institutions accountable by ensuring that taxpayer dollars only go to programs that fulfill their promise of preparing students for a career. Education is the most important investment we can make in our country’s future, and it is imperative we ensure the resources of students and taxpayers do not go to predatory and valueless programs.” The text of the bill is available here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-introduces-bipartisan-transparency-bill-make-congressional,Quigley Introduces Bipartisan Transparency Bill to Make Congressional Reports Easily Accessible to the Public,2017-12-14,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Mike Quigley,Q000023,quigley.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), co-founder and co-chair of the Transparency Caucus, re-introduced the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (ACMRA) to improve the public and congressional staff’s access to reports mandated by Congress through the establishment of a searchable central repository. A bipartisan Senate companion bill is being led by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). “With an abundance of innovative, 21st century technology, it’s not too much to ask the federal government to make already published reports—paid for by taxpayers—easily accessible to the public,” said Rep. Quigley. “These reports, which span every issue area with in-depth, expert analysis, would provide valuable information to congressional staffers, students, journalists, businesses, and anyone else who wants to learn more about the policies that impact their lives. A more open and user-friendly data system will help Americans be better informed and help them hold elected officials accountable for the actions they take on constituents’ behalf.” Each year, Congress receives thousands of reports from federal agencies but does not compile them in a central location. Currently, these reports are maintained by the Clerk of the House in a comprehensive list that runs over 320 pages, instead of in an easily searchable system.  The Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act would establish a central repository accessible to congressional staffs and the general public. With this library of all non-confidential agency reports in one place, staffers would be able to maximize their time and energy to better inform lawmakers and the public would have information at their disposal for research purposes and to hold elected officials and the government accountable. This bill would ensure the government’s business is done in a transparent manner. Bipartisan co-sponsors include Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Dave Brat (R-VA), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Darren Soto (D-FL), and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ). The bill is also endorsed by 38 organizations across the political spectrum. A list of the organizations and a link to their letter of support can be read in full here. As the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Transparency Caucus, Rep. Quigley has been committed to expanding public access to government information and enforcing accountability. This year, he introduced the COVFEFE Act to require presidential social media postings be classified at presidential records and the MAR-A-LAGO Act to require disclosure of visitor logs at the White House and other Trump properties where official government business is conducted. Last month, Rep. Quigley re-introduced the Transparency in Government Act to increase access, accountability, and transparency at every branch of the federal government with a focus on federal spending, financial disclosure requirements, and improve judicial transparency. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3601,Schakowsky Statement on Net Neutrality Ruling,2017-12-14,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip and Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission voted on partisan lines to dismantle net neutrality: “FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s attack on net neutrality cedes control of the Internet to powerful broadband providers at the expense of small businesses and consumers. It fits right in line with the Republican agenda to favor the wealthiest corporations while eliminating protections for the rest of us. “Under the FCC’s order today, broadband providers will be allowed to control consumers’ access to content. They will be allowed to charge content providers to make websites load faster or slower. Small businesses may not be able to compete online if they now have to pay every broadband provider across the country in order for their website to work as well as a big corporate competitor’s. And in a chilling attack on free speech, broadband providers could also block content altogether. “Ending the free and open Internet is an anti-democratic, anti-consumer move that Ajit Pai, Donald Trump, and their corporate cronies thought they could sneak past the American people. They were wrong. The FCC received millions of public comments. Just in the last two weeks, I have received hundreds of calls and thousands of emails from constituents asking me to keep up the fight to save net neutrality. This fight isn’t over. As net neutrality supporters challenge the FCC’s action in court, my House colleagues and I will be introducing legislation to reinstate net neutrality protections. We will keep fighting to keep the Internet free, open, and democratic.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gutierrez.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/122-people-lose-daca-every-so-congress-cannot-wait-pass-dream-act,"122 People Lose DACA Every Day, So Congress Cannot Wait To Pass The DREAM Act",2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Luis Gutiérrez,G000535,gutierrez.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC – Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) delivered a speech on the House floor this morning calling for a vote on the DREAM Act (HR 3440), which would allow immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children to apply for permanent legal status.  His speech focused on the 122 DACA recipients (those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) who lose their status every day – and will continue to lose their status until the program shuts down completely in March.  To emphasize his point, the Congressman had a poster with the message “122 #DREAMACTNOW” and the Congressman, like many DREAM Act supporters in Congress, is wearing a matching orange button.  However, he was asked to remove the button before his remarks began. [The Congressman was also briefly misidentified by the Presiding Officer, who incorrectly recognized “the gentleman from Alabama” to speak.  To which, the Congressman retorted, “Today, I’d like to be from Alabama today, but I’m not.] In his speech, the Rep. Gutiérrez stressed the urgency of the moment, saying: We cannot wait until March.  The DREAM Act and the protections of the DACA program are not light switches we can turn on and off.  Every day we delay passage of the DREAM Act, another 122 DACA recipients lose their status.  They go from being documented to being undocumented, and their worlds are turned upside down.  And it is not just their lives, but also the lives of American citizens who love them, who employ them, who rely on them. And he noted that “As of today, more than 12,000 have lost their DACA status.” He then told the story of Mayron, Saul and Brittany, three DACA recipients whose DACA status has already expired or will expire by the end of next week when the Congress is slated to adjourn for the holidays.  Mayron from Washington State is an entrepreneur, Saul in California wants to be a teacher, and Brittany is a child care provider to a family with a special needs child who lost her status last week. Most Americans don’t understand why taking legal status away from a childcare provider who is employed and cherished by her employers will create law and order.  How does creating more undocumented immigrants help?  It does not make America great.  It does not strengthen security or the economy.  I don’t even think it benefits the Republican Party politically to send this young American woman away.  But it is up to Republicans and Democrats to stand up for Brittany, Saul, and Mayron. The Congressman concluded: Democrats must be clear that we value the contributions of these young people and will not allow their stories to be ignored.  And Republicans—even the brave ones who have said they are for solving the plight of the DACA kids—must do more than write a letter or whisper quietly in the halls that they hope something happens.  It is up to us, right now.  And I am not leaving and I am not shutting up until we do. Congressman Gutierrez is among those who have indicated that he will not support short-term spending measures or other “must-pass” legislation this year unless there is a clear path forward towards adoption of the DREAM Act. A video of the Congressman’s speech is here: https://youtu.be/xDzIApgTTck Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and the Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.   REMARKS (As Prepared for Delivery) December 13, 2017 Every day, 122 people with DACA lose their protection from deportation.  They lose their government-issued identification that allowed them to stay in this country and work legally. DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that the President ended in September and which will completely expire in March, but let’s be clear – people do not have until March.  People are already losing their DACA coverage on a daily basis. So when reporters and politicians say that Congress can stall until March to enact the DREAM Act, they are flat wrong. We cannot wait until March.  The DREAM Act and the protections of the DACA program are not light switches we can turn on and off.  Every day we delay passage of the DREAM Act, another 122 DACA recipients lose their status.  They go from being documented to being undocumented, and their worlds are turned upside down.  And it is not just their lives, but also the lives of American citizens who love them, who employ them, who rely on them. Young DREAMers came forward and reported to the Department of Homeland Security and paid their own money for a criminal background check by the FBI.  In fact, many of them have successfully submitted their paperwork and biometrics three times.  They paid all of this processing—the paperwork, the background checks, the fingerprints—with their own money. By definition they arrived in the United States as children, and by definition, they all arrived at least 10 years ago because to be eligible for DACA, you had to have been in the country a full year and a half before President Obama took office. And there are 800,000 of them.  800,000 young Americans who have been playing by the rules, doing everything their government asked them to do, and who have been living productive lives in communities in every state for years. As of today, more than 12,000 have lost their DACA status. Let me tell you about just a few of them. Mayron owns three businesses.  He lives in Washington State and has lived in the U.S. since he was 11 years old.  His DACA expires on December 22, the day that the CR is set to expire and the day we are all supposed to return to our families for the Christmas holiday and New Year’s. He submitted his DACA renewal well before the application deadline that was arbitrarily set in October.  But he made a mistake.  His check was for $465, not $495, and so he will be deportable as of December 22.  His entire life is in the United States, and yet, if Republicans and the President have their way, he will be sent to Honduras. And his three businesses?  Who knows what will happen to them. Another DACA recipient named Saul is from California and thanks to the security and stability provided by DACA, he has pursued a career in education.  I was a teacher and I know that the monetary rewards are few, but the rewards for your soul are many – and the rewards to our society of having dedicated teachers are priceless.  But without DACA and without the DREAM Act, Saul has no future in teaching and we may squander the passion he would bring to a classroom.  His DACA expires on December 29 and this is anything but a Merry Christmas for him as Congress drags its feet.  And finally, there is Brittany in New York.  She is a child care provider who works with infant twins – one of whom has a severe health condition.  Her employers are now scrambling because Brittany’s DACA expired last Thursday and she has no clear legal path forward.  The family said “we are devastated at the thought that she may not be able to work in this country and know we won’t find another care giver who is as reliable, nurturing, and unshakable as Brittany.” Most Americans don’t understand why taking legal status away from a childcare provider who is employed and cherished by her employers will create law and order.  How does creating more undocumented immigrants help?  It does not make America great.  It does not strengthen security or the economy.  I don’t even think it benefits the Republican Party politically to send this young American woman away. But it is up to Republicans and Democrats to stand up for Brittany, Saul, and Mayron.  Democrats must be clear that we value the contributions of these young people and will not allow their stories to be ignored.  And Republicans—even the brave ones who have said they are for solving the plight of the DACA kids—must do more than write a letter or whisper quietly in the halls that they hope something happens. It is up to us, right now.  And I am not leaving and I am not shutting up until we do. # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gutierrez.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/guti-rrez-rosenstein-i-would-ask-you-about-sexual-assault-president,Gutirrez to Rosenstein: I Would Like To Ask You About Sexual Assault By The President Of The United States,2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Luis Gutiérrez,G000535,gutierrez.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC – Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) used his question and answer period during today’s House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to ask about sexual assault allegations against the President of the United States.  The Congressman said: ""I believe these women. In fact, I would say without hesitation whenever it is a case of his word against her word, I generally give her word a lot more weight.” He continued: ""And when the ‘him’ in question is Donald Trump, there really should be no further discussion because, as everybody regardless of their political affiliations or partisanship can clearly see, we have a man in the presidency who has a very difficult relationship with the truth. In this case we have women who were made to feel powerless and insignificant, who at great personal cost and risk, have come forward.  And I believe them.  I do."" Using the words of some of the women who have come forward and the words of the President corroborating some of the accusations, the Congressman asked America’s number two law-enforcement official about the President’s groping and other unwanted advances: The Congressman did not get much of an answer from the Deputy Attorney General. Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and the Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  I would like to ask you about sexual assault by the President of the United States. Over the past few days – echoing previous allegations made against the President in the past several years – at least 16 women have come forward to say that the President of the United States felt them up, kissed them without permission, put his hand under their clothing without permission, groped them, touched their genitalia, walked into dressing rooms unannounced to see them naked and made other unwanted sexual advances that are clear violations of law.  Now, I believe these women.  In fact, I would say without hesitation whenever it is a case of his word against her word, I generally give her word a lot more weight. And when the “him” in question is Donald Trump, there really should be no further discussion because, as everybody regardless of their political affiliations or partisanship can clearly see, we have a man in the presidency who has a very difficult relationship with the truth.  In this case we have women who were made to feel powerless and insignificant, who at great personal cost and risk, have come forward.  And I believe them.  I do. Just as I believe the women who came forward to accuse Senator Al Franken. And it goes no farther than this Committee which has two empty chairs today because two senior Members resigned because women came forward and made credible claims. And others on this dais right now are among the additional Members of this body who are accused – credibly accused – of misconduct. Right now, with the number two person in the Justice Department before our Committee and sworn to tell the truth I think it is important to get your opinion on whether there are grounds for a criminal investigation or an ethics investigation against the President of the United States.  For example, Rachel Crooks is one of the 16 women that we know of who have come forward.  She said that President Trump, before he was President, “kissed me directly on the mouth.  It was so inappropriate he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.” Jill Harth, another one of the 16 women, said, “He groped me, he absolutely groped me.  And he just slipped his hand there touching my private parts.” Now those are just two examples of unwelcome sexual advances. Were he on a subway or in a restaurant, would not either or both of those incidents be enough to get him arrested, in your experience as the number 2 most important law-enforcement officer in the United States? But before you answer that, how about in these cases? Kristen Anderson, in an interview said: “The person on my right who unbeknownst to me at that time was Donald Trump, put their hand up my skirt he did touch my vagina through my underwear.” And Cassandra Searles said: “He continually grabbed my ass and invited me to his hotel room.” These are very serious allegations of crimes committed by the President, are they not? But before you answer, I think it is important to point out that these stories are corroborated by one of the most important witnesses of all, the President himself. He told TV host Billy Bush when he was mic’ed up for an interview with Access Hollywood. “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. He continued “Grab ’em by the… [pussy]. You can do anything.” Samantha Holvey said on national television that when she was a contestant in a beauty pageant, Trump would come back unannounced in the dressing room. And she tells her story and once again, we have audio tape of the President corroborating this account when he told Howard Stern ""Well, I'll tell you the funniest is that before a show, I'll go backstage and everyone's getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner.” And he went on to say “""the chicks will be almost naked."" Mr. Rosenstein, I see you as a law enforcement officer and I value your opinion on these matters.  Would it be appropriate for you to investigate these and other allegations of assault and unwanted sexual advances? Are we helping to delegitimize sexual assault if we say, oh, well, the American people voted, the people of Alabama voted, even with Members of this Committee campaigning on behalf of the Alabama Senate nominee and the President, do we on this committee – the Judiciary Committee – bear responsibility for allowing these actions to go unnoticed, uninvestigated, unchallenged because they are uncomfortable?  What does that do from a law enforcement standpoint when people get away with assault with no consequences or with in fact, job advancement and accolades.  Do you see that as having a long term effect?",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-joins-democratic-colleagues-sending-letter-fcc-urging-delay-net,Quigley Joins Democratic Colleagues in Sending Letter to FCC Urging a Delay in Net Neutrality Vote,2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Mike Quigley,Q000023,quigley.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), joined 117 of his Democratic colleagues in sending the below letter to FCC Commissioners urging them not to vote on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s “Restoring Internet Freedom Order” to repeal Net Neutrality. Chairman Pai recently released this proposed regulation and announced that it would be voted on at the FCC’s December 14 meeting. “President Trump’s FCC plan to repeal Net Neutrality would harm free speech, stall entrepreneurship, and deal a major blow to our economic competitiveness and all American consumers,” said Rep. Quigley. “Equal access to all online content is a cornerstone of the Internet, and I strongly oppose Chairman Pai’s efforts to weaken protections. The FCC’s proposed plan would reduce competition, stifle innovation, and charge customers more for less; and the vote must not move forward.”   December 13, 2017 The Honorable Ajit V. Pai Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 Dear Chairman Pai: We write to you today regarding the “Restoring Internet Freedom” item, WC Docket No. 17-108, on the Federal Communication Commission’s December Open Meeting Agenda. We urge you to delay consideration of this item and remove it from the December agenda. Thank you for your attention to this important request. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-leads-letter-urging-house-leadership-not-restrict-gun-violence,Quigley Leads Letter Urging House Leadership Not to Restrict Gun Violence Research in Appropriations Package,2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Mike Quigley,Q000023,quigley.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, sent a letter to House leadership urging them to oppose language in the final FY18 appropriations package that would restrict the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies from conducting research about gun violence. The letter was signed by 121 Members of Congress, including other leaders Reps. Price (NC-04), Kelly (IL-02), Murphy (FL-07), DeLauro (CT-03), and Lowey (NY-17). You can find the full letter text here. “Although Members of Congress may disagree about how best to respond to the high incidence of gun violence, we should all be able to agree that our response should be informed by sound scientific evidence,” reads the letter. “There is absolutely no reason to restrict the CDC from studying the rampant gun violence epidemic that devastates communities across the country, including in my hometown of Chicago,” said Rep. Quigley. “Conducting research about this issue is an easy—and obvious—first step to equip us with a deeper understanding of the actions we can take and policies we can enact to save lives. I’m proud to join my colleagues in urging Republican leadership to break with the status quo, encourage scientific research, and elevate the debate on gun violence prevention.” In addition to protecting public health and safety through prevention of disease, the CDC has also historically conducted other non-disease related research to prevent injury or illness such as drowning prevention, intimate partner violence, and motor vehicle injuries. Since 1996, however, riders such as the “Dickey Amendment” have been attached to annual appropriations bills that prevent the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other agencies from conducting high-quality, peer-reviewed research about gun violence. Last month, Rep. Quigley re-introduced a bipartisan bill that would alert state and local law enforcement when criminals break the law attempting to acquire a gun. By strengthening partnerships between law enforcement officials at every level, the bill would create an additional layer of protection to ensure weapons stay out of the hands of the wrong people. Rep. Quigley also recently introduced new legislation that would require the Department of Justice to study the correlation between domestic violence and mass shootings. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3600,Schakowsky introduces the PEER Act,2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip and member of the House Budget Committee, introduced the Prioritizing Energy-Efficient Renewables (PEER) Act. This bill would permanently extend the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) and end special tax breaks for polluting fossil fuels. “Climate change is real, it is alarming, and it demands bold action now. We must fight the climate crisis on all fronts, which is why today I’m introducing the PEER Act, a bill that demands our tax code prioritize clean renewable energy over dirty fossil fuels. “My bill would make tax credits for wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and marine power permanent. At the same time, it would put an end to tax breaks that benefit the polluting oil and gas industries. Investing in green energy allows our communities to breathe cleaner air and American families to breathe a sigh of relief. A growing renewable energy sector will mean thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in growth for our economy. “House Republicans are rushing to pass a tax scam that reduces investment in renewables and keeps special tax breaks for oil and gas companies. My colleagues and I are pushing for a tax code that protects middle-class families, our planet, and future generations of Americans.” The PEER Act has been cosponsored by Reps. Cartwright, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Huffman, Kennedy, Khanna, Lee, Loebsack, Lofgren, McCollum, McNerney Nadler, Norton, Pocan, Polis, Speier, Takano, Velázquez, and Quigley. It has been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, Environment America, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/bipartisan-schneider-amendment-help-prevent-iranian-human-rights-abuses-passes,Bipartisan Schneider Amendment to Help Prevent Iranian Human Rights Abuses Passes House of Representatives,2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment by Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) to prevent human rights abuses by the Iranian regime. The  bipartisan amendment was co-led by Congressman Ted Poe (TX-02). “We should be using every tool in our toolbox to make clear to Iran that its human rights abuses are unacceptable and hold the regime accountable,” said Schneider. “My amendment would help ensure that funds held by senior Iranian leaders do not contribute to human rights abuses and that U.S. sanctions are best positioned to improve the human rights situation in Iran. I thank my colleagues for their bipartisan support of this amendment.” The Schneider Amendment modifies H.R. 1638, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, which shines a light on assets held by top Iranian officials, including the Supreme Leader, Members of the Council of Guardians, Members of the Expediency Council and the high-ranking military leaders. The bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report to Congress information on the assets held by senior Iranian leaders, as well as offer recommendations to improve U.S. sanctions to prevent these assets and funding from being used by Iranian officials to further develop Iran’s ballistic missile program. The Schneider Amendment expands this requirement to include Iran’s human rights abuses. In his remarks on the House floor, Schneider cited Iran’s persecution of religious minorities, arbitrary and unlawful killings, limits on freedom of speech, media censorship, electoral tampering, attacks on homosexuality, and unjust detention of Americans and other foreigners as examples of human rights abuses. The Schneider Amendment passed by voice vote. H.R. 1638 passed by a vote of 289-135.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-schneider-hold-congress-your-corner-glenview-saturday,Rep. Schneider to Hold Congress on Your Corner in Glenview on Saturday,2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) will host a “Congress on Your Corner” event to answer questions from constituents and brief attendees on his work in Washington this Saturday at 10:00am. The event will be held at the Village Hall in Glenview, IL and is open to the public. WHO:  Rep. Brad Schneider and constituents of Illinois’s Tenth District WHAT:  “Congress on Your Corner” to meet constituents and answer questions WHEN:  Saturday, December 16 10:00am – 11:00am WHERE: Glenview Village Hall – Council Chambers 2500 E Lake Ave, Glenview, IL 60026",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-to-roskam-shimkus-put-middle-income-illinoisans-ahead-of-large-corporations-as-tax-bill-conferees,"Durbin, Duckworth to Roskam, Shimkus: Put Middle-Income Illinoisans Ahead of Large Corporations as Tax Bill Conferees",2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.13.17 Durbin, Duckworth to Roskam, Shimkus: Put Middle-Income Illinoisans Ahead of Large Corporations as Tax Bill Conferees WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged U.S. Representatives Peter Roskam (R-IL-06) and John Shimkus (R-IL-15) – the two members representing Illinois selected to serve on the conference committee tasked with resolving differences between the House and Senate versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – to reconsider their support for the harmful policies contained in the House version of the Republican Tax Plan and to use their roles as conferee to advocate for positive changes to the bill that would provide much needed relief for middle-income Illinoisans instead of prioritizing the needs of large corporations and the wealthy one-percent over those of working families, students, and veterans in our state and across the country. “As you consider your responsibilities as a conferee, we encourage you to reconsider your support for the harmful policies contained in the House Republican plan and urge you to use your role as conferee to stand up for the middle-income families in Illinois and across the country who would be harmed if the policies outlined in the House and Senate bills become law,” wrote Durbin and Duckworth in letters to Reps. Roskam and Shimkus.   Both the House and Senate Republican tax plans would fund tax cuts for the largest corporations and wealthiest one-percent by raising taxes on millions of middle-income households nationwide, eliminating vital deductions used by working families, and jeopardizing funding for vital programs for low-and middle-income Illinoisans by adding more than $1.4 trillion to the national deficit.  Three weeks ago, Durbin and Duckworth pressed the Republican members of the Illinois congressional delegation to reconsider their support for the House Republican tax plan and the harmful policies within the bill.  Last month, Durbin and Duckworth sent Gov. Rauner a letter outlining their concerns with one of the central components of the Republican tax plans, the elimination of the state and local tax deduction, and requested his feedback on how eliminating the deduction would impact Illinois families and Illinois’ economy.  That letter has gone unanswered.  Full text of the letter to Rep. Roskam is available here.  Full text of the letter to Rep. Shimkus is available here.   Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-reed-press-dod-to-release-contracts-between-for-profit-colleges-and-military-installations,"Durbin, Reed Press DoD to Release Contracts between For-Profit Colleges & Military Installations",2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.13.17 Durbin, Reed Press DoD to Release Contracts between For-Profit Colleges & Military Installations Report Found that University of Phoenix Received Special Treatment in Exchange for Spending $250,000 Over Three Years to Sponsor 89 Events at Fort Campbell WASHINGTON—Following a Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) investigation published in September 2017 revealing a contract between the University of Phoenix and Fort Campbell, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) requested copies of all currently effective and expired contracts between Department of Defense (DoD) military installations and for-profit colleges going back to Calendar Year 2012. In their report, CIR found that the University of Phoenix paid Fort Campbell $250,000 over a three year period to sponsor 89 events on the base.  The contract revealed that in exchange for its sponsorship of events, Fort Campbell permitted the University of Phoenix to hang signs and banners at the event, be listed in all advertising related to the event, and staff an information booth at the event.  In addition, the contract allowed the University of Phoenix special access outside of events including placing promotional materials in high-traffic areas of the base and in welcome packets to incoming service members.  This troubling arrangement runs counter to Executive Order 13607, which remains in effect and sought to prevent paid recruitment of service members and veterans by colleges on military installations.  “Given what has been revealed in this single contract, we are deeply concerned about the extent to which Fort Campbell and other military installations may have entered into similar contracts with the University of Phoenix and other for-profit colleges.  As such, we request copies of all contracts signed between military installations and for-profit colleges going back to Calendar Year 2012,” wrote Durbin and Reed in a letter to Department of Defense Secretary James Mattis.   While for-profit colleges prey on all types of students, a loophole in federal law makes service members and veterans particularly lucrative targets.  The current federal 90/10 rule is a provision in the law that bars for-profit colleges and universities from deriving more than 90 percent of their revenue from the U.S. Department of Education’s federal student aid programs.  The other 10 percent needs to come from sources other than the federal government.  The purpose of this rule is to ensure that schools are not counting on taxpayer dollars as their sole source of revenue. Because of the way the law is written, veterans’ and active duty service members’ federal education benefits – such as G.I. bill education benefits and the Department of Defense’s Tuition Assistance funds – do not currently count toward the 90 percent.  As a result, for-profit educational institutions aggressively recruit and enroll veterans, service members, and their families as a way to comply with the 90/10 rule. Recently, Durbin and Reed introduced the Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act, which would prohibit for-profit colleges and universities from receiving more than 85 percent of their revenue from the federal government and change the calculation of federal revenue to include all federal funds, including Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance benefits.  According to data released last year by the U.S. Department of Education – in response to a request by Durbin, Reed, and 18 other Democratic Senators – because of the loophole, 193 institutions, including some of the largest recipients of GI Bill benefits, received more than 90 percent of their revenue from federal taxpayers – nearly $8 billion cumulatively.  Further, more than 563 institutions received more than 85 percent of their revenue from federal taxpayers – $12.6 billion cumulatively. Full text of the letter is available here and below: December 13, 2017 The Honorable James Mattis Secretary Department of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301 Dear Secretary Mattis: We write today to request copies of all currently effective and expired contracts between Department of Defense (DoD) military installations and for-profit colleges going back to Calendar Year 2012.          For-profit colleges have a well-documented record of using unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices to lure students, including service members and veterans, into enrolling in their programs.  Company executives and shareholders reap the profits while students are left with more debt than they can ever repay and an education that employers consider worthless.  In recent years, nearly every major for-profit college has been investigated or sued by state and federal agencies for predatory practices, including Ashford University, Kaplan University, and University of Phoenix – three of the top for-profit recipients of DoD Tuition Assistance (TA) funds. While for-profit colleges prey on all types of students, a loophole in federal law makes service members and veterans particularly lucrative targets.  As you know, the federal 90/10 Rule states that for-profit colleges must receive at least 10 percent of their revenue from non-federal sources.  It was meant to keep for-profit schools, which in general rely much more heavily on federal dollars than traditional schools, from being completely dependent on federal taxpayers to keep their doors open.  Unfortunately, current law counts DoD TA funds and Department of Veterans Affairs Post 9/11 GI Bill funds as non-federal revenue.  This means that by enrolling enough service members and veterans who qualify for these funds, for-profit colleges can receive 100 percent of their revenue from federal taxpayers while still complying with the law.  As a result, access to military bases and service members has become a key objective of for-profit colleges.  In 2015, the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) published an article detailing the University of Phoenix’s tactic of paying military installations across the country millions to sponsor concerts, parties, dances, and other events on base to achieve that objective.[1]  In a follow-up investigation published in September 2017, CIR uncovered a contract between the University of Phoenix and Fort Campbell which laid bare the company’s true financial motivations for spending $250,000 over a three year period to sponsor 89 events on the base. [2]  The contract revealed that in exchange for its sponsorship of events, Fort Campbell permitted the University of Phoenix to hang signs and banners at the event, be listed in all advertising related to the event, and staff an information booth at the event.  In addition, the contract allows the University of Phoenix special access outside of events including placing promotional materials in high-traffic areas of the base and in welcome packets to incoming service members.  As Will Hubbard, vice president of Student Veterans of America, told CIR, “the special access outlined in the Fort Campbell contract would make it look to service members as though the military were endorsing the for-profit college.” This troubling arrangement runs counter to Executive Order 13607, which remains in effect and sought to prevent predatory recruitment of service members and veterans by colleges on military installations.  Given what has been revealed in this single contract, we are deeply concerned about the extent to which Fort Campbell and other military installations may have entered into similar contracts with the University of Phoenix and other for-profit colleges.  As such, we request copies of all contracts signed between military installations and for-profit colleges going back to Calendar Year 2012.  Thank you for your assistance in this matter.  We look forward to continuing to work with you to prevent our service men and women from being exploited by for-profit colleges. Sincerely,",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bustos.house.gov/video-congresswoman-bustos-slams-congressional-republicans-tax-scam-attack-middle-class/,VIDEO: Congresswoman Bustos Slams Congressional Republicans Tax Scam as an Attack on the Middle-Class,2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"Bustos lays out the GOP’s three step plan to move from a tax scam to cuts in Social Security and Medicare WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos spoke on the House floor to highlight the many ways Washington Republicans’ tax scam bill harms America’s working families. In her remarks, Bustos highlights the three steps they are taking to move from a tax bill to cutting Medicare and Social Security. Below is the text of her remarks:   You’ve been hearing a lot about this tax plan, but really it’s a tax scam. It’s not a mistake that Congressional Republicans are going after hardworking middle-class families, in fact, it is an intentional attack against them. Let me explain briefly. They have laid out a simple three step process – here they are. Step one: Pass a tax scam that they know will raise taxes on millions of middle-class families in order to give tax cuts to corporate special interests and billionaires. That alone will saddle our children with more than a trillion dollars in new debt. Step two: Flip out about this new debt. Step three: Then demand cuts to Social Security and Medicare. For months, Congressional Republicans have denied that this is what they are doing. Well, let me tell you what happened last week. Speaker Ryan, and I quote, said this, word for word: “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit.” He says that “entitlements” are what he’s going to go after. Well you know what entitlements are? Medicare and Social Security. I urge my colleagues to reject this tax scam. Instead, let’s offer a Better Deal to the American public. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-election-doug-jones-majority-leader-mcconnell-must,Congressman Krishnamoorthi On The Election Of Doug Jones: Majority Leader McConnell Must Not Be Allowed To Treat Senator-Elect Jones The Way He Treated Judge Merrick Garland,2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi released the following statement in response to Doug Jones’ election to the US Senate: “I’m heartened to see that the voters of Alabama, a state which helped give birth to the Civil Rights Movement, have rejected Roy Moore’s America and the politics of division. I want to congratulate Senator-Elect Jones and to say unequivocally: Majority Leader McConnell must not be allowed to treat Senator-Elect Jones the way he treated Judge Merrick Garland. The people of Alabama must be heard and they must have their senator.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3476,Lipinski Honors 2017 Senior Citizens of the Year,2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) announced the winners of the 2017 Senior Citizen of the Year Award during a special program yesterday in Hickory Hills.  The winners were chosen based on their contributions to their communities in the Third Congressional District. “These individuals demonstrate on a daily basis the outstanding spirit and commitment that exists in all of our communities,” Rep. Lipinski said.  “I am honored to recognize these seniors who have selflessly donated their time and energy to causes and pursuits that teach all of us the value of service.” The 2017 Senior Citizen of the Year Award winners are: Phyllis Adams, Palos Park; Art Arellano, Romeoville; Adrian Mary Charnick, Riverside; Dr. Vernon Crawley, Orland Park; John Devona, Western Springs; Raymond Hodson, Justice; Jerry Hoenig, Palos Hills; Edward McLaughlin, Chicago; Patricia Pastore, Lockport; Toni Piccirillo, Chicago; Grace Pluhar, Oak Lawn; Russell Pluhar, Oak Lawn; and Cynthia Salvino of Cicero. To be eligible for this award, a senior must be nominated by the leader of an organization or an official from their community.  Only a select few are chosen to receive this honor.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3479,Lipinski Leads Effort to Oppose Tax Bill Provision That Would Raise Taxes Substantially on Graduate Students and Hurt Our Economic Future,2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) is leading a bipartisan group of 42 colleagues in opposing a provision in the House version of the tax bill that would result in a significant tax increase on graduate students.  The current bill would eliminate the exclusion of “qualified tuition reductions” from taxable income.  The effect would be to tax the value of tuition waivers that graduate students receive in exchange for serving as teaching or research assistants during their course of study.  Tuition waivers are money that students never see, and by including it in their taxable income, some could see their tax bills double or worse.  “The United States is one of the most innovative countries in the world thanks in no small part to our top-notch graduate education system,” said Rep. Lipinski in a letter to House and Senate Leaders.  “American graduate students go on to become top scientists, engineers, researchers, and leaders that generate many of the innovations that drive our economy.  The effect of this bill would be to make graduate school unaffordable for thousands of students, lowering the research output of our universities and starving us of our next generation of professors and scientists.” The value of a tuition waiver can be significant.  For example, graduate school tuition at Duke University is typically over $50,000 per year.  Adding this amount to a student’s taxable income would have serious tax consequences.  With 55% of graduate students nationwide earning an adjusted gross income of $20,000 or less, and 87% earning $50,000 or less, they cannot afford a major increase in their tax burden.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3599,Schakowsky Calls on FCC to Delay Net Neutrality Vote,2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai requesting Thursday’s scheduled vote to undo net neutrality protections be delayed. She specifically refuted Chairman Pai’s statements that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) could step in to protect net neutrality if the FCC vote goes through. Her letter explains, “Unlike the FCC, which is able to create rules of the road for broadband providers, the FTC’s hands are tied when it comes to rulemaking.” She further details how the FTC’s limited authority and technical expertise would leave businesses and consumers less protected: “It could take years for the Commission to investigate a complaint and obtain an order for, say, discriminating against a rival company. In the meantime, competition will suffer and consumers will lose out.” She also highlights the potential of a case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (FTC v. AT&T Mobility) to block the FTC from enforcing net neutrality violations against most broadband providers: “Instead of simply shifting oversight and enforcement from the FCC to the FTC as you suggest, the Draft Order could thrust broadband providers into a regulatory blackhole – not subject to any federal oversight at all and leaving consumers unprotected.” She concludes, “Rushing forward with your Draft Order at this time, without considering the relevant facts, is not prudent decision-making. If the so-called ‘Restoring Internet Freedom’ item is passed, the ability to protect the open Internet will be severely diminished if not eliminated altogether.” The full text of the letter is available here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-call-on-fcc-to-abandon-plan-to-repeal-net-neutrality-rules,"Durbin, Duckworth Call on FCC to Abandon Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules",2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.17 Durbin, Duckworth Call on FCC to Abandon Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter urging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to abandon his plan to repeal the agency’s net neutrality rules, which would give internet providers the ability to freely block or slow down consumers’ access to the internet.  The senators’ letter comes ahead of a Thursday vote by the FCC to dismantle the net neutrality protections. “Your plan gives a broadband provider the ability to significantly alter their subscribers’ internet experience,” the lawmakers wrote.  “Once adopted, this proposal will permit that provider to freely block, slow down or manipulate a consumer’s access to the internet as long as it discloses those practices – no matter how anti-consumer – somewhere within mounds of legalese in a new ‘net neutrality’ policy.  …It is a stunning regulatory overreach.” The letter was led by U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), and signed by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Robert P. Casey (D-PA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tom Udall (D-NM), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Al Franken  (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD),Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Cory A. Booker  (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Text of the letter is below.  To view a pdf of the letter, click here. December 12, 2017 The Honorable Ajit Pai Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Chairman Pai: We write to urge you to abandon your reckless plan to radically alter the free and open internet as we know it.  Your proposed action will amount to the largest abdication of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) statutory responsibilities in history. At its inception, Congress delegated to the FCC the primary responsibility to protect consumers and the public interest with respect to the nation’s communications networks.  With your current proposal, you have now decided to throw overboard those long-standing responsibilities – and consumers with them.  In short, you are walking away from your statutory duties and effectively eliminating FCC oversight over high-speed internet access. Your plan gives a broadband provider the ability to significantly alter their subscribers’ internet experience.  Once adopted, this proposal will permit that provider to freely block, slow down or manipulate a consumer’s access to the internet as long as it discloses those practices – no matter how anti-consumer – somewhere within mounds of legalese in a new “net neutrality” policy. Your proposal also makes sure that no other state or local government can fill this gaping consumer protection void by preempting them from adopting their own open internet consumer protections.  It is not enough for the FCC to turn its back on consumers.  You willfully plan to tie the states’ hands to prevent them from protecting their own residents.  It is a stunning regulatory overreach. Underlying your plan is the false notion that your action will return the internet to the supposed halcyon days of “light touch” regulation in the past.  This notion – that the way the agency approached internet access in the 1990s and early 2000s is the perfect approach today – ignores the very different role that the internet plays in 2017.  Over the past 20 years, internet communications have become widely adopted and relied on by American homes and businesses.  Yet, your plan ignores the central and critical role that access to a free and open internet plays in Americans’ lives and the role that the nation’s expert communications agency should play with respect to the networks underlying that access.  Moreover, your assertion that your plan returns internet access to the way it was before is not correct.  Even under the Bush-era FCC, the agency adopted open internet principles and held out the threat of regulatory action to combat harmful activity.  Your plan eradicates even that backstop and leaves Americans without a regulatory safety net. The future of the internet hangs in the balance.  The FCC’s responsibilities over the nation’s communications networks remain, and are more crucial than ever, as the internet has become fundamental to every aspect of our society.  On behalf of our constituents – and future generations of Americans – we urge you to abandon this radical and reckless plan to turn the FCC’s back on consumers and the future of the free and open internet.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-harris-legislation-to-prevent-discharge-of-non-citizen-military-personnel-signed-into-law,Durbin-Harris Legislation to Prevent Discharge of Non-Citizen Military Personnel Signed Into Law,2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.17 Durbin-Harris Legislation to Prevent Discharge of Non-Citizen Military Personnel Signed Into Law WASHINGTON—Legislation by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) to retain military personnel in the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program until their background screenings are completed was signed into law today by the President as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  “When the military can’t find American citizens with the skills it needs to help defend our country, they turn to the MAVNI program,” said Durbin. “These patriotic women and men prepared to lay down their lives for our country will now be permitted to remain in the military while waiting for their background checks to clear. With all the threats facing the United States today, we simply cannot afford to lose these brave men and women because of a technicality.” “This an important step for the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect people they will never meet and who will never know their names,” said Harris. “This legislation will help ensure that they can continue to serve and not fall victim to a slow bureaucratic process. Immigrants have built this country, and these patriots represent the best of our nation.” The MAVNI program allows immigrants with skills deemed vital to the national interest to enlist in the Armed Forces. Cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the amendment allows MAVNI recruits to remain in the Armed Forces for an additional year while the Department of Defense completes their background checks and security screenings. Under current law, recruits are automatically separated from the Armed Forces after 730 days if they have not yet completed basic training—– which no MAVNI recruit can do until they pass the extensive security screening. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-completion-of-epa-evaluation-durbin-urges-army-corps-to-move-forward-with-bubbly-creek-restoration,"Following Completion of EPA Evaluation, Durbin Urges Army Corps to Move Forward with Bubbly Creek Restoration",2017-12-12,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.17 Following Completion of EPA Evaluation, Durbin Urges Army Corps to Move Forward with Bubbly Creek Restoration WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) to move forward with the restoration of the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River – known as “Bubbly Creek” – in the most expedited manner possible now that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed its evaluation of the Creek and removed the site from its Superfund program. “The Army Corps restoration project will provide much-needed revitalization to an area with a history of industrial pollution.  It will also help move our region closer to the vision articulated by local leaders to bring our community rivers that are inviting, productive and living,” wrote Durbin in a letter to EPA Director Scott Pruitt and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Doug Lamont.  “I encourage you to work together to see that the Corps restoration can begin as soon as possible by finalizing the Chief's Report and submitting it to Congress for authorization and funding.” A 2015 report in the Chicago Tribune found that plans for a $15.4 million restoration of “Bubbly Creek” stalled after the EPA discovered contaminated sediment near the site and began conducting a cleanup.  Following that report and discussion with local community leaders, Durbin sent a letter to the Corps asking that they suspend rather than cancel their plans for restoration. In response to the Corps stalled restoration, Durbin and Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) urged both agencies to work together to expedite the restoration of “Bubbly Creek.”  In addition, Durbin had several meetings with the Corps and EPA on this issue, where he reiterated the importance of moving forward with the restoration project. Full text of the letter is available here and below: Dear Administrator Pruitt and Acting Assistant Secretary Lamont: I write to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with the restoration of the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River (known as ' Bubbly Creek') in the most expedited manner possible. A major obstacle to the revitalization of the Bubbly Creek was removed when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed its evaluation of the Creek and removed the site from its Superfund program.  The Corps has spent several years studying the restoration of Bubbly Creek, has dedicated funding to the project, and should now be free to complete the final action necessary before Congress authorizes the start of the restoration project. Bubbly Creek was contaminated years ago by the nearby stockyards, but a more immediate contamination is another reason why a full restoration of the site needs to begin now.  In October, an oil spill near Bubbly Creek killed and injured wildlife along a 1.5-mile section of the waterway.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and EPA have completed their clean-up activities and restoration work can now begin.  Historical contamination and recent environmental incidents should bring urgency to the Army Corps expediting the remaining bureaucratic steps to start the environmental restoration of the area.   Congress authorized the Army Corps to study this area over a decade ago, and the restoration project resulting from that work has the strong support of the City of Chicago, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, and the surrounding community. The Army Corps restoration project will provide much-needed revitalization to an area with a history of industrial pollution.  It will also help move our region closer to the vision articulated by local leaders to bring our community rivers that are inviting, productive and living.  I encourage you to work together to see that the Corps restoration can begin as soon as possible by finalizing the Chief's Report and submitting it to Congress for authorization and funding. Please give this request your immediate attention and I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-urges-residents-to-get-covered-before-aca-enrollment-deadline-on-friday,Durbin Urges Residents to Get Covered Before ACA Enrollment Deadline on Friday,2017-12-10,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.10.17 Durbin Urges Residents to Get Covered Before ACA Enrollment Deadline on Friday SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged those who are uninsured to take action before the December 15th deadline in order to get health care coverage that begins in January. Despite uncertainty in Congress and efforts from President Trump to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA), millions have signed up so far this year. About 350,000 people in Illinois purchase their health insurance in the individual market and nearly 300,000 of them are eligible for tax credits that help keep their premiums below $100 a month. People in Illinois can call (Get Covered Illinois: 866-311-1119), go online (www.Healthcare.gov), or get in-person help to sign up for health insurance that will cover them next year.   “Despite the efforts of President Trump and the frenzy in Washington over health care, I want to make it clear that health insurance under the ACA is open for business. This Friday, December 15, is the deadline for open enrollment in individual market health insurance plans. Don’t wait until the last minute—get covered today,” Durbin said.   “After spending months repeatedly trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republicans in Congress passed a sweeping tax measure that could cause 13 million Americans to lose their health insurance and increase premiums by hundreds of dollars. Instead of voting on another partisan repeal bill, Congress should be focused on pressing health issues like reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program.”   President Trump and his Administration have spent the last year sabotaging the ACA—including cutting the open enrollment period in half, ending advertising that encourages and informs people about how to sign up for insurance, signing an Executive Order directing federal agencies not to enforce the law, ending subsidies that help people afford their co-payments and deductibles, and slashing funding for organizations that help enroll people in health plans.   The recent tax bill passed in the Senate repeals the ACA’s individual mandate and slashes Medicare and Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The Republican tax legislation is opposed by every major medical, provider, and patient organization, including hospitals, AARP, American Medical Association, and the American Heart, Lung, and Diabetes Associations.   Over two months ago, Congress failed to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) before the program’s funding expired on October 1. First created in 1997, CHIP is a bipartisan program that ensures 9 million children nationwide have access to health care, including 325,000 in Illinois. The program benefits children whose parents earn too much for Medicaid, but not enough to afford other coverage. If Congress doesn’t act, CHIP will run out of funding next year.   More than 20 million uninsured Americans have gained health coverage under the ACA – including one million in Illinois – bringing our nation’s uninsured rate below 10 percent for the first time in history. Thanks to the ACA, insurers can no longer deny coverage due to a pre-existing condition, discriminate based on gender or health status, or impose annual or lifetime caps on benefits. Insurers must now cover important health care: maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and hospitalizations. The ACA also expanded Medicaid to cover millions of newly eligible Americans—650,000 in Illinois—and provided enhanced federal funds to help pay for the expansion population.       Print Email Tweet Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-report-president-trump-donald-trump-jr-and-other,"Congressman Krishnamoorthi Reacts To Report That President Trump, Donald Trump Jr., And Other Trump Organization Officials Were Secretly Offered WikiLeaks Documents",2017-12-08,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi released the following statement in response to reports that an email offered the President, his son, and other Trump Organization officials “a decryption key and website address for hacked WikiLeaks documents” in September 2016: “It’s disturbing that the President and his top advisors not only failed to inform the FBI that they were offered access to what was likely illegally obtained material, but then they repeatedly denied that they’d ever been offered it for over a year. There’s no ambiguity on this fact: when your campaign is offered illegally obtained information, you go to the FBI. It’s that simple. This revelation is all the more disturbing because it was not a one-off event of contact between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks. This email predated Donald Trump Jr.’s private correspondence with WikiLeaks during the fall of 2016 as it continued to release illegally-obtained information and encouraged President Trump to highlight some of their releases, as the President subsequently did. As these deeply concerning revelations continue, it is vital that we continue to protect the integrity of Special Counsel’s investigation, even as findings like this demonstrate the impact of Congressional investigators.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congresswoman-robin-kelly-awarded-abraham-lincoln-award-by-the-illinois,Congresswoman Robin Kelly Awarded Abraham Lincoln Award by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence,2017-12-08,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"Matteson, IL – This week, Congresswoman Robin Kelly was awarded the prestigious Abraham Lincoln Award by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV.) “I’m deeply humbled and honored by this recognition from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. Every day, this remarkable organization is working hard to save lives and prevent violence,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly. ICHV is the nation’s oldest and largest statewide organization working to prevent the devastation caused by firearms. Founded in 1975, ICHV uses a multi-pronged approach to educate, raise public awareness, and build coalitions to create change and stop gun violence. “We are thrilled to honor Congresswoman Robin Kelly with our Abraham Lincoln Award.  Robin is truly a hero to the gun violence prevention movement,” said Colleen Daley, ICHV’s Executive Director. “She is not afraid to stand up to the NRA and tell her colleagues in Washington that “thoughts and prayers” are not enough. Her unwavering commitment to this issue has changed the conversation around gun violence.” Since her election to Congress, Congresswoman Kelly has been a fierce advocate for gun safety legislation. She has authored several bills to reduce gun violence and create jobs, especially for at-risk young people. Additionally, she helped lead last year’s historic House Gun Violence Sit-In, following the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL. Congresswoman Kelly was honored along with former political aide to President Obama, Ken Bennett. She added, “I’d also like to congratulation my friend and a true fighter for lifesaving common sense, Ken Bennett, on his Community Empowerment Award. Thank you Ken for all of your work.” ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3598,"Schakowsky, DeGette respond to Republicans launching yet another witch hunt",2017-12-08,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Rep. Jan Schakowksy, Ranking Member of the Republican now dissolved Select Panel, and Diana DeGette, Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, released the following statement after media reported that the Department of Justice sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee inquiring about the Committee’s report on fetal tissue: “The Select Panel to Attack Women’s Health was created by Republicans to investigate spurious claims supported only by doctored footage created by a man currently facing criminal charges. After spending 15 long months and $1.59 million in taxpayer funds investigating David Daleiden’s lies, this ideological witch hunt came up empty. There was zero evidence that Planned Parenthood acted in violation of the law that prohibits selling fetal tissue. The Panel accomplished nothing except for wasting hard-earned taxpayer dollars and derailing critical medical research. “Now, with the same flagrant disregard for the truth, the Trump Administration is continuing its dangerous ideological crusade to end women’s access to health services and abortion. We cannot allow these politically-driven assaults to continue if we care about women’s health, the public’s health, scientific progress, or the facts.  It is time to stop the attacks.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases/foster-statement-on-vote-against-continuing-resolution,Foster Statement on Vote Against Continuing Resolution,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Bill Foster,F000454,foster.house.gov,foster,https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC - This resolution is yet another last minute stopgap measure that fails to provide solutions that hardworking Americans need from the people who represent them. We still have a long list of priorities to resolve. Congress has not voted on the DREAM Act to allow individuals who were brought to the United States through no fault of their own to stay in the country. We need to provide funding to combat the opioid and heroin crisis, and we need to stabilize health care marketplaces so that premiums do not skyrocket. We also need an immediate reauthorization of Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for the millions of children who rely on the program for health insurance, including nearly 326,000 children in Illinois. I am disappointed we did not use the last two months of the previous continuing resolution to find solutions to these issues and represent the interests of hardworking Americans. Rather than engaging in serious bipartisan discussions, Republicans worked behind closed doors on their tax plan that would harm the middle class and pass on debt to the next generation, and they tried yet again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move that would take away health care from millions of Americans. The public deserves better.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T22:19:19Z https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-chairman-gowdy-wrong-refusing-meet-whistleblower,Congressman Krishnamoorthi: Chairman Gowdy Is Wrong in Refusing To Meet With Whistleblower On Flynn Plan To Build Russian Nuclear Reactors In The Middle East,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Raja Krishnamoorthi,K000391,krishnamoorthi.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement in response to Oversight Committee Chairman Gowdy’s refusal to meet with a whistleblower who came forward with information on former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s purported use of his former position to help launch Russian nuclear deal in the Middle East: “Chairman Gowdy’s curt refusal to Ranking Member Cummings’ request is a sad chapter for the Oversight Committee. Our charge is to, at ‘any time’ investigate ‘any matter’ and we have primary jurisdiction over whistleblower protections. Meeting with a whistleblower with knowledge of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s attempts to lift sanctions to help launch a Russian nuclear venture in the Middle East is within our committee’s purview and its responsibility. By refusing to meet with a whistleblower, the Chairman is neglecting a vital duty to the American people. Special Counsel Mueller has removed any impediment to the Committee proceeding with its investigation, and failing to move forward will only have a chilling effect on future whistleblowers.  The Committee website even has a page (oversight.house.gov/whistle) that allows people to alert Chairman Gowdy to fraud and abuse in your agency or other organization.’ Given the Chairman’s actions, I wonder how many whistleblowers will hesitate to come forward in the future.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3474,Lipinski Names Local Student Winner of Congressional App Challenge,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) is proud to announce that Lyons Township High School Senior Scott Turro is the Third District’s winner of this year’s Congressional App Challenge.  The Countryside resident’s app, “Water Ring Game,” cleverly reproduces a classic childhood toy in the form of a mobile device app. “The app submissions we received varied significantly, and all were great demonstrations of the students’ creativity and skill,” said Rep. Lipinski.  “Scott’s app stood out for the sophistication of the code and the STEM skills he demonstrated.  I want to congratulate him and thank his family and his teacher, Natalie Carlson, for their support.  All of the students who submitted apps to this year’s competition did great work.” Scott worked hard to program realistic movements into the rings, mimicking how plastic rings move through water and bounce off walls.  To do this, he developed algorithms that drew on his physics and math skills.  The result is a realistic reproduction that even responds to the user shaking the phone.  A video featuring Scott’s app will be played throughout the year on a screen in the U.S. Capitol, and he will receive credits for free web hosting services and an invitation to a special coding-related event next year in Washington, D.C. A panel of experts, including John McDonnell from Infogix, Inc., Catherine Greenspon from Project Infinite Green, and Steven McGee from The Learning Partnership, judged the apps. “I was very impressed with the quality of the submissions,” said McGee.  “Each of the students identified an interesting problem to address and their apps represented a great first step at providing solutions.”  The runners-up are Amos Alonzo Stagg High School student Monica Para, who entered an app called “EsteemBeam,” and Whitney Young Magnet School student Gabriel Laniewski, who entered an app called “Locker Buddy.”  The Congressional App Challenge began in 2015 as a way to inspire students from every corner of the country to explore STEM, coding, and computer science through hands-on practice.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/kelly-cbc-chair-introduce-legislation-to-restore-government-s-ability-to,"Kelly, CBC Chair Introduce Legislation to Restore Governments Ability to Study Gun Violence",2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), vice chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and Congressman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-02), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, introduced the Gun Violence Research Act. The legislation would: ·  Amend the Dickey Amendment, which prohibits the use of funding at the Department of Health and Human Services to advocate gun control, to clarify that funds may be used to study gun violence, particularly as it relates to mental health; ·  Mandate an annual Surgeon General report on the impact of gun violence on America’s public health; and ·  Require a report from the Office of Minority Health examining the impact of gun violence on public health in communities of color. “For decades, the Dickey Amendment has silenced lifesaving research and suppressed the policy dialogue around common sense laws that can save American lives,” said Congresswoman Kelly. “It’s time to let the science and research speak for itself so policymakers can enact the best policies to protect public safety and American families.” “There have been more mass shootings in the United States in 2017 than days, not to mention the tens of thousands of families that are impacted by gun violence every year,” Chairman Richmond said. “Congress needs to put policy over politics and restore the federal government’s ability to fully study the scope of gun violence in our country, including any correlations between gun violence incidents and mental health issues.” Gun violence is a leading cause of death for African Americans ages 1-44. While African Americans comprise approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population, they experience nearly 24 percent of all firearm deaths and more than 54 percent of all firearm homicides. The author of the Dickey Amendment, former Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) has expressed regret about the rider and its long-term policy impacts. “The Dickey Amendment has created a chilling affect across government when it comes to studying gun violence and funding gun violence research,” Chairman Richmond added. “How many more incidents like Sutherland Springs, Las Vegas, Charleston and others must occur before we concede that the status quo has left us with no other moral option but to affirmatively address gun violence head on? Even today, eight days before the fifth anniversary of the Newtown shooting, it is clear that Republicans still don’t understand this as they push to create a race to the bottom across the nation for concealed-carry laws.” “Even the author of the Dickey Amendment now opposes it. After more than twenty years, it’s time to amend it,” added Congresswoman Kelly. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3595,Schakowsky Announces Winner of 2017 Congressional App Challenge,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, announced the winner of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge competition for the 9th Congressional District of Illinois. “I am pleased to announce that John Dattilo, a Mount Prospect resident and Junior at John Hersey High School has been named the winner in this year’s competition. Congratulations John! “The app that John developed, DiaLog, provides innovative and efficient solutions to help people living with diabetes manage and track their disease. I was very excited to see this young man use his knowledge and skills to address a problem affects thousands of my constituents and millions around the world. I am excited to see what John goes on to do next. “The Congressional App Challenge is a great opportunity for young people to develop their programming skills, and I was excited to see participation from students at several 9th Congressional District schools this year. I want to thank the students who took the time to submit an app and the faculty and staff who encouraged participation.  I look forward to seeing even more submissions next year.”   John’s winning submission was an application that he created called “DiaLog.”  The app is designed to assist individuals diagnosed with diabetes as they treat and manage the disease by helping them track blood sugar levels and calculate insulin dosages to match meals at restaurants or at home.  If you’d like to see a demonstration of John’s submission, you can view it here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3597,Schakowsky statement on the Republican Continuing Resolution,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip and a member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statement after voting ‘no’ on the Republican Continuing Resolution that came before the House today: “The short-term spending bill that passed the House today was a disgrace. It fails to reauthorize health care for the 9 million kids who rely on the Children’s Health Insurance Program, fails to resolve the uncertainty and fear that President Trump created for DREAMers, and it fails to provide the amount of disaster relief that would be necessary to truly rebuild Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Instead of using their full control of the federal government to move an agenda that improves the lives of working men and women – or even to guarantee that kids get health care and that hard-working young people aren’t deported – Republicans have spent their time finding more and more creative ways to improve the lot of millionaires, billionaires, and corporate special interests. Even in this cruel pursuit, they have been ineffective, bringing us once again to the brink of a government shutdown just to kick the can two weeks down the road. Republicans have the wrong priorities and are incapable of governing. It truly is shameful to watch.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-cassidy-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-support-leading-rehab-facilities,"Durbin, Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Support Leading Rehab Facilities",2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.07.17 Durbin, Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Support Leading Rehab Facilities WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) today introduced bipartisan legislation to support rehabilitation facilities that lead the nation in research, serve the highest need patients, and provide the most medical training to students.  U.S. Representatives Pete Olson (R-TX-22) and Gene Green (D-TX-29) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives today.  “Facilities like the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago are leading the nation in bringing doctors and top researchers together to provide the highest quality care for patients with complex conditions.  This bill would help provide sustainable funding so that the most innovative institutions in the nation can continue to drive the field in research, treat complex patients, and educate the next generation of researchers and medical professionals,” said Durbin. “This is about giving hope to people who have suffered brain injury, nerve damage, or other complex conditions,” said Cassidy.  “This bill will support the doctors and researchers who are providing the best evidence based treatments and help them share their knowledge with others so that more patients return to wholeness.” In the United States, there are more than 1,100 Medicare-certified inpatient rehabilitation facilities.  Among these facilities are a small group of rehabilitation institutions that drive the future of rehabilitation care and medicine, as well as patient recovery.  This unique category of inpatient rehabilitation institutions conduct innovative research to advance the field of rehabilitation care, and treat the most complex conditions, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, childhood disease, burns, and wartime injuries.  All of them are also not-for-profit or government-owned and serve a high volume of Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries.  Specifically, the Preserving Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act: Defines “Rehabilitation Innovation Center” as a rehabilitation facility that provides care for patients with highly complex conditions, conducts multidisciplinary rehabilitation research, and sees a high number of Medicare beneficiaries. Calls on the independent Medicare Payment Advisory Committee to conduct a study on the adequacy of current payment rates for Rehabilitation Innovation Centers.  As our federal health care system moves away from the fee-for-service payment model toward more value-based care, the study directed by this legislation will inform how Rehabilitation Innovation Centers should be reimbursed. Print Email Tweet Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-continues-to-press-republican-congress-to-pass-the-dream-act-by-the-end-of-the-year,Durbin Continues To Press Republican Congress To Pass The Dream Act By The End Of The Year,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.07.17 Durbin Continues To Press Republican Congress To Pass The Dream Act By The End Of The Year Marks 100th Dreamer Story That Durbin Has Told On The Senate Floor WASHINGTON—Three months after the Trump Administration’s September 5th announcement that it will rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act before the end of the year.  More than 11,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status, and beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. During his speech, Durbin shared the story of one Dreamer – Kyungmin Cho, who was just seven years old when his family brought him from Seoul, South Korea to the United States.  Last year, Kyungmin enlisted in the army, through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program, known as MAVNI, and is now waiting to ship off to basic training.  Kyungmin is the 100th Dreamer whose story Durbin has told on the Senate floor over the years.  Other Dreamer stories are available here. “Will we be a stronger country if we lose this kind of courage and this kind of commitment of a young man willing to risk his life for a country that does not legally recognize him as part of its population?” asked Durbin.  “We shouldn’t do to this young man and to the thousands of others who count on us the unacceptable and walk away from our responsibility.  Now is the time – before the end of the year – to let this young man know that when he’s called to serve our country, and proudly do so, we have done everything we can to clear his path.”  Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor are available here. Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here. Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.  Kyungmin grew up in Palisades Park, New Jersey.  From a young age, he excelled in his studies and was active in his community.  In high school, he took multiple Advanced Placement courses, was Vice President of the National Honor Society, and President of his class.  In high school, Kyungmin was also a member of the math and science academy, and a member of the Varsity track and field team.  He was also a volunteer at his church, where he taught summer school.  At the same time, he was working over 40 hours a week at a restaurant to help support his family. Kyungmin is now a student at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.  He is studying accounting in the honors program.  He continues to work two restaurant jobs for nearly 40 hours a week to support his family.  Last year, Kyungmin enlisted in the army, through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program, known as MAVNI.  The MAVNI program allows immigrants with skills that are “vital to the national interest” to enlist in the Armed Forces.  More than 900 DACA recipients with these critical skills have joined the military through MAVNI.  Kyungmin, along with many other Dreamers, is now waiting to ship off to basic training.  He continues his undergraduate studies and is working full time while waiting for his chance to serve the country he loves. In July, Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the bipartisan Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bustos.house.gov/standing-gretchen-carlson-congresswoman-bustos-senator-gillibrand-colleagues-announce-bipartisan-legislation-help-prevent-sexual-harassment-workplace-void-forced-arbitration-agre/,"Standing with Gretchen Carlson, Congresswoman Bustos, Senator Gillibrand and Colleagues Announce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Void Forced Arbitration Agreements that Prevent Sexual Harassment Survivors from Ge",2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Cheri Bustos,B001286,bustos.house.gov,,,legacy,"Bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by Bustos, Jones, Jayapal and Stefanik, would invalidate forced arbitration, bring sexual harassment and discrimination claims out of secret settlement process and into the light of day to help eliminate institutionalized protections for abusers Washington, DC –Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today stood with former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson and a bipartisan group of Members of Congress to announce legislation to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act of 2017 would void forced arbitration agreements that prevent sexual harassment survivors from getting the justice they deserve. Carlson, who previously hosted “Fox & Friends,” left the network after enduring years of sexual harassment by powerful men who used forced arbitration to institutionalize protections for sexual harassers and prevent survivors from discussing their cases and taking them to trial. Today, an estimated 60 million Americans are subject to forced arbitration clauses. The bipartisan, bicameral bill that Gillibrand, Bustos, and Carlson announced would void forced arbitration agreements and allow survivors of sexual harassment or discrimination to seek justice, discuss their cases publicly, and eliminate institutional protection for harassers. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and U.S. Representatives Walter Jones (R-NC), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) are cosponsors of Bustos and Gillibrand’s legislation. “If we truly want to end sexual harassment in the workplace, we need to eliminate the institutionalized protections that have allowed this unacceptable behavior to continue for too long,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “Whether it’s on factory floors, in office buildings or retail businesses, 60 million Americans have signed away their right to seek real justice and most don’t realize it until they try to get help. Our legislation is very straightforward and simple – if you have been subjected to sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace, we think you – not the employer – should have the right to choose to go to court. While there are a lot of good companies that take sexual harassment seriously and work to prevent it, this legislation will help root out bad actors by preventing them from sweeping this problem under the rug.” “When a company has a forced arbitration policy, it means that if a worker is sexually harassed or sexually assaulted in the workplace, they are not allowed to go to court over it; instead, they have to go into a secret meeting with their employer and try to work out some kind of deal that really only protects the predator. They are forbidden from talking about what happened, and then they are expected to keep doing their job as if nothing happened to them. No worker should have to put up with such an unfair system,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am proud to lead this bipartisan legislation to finally get rid of forced arbitration for sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace, and I urge all of my colleagues to join our effort, take this problem seriously, and support this important bipartisan bill.” “Forced arbitration is a harasser’s best friend,” said Gretchen Carlson. “It keeps harassment complaints and settlements secret. It allows harassers to stay in their jobs, even as victims are pushed out or fired. It silences other victims who may have stepped forward if they’d known. It’s time we as a nation – together – in bipartisan fashion give a voice back to victims.” “It is only fair and right that victims have the legal option to pursue charges if harassed in the workplace,” said Congressman Jones. “It is time we give them their day in court.” “Mandatory arbitration silences victims. It limits opportunity, protects powerful men and breaks the leadership ladders that we work so hard to build to help marginalized people succeed, in all industries and all political parties. Through this legislation, we are taking the first steps toward changing this deep-seated culture of sexism and silencing,” said Rep. Jayapal. “The bravery of the victims who have come forward cannot go unnoticed. For them—and for all people who experience harassment—we must act on this moment and end the mandatory arbitration process.” “Story after story continues to come forward detailing shocking realities about the pervasiveness of workplace sexual harassment,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “I share the outrage of Americans across our nation at these revelations and commend the brave men and women who have stepped forward to shine a light on this epidemic.  This bill will help protect victims by giving them the opportunity to come forward publicly and have their stories heard. And by shedding light on these crimes and their perpetrators, this bill will also help prevent these disgusting crimes from ever taking place. As policy makers, it’s time for us to join together and put an end to sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.” “As a condition of employment, Uber required me to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement that prohibited me from ever being able to take them to court,” said Susan Fowler, who took on Uber for sexual harassment in the workplace. “While I worked there, I experienced and witnessed sexual harassment and gender discrimination, as did many of my coworkers.  The culture of harassment and discrimination was systemic at Uber, and was kept hidden from the public because Uber’s use of mandatory arbitration forced employees to keep silent about their mistreatment. In order to bring public attention to Uber’s toxic culture and force it to change, I had to risk my career, my reputation, and the personal safety of myself and my family by becoming a public whistleblower.  Ending mandatory arbitration is the single most important thing that we can do to end sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act will prevent companies like Uber from forcing their employees into secretive, private arbitration in the cases of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace. It will give a voice to victims of harassment and discrimination who have been silenced, allowing them to hold abusive workplaces publicly accountable for their actions.” Forced arbitration clauses prevent survivors of sexual harassment from discussing the nature or basis of their complaint. If an employee’s contract or employee handbook includes a forced arbitration clause, the employee is likely to have signed away his or her right to a jury trial whether or not they are aware of the clause. Employees are far more likely to win cases that go to trial than cases that go through the arbitration process. A copy of the bill text can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases/foster-statement-on-sexual-harassment-in-congress,Foster Statement on Sexual Harassment in Congress,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Bill Foster,F000454,foster.house.gov,foster,https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC - I absolutely condemn sexual assault and sexual harassment. No one should have to work in a professional environment where this kind of behavior is condoned. Whether it's the disgusting and disturbing events in Alabama or the events with Senator Franken, Congressman Conyers, and President Trump, any type of this behavior is unacceptable. Anyone engaging in sexual harassment or assault must be held accountable, and I think Senator Franken and Congressman Kihuen should step down. It's clear that the U.S. House system for handling sexual harassment complaints is broken, and we need to find a better way to handle these complaints. No office should use taxpayer money for settlements in these cases nor should they operate in secret. Both parties should come together and make sure that anyone who experiences sexual harassment in an office has a clear and transparent path to report the behavior without fear of professional or personal retribution.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T22:19:19Z https://gutierrez.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/floor-speech-rep-guti-rrez-calls-dream-act-vote-now,"In Floor Speech, Rep. Gutirrez Calls For DREAM Act Vote Now",2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Luis Gutiérrez,G000535,gutierrez.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC – Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) delivered a speech on the House floor this morning calling for a vote on the DREAM Act (HR 3440), which would allow immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children to apply for permanent legal status.  Later today, the Congressman will speak at a massive rally in Upper Senate Park to advocates who are gathering to send the same message: Pass the DREAM Act now.  Yesterday, 34 House Republicans wrote Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to ask him to allow a vote on legislation to protect DREAMers and those with DACA before the end of the year.  Rep. Gutiérrez says “You take the 34 Republicans that wrote the Speaker and add them to 194 of my Democrats and you are comfortably in the majority and the DREAM Act passes.”  Before the end of this week, a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government past the midnight deadline for funding on Friday will be voted on and Rep. Gutiérrez and others are calling for the inclusion of the DREAM Act on this must-pass legislation, because DREAMers with DACA are already losing their protection from deportation. “Every day that Congress does not pass the DREAM Act, 122 DACA recipients lose their protection from deportation,” the Congressman said in his floor speech.  He went on to compare the unpopularity of the recent Republican tax proposal (supported by just 29% of the American people in a Gallup poll released yesterday) and the DREAM Act, supported by 86% of the American people in a recent Fox News poll – and 63% of Trump voters – and the Congressman had a chart to show the vast differences in popularity of the two proposals. Yet, as the Congressman said about the DREAM Act, “[H] here is a proposal supported by an overwhelming number of people; an overwhelming number of Republicans; and an overwhelming percentage of people who voted for Donald Trump and we cannot get a vote.” With regard to the news that short-term CRs are in the works to kick the decisions on the DREAM Act until next year, the Congressman said: He urged the Speaker to allow a vote on the DREAM Act as an “act of charity in the Christmas spirit” to those Republicans who are anxious to vote against the DREAM Act, despite its popularity. Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and the Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  Every day that Congress does not pass the DREAM Act, 122 DACA recipients lose their protection from deportation. That’s 122 every day – young people who arrived in the U.S. as children, have gone through multiple background checks and have lived in the U.S. for a minimum of 10 years. Every week that passes nearly 1,000 DACA recipients lose their protection from deportation. By Christmas, the number of DACA recipients who will have lost protection will reach 13,492.  But now we are hearing that we may have a short-term CR or a series of CRs and that the whole budget and funding debate might get kicked down the road to next year, when all 800,000 young immigrants who signed up for DACA will begin losing their status on a rolling basis. Mr. Speaker, with Republicans in control of the House, Senate and White House, I am pretty sure you will not need my vote to pass these must-pass bills to secure the integrity of the nation.  So I will vote against any short-term CR because I assume you have the votes to govern as you see fit, no matter how much I and other Democrats disagree with your priorities on women, on children’s health insurance, the environment, or the DREAMers. Now, if Republicans decide they do need help from Democrats to carry out the most basic functions of government, they know where to find us…and we are more than willing to help, if what we are voting on meets minimal standards of the priorities of the American people. For me and a lot of my colleagues, that means a vote on the DREAM Act right now, this year.  The votes are here, the legislation is here, the American people are already in support, so Mr. Speaker, at some point, Republican leadership should just get out of the way and let America vote. That is what leadership, compromise, and bipartisanship look like. Now, we certainly know what it doesn’t look like. In the middle of the night last weekend, Republicans voted to give a tax cut to the richest Americans.  They dressed it up as a tax cut for everyone, but we all know this is an obscene tax cut for the obscenely wealthy. Not a single Democrat in either House supported it and this chart explains part of the reason why.  It is tremendously unpopular with the American people as the small slice in red on this chart shows us. According to Gallup yesterday, just 29% of Americans support the Republican tax cut for billionaires and multinational companies. That is what partisanship looks like.  So what does bipartisanship look like?  It looks like the DREAM Act. Overall, 86% of Americans support the DREAM Act, a bill to legalize the immigration status of immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.  86%!!!  That’s the big slice of red on the chart. And that number comes from a Fox News poll, just in case you think I was using a partisan poll where they put their thumb on the scale to show things in my favor. And 63% of Trump voters back citizenship for DREAMers.  So here is a proposal supported by an overwhelming number of people; an overwhelming number of Republicans; and an overwhelming percentage of people who voted for Donald Trump and we cannot get a vote. Yesterday, 34 Republicans in this body wrote to the Speaker asking him to please allow a vote on something to protect DREAMers and those with DACA.  Clearly all 34 know how to read this chart. They want to do something that is both politically popular and the right thing to do from a moral standpoint. The reason Republican leaders will not allow a vote on the DREAM Act – or at least are acting like they won’t – is because they know it will pass.  You take the 34 Republicans that wrote the Speaker and add them to 194 of my Democrats and you are comfortably in the majority and the DREAM Act passes.  And for all of those Republicans who oppose the DREAM Act, they get a Christmas present!  They get to vote against it.  What better way to associate yourself with the comments of your President, on Mexicans, on Muslims on everything else, than to vote against the DREAM Act? So Mr. Speaker, I urge you to let your members vote against the DREAM Act as an act of charity in the Christmas spirit. Republicans will get what most of them want: an opportunity to send a message to their base voters by voting on something the rest of us agree on – just like the tax bill – but this time, with passage of the DREAM Act, at least the majority of the American people will get something out of it too.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3472,Lipinski to Vote No on Bill That Undermines Individual State Concealed Carry Laws,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) released the following statement today: “Instead of acting on commonsense bills that actually help make us safer, Republican leadership is bringing the dangerous Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 (H.R. 38) to the House floor for a vote.  If signed into law, this bill would undermine the firearms safety, training, and licensing requirements of Illinois.  I promise to stand with law enforcement personnel from across the state and country in opposition to this bill.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3473,Lipinski Statement on Impeachment Resolution,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) released the following statement today: “Today, Rep. Al Green offered a Resolution of Impeachment of the President.  I joined with House Democratic leadership and 2/3rds of the House Democratic Caucus in voting to table the resolution.  “Moving forward with ‎this resolution at this time would have undermined the investigations of the Trump Administration currently taking place, and could prevent a complete account of critical information the investigations already have or may uncover.  “Like many, I am concerned about the legality of some of the President’s actions and have found many of his comments offensive, but now is not the time to consider articles of impeachment.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-statement-passage-concealed-carry-reciprocity-act,Quigley Statement on Passage of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Mike Quigley,Q000023,quigley.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), who serves as a Member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, released the following statement after Republicans in the House passed the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38) to force states with strong concealed carry laws to honor concealed carry permits from states with weaker laws. “Legislation like this is beyond tone-deaf; it is dangerous and deplorable,” said Rep. Quigley. “Instead of working to expand universal background checks or crack down on firearm trafficking, House Republicans have decided to undermine the states with strong, common-sense gun laws that protect and promote public safety. In wake of the numerous tragedies we have faced recently as a result of gun violence, we should be strengthening our gun laws—not weakening them. Unfortunately, this vote represents another opportunity for House Republicans to appease the NRA, rather than protect the American people we were elected to represent.” The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would overrides state concealed carry laws without setting a national standard, leaving the states with the weakest gun laws to have the most influence. This means that states with stricter laws on carrying a gun in public would be forced to allow residents from states that do not require a permit to carry a concealed gun to be able to travel within its borders, despite it being against that state’s law. In addition, the bill endangers public safety through mandating where people can carry guns, increasing the possibility of guns in places like bars, schools, places of worship, and athletic events. While the NRA has vigorously pushed for this bill’s passage, it has been opposed by numerous law enforcement and public safety organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, American Federation of Teachers, Everytown for Gun Safety, Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence, and National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Quigley has called on Congress to stand up to the gun lobby in America. Last week, he introduced bipartisan legislation to establish an alert system that would alert state and local law enforcement when criminals break the law attempting to acquire a gun. Rep. Quigley has also co-authored a bipartisan background check bill that expands the existing background check system to cover all commercial firearm sales and introduced legislation requiring the Attorney General to conduct a study and provide a report to Congress on possible links between mass shooters and a history of domestic violence. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congresswoman-kelly-s-statement-on-impeachment-vote,Congresswoman Kellys Statement on Impeachment Vote,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC – Congresswoman Robin Kelly released this statement concerning her vote opposing the tabling of H. Res. 646, a privileged resolution to impeach President Donald Trump: “My vote today was a vote for government transparency and decency. I regularly hear from constituents about the President’s comments, tweets, actions and behavior and their comments are always negative. Many families are rightfully embarrassed and outraged by his consistently un-presidential behavior and remarks. Even before President Trump took office, serious concerns had been raised about his behavior and actions, especially in regards to Russia’s interference in our election and sowing division amongst Americans. Despite these concerns, which have been voiced by leaders of both parties and America’s intelligence community, Congress has refused to act. Instead the Republican majority has ignored nearly every call for investigation and oversight. As a member of the House’s investigative committee, we’ve not held one hearing examining the President’s actions and behavior. This is simply unacceptable. I will continue pressuring Chairman Gowdy and Speaker Ryan to let Congress, especially the Oversight and Government Reform, do its job. The American people deserve answers and it’s our job to get them.” ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congresswoman-robin-kelly-i-m-heartbroken-for-families-who-will-have,Congresswoman Robin Kelly: Im heartbroken for families who will have loved ones taken from them because of this bad bill.,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Robin Kelly,K000385,robinkelly.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC – Congresswoman Robin Kelly, vice chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, released this statement on the passage of so-called “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38):” “I’m deeply disappointed that my colleagues would support a bill that will dramatically increase the number of Americans taken from their families and communities by gun violence. My disappointment is massively overwhelmed by my sadness. I know this bill will mean more funerals, more empty seats at the dinner table and more mothers burying their children. I’m sad for every family who has had a loved one taken and I’m heartbroken for families who will have loved ones taken because of this bill. As disappointed and sad as I am, I’m not surprised. This vote continues the Republican majority’s blind obedience to the NRA’s ‘guns everywhere, rules nowhere’ agenda that has blocked every common sense gun safety legislation proposed in Congress. This bill isn’t just a threat to public safety, it will also put law enforcement officers’ lives at greater risk. I come from a law enforcement family. My uncles, cousins and nephews wear the blue everyday so I understand the worry that comes with having a loved one serving and protecting their community. The fears of that late night call or knock on the door from the police chaplain is real and happens far too often to too many families. If H.R. 38 becomes law, more families will get those dreaded calls and visits. At least eight major law enforcement organizations have announced their opposition to this legislation saying the bill will ‘create unacceptable risks to our nation’s 900,000 police officers and the public at large.’ I’m committed to fighting this bill and preventing its final passage. However, fighting the passage of bad bills isn’t enough. It’s time for Congress to get out from under the NRA’s checkbook and act to save lives.” Notes: Last week, Congresswoman Kelly took to the House floor to oppose H.R. 38, as it was considered by the House Judiciary Committee. The Congresswoman highlighted law enforcements' strong opposition to the bill and read into the Congressional Record the names of law enforcement officers killed by gun violence.     This speech continues Congresswoman Kelly’s pledge to read the names of 5,950 gun violence victims into the Congressional Record, one names for every dollar Speaker Paul Ryan took from the NRA during the 2016 cycle. To date, she has read 250 names into the Congressional Record. She promised to continue reading names until Speaker Ryan finally allows a vote on bipartisan, broadly support legislation that will save American lives. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3594,Schakowsky statement on President Trump's announcement on Jerusalem,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip, released the following statement after President Trump announced his decision to relocate the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem: ""President Trump’s announcement today ignores reality and the consequences of an action that breaks with long-time U.S. policy held by both Republican and Democratic Administrations. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, but taking this step outside of the framework of a final status agreement derails the peace process, jeopardizes our ability to help broker an agreement, and creates the likelihood of more violence in the region.  There is reason that virtually all of our allies have urged us not to take this step. I continue to believe that the only path to sustainable peace is a two-state solution that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side with economic prosperity and security. President Trump’s action has made that much more difficult to achieve.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-schneider-hold-congress-your-corner-grayslake-saturday-0,Rep. Schneider to Hold Congress on Your Corner in Grayslake on Saturday,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) will host a “Congress on Your Corner” event to answer questions from constituents and brief attendees on his work in Washington this Saturday at 10:00am. The event will be held at the Village Hall in Grayslake, IL and is open to the public.   This is Congressman Schneider’s 16th town hall-style “Congress on Your Corner” event of 2017.   WHO:  Rep. Brad Schneider and constituents of Illinois’s Tenth District   WHAT:  “Congress on Your Corner” to meet constituents and answer questions   WHEN:  Saturday, December 9 10:00am – 11:00am   WHERE: Grayslake Village Hall – Council Chambers 10 Seymour Ave, Grayslake, IL, 60030",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-schneider-host-bipartisan-small-business-committee-hearing-illinois-tenth,Rep. Schneider to Host Bipartisan Small Business Committee Hearing in Illinois Tenth District,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, U.S. Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL) invited constituents to join him, Congressman Rod Blum (R-IA), and local small business owners at a bipartisan field hearing on ""Bridging the Entrepreneurial Gap."" The U.S. Small Business Committee is holding this hearing in Deerfield, IL, to hear first-hand from local entrepreneurs to learn about the current challenges to entrepreneurship that small business owners face and how Congress can help them overcome these barriers. Creating an environment where businesses can succeed and create jobs is a priority for Schneider. This hearing is free and open to the public. Learn more and RSVP here. WHO:  Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) Rep. Rod Blum (R-IA) Steven Whittington, Founder and CEO, LifeWorking Enterprise, LLC Meg Barnhart, Founder and Co-Creator, The Zen of Slow Cooking David Boris, Owner, Hel’s Kitchen Catering Cheryl Besenjak, Partner, Grow Well Farms, LLC WHAT:  House Small Business Committee Field Hearing on “Bridging the Entrepreneurial Gap: Addressing Barriers to Small Business Formation and Growth” WHEN:  Monday, December 11, 2017 9:30am – 10:30am WHERE: Deerfield Village Hall, Room 209 850 Waukegan Rd, Deerfield, IL 60015 RSVP: Learn more and RSVP here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/statement-us-recognition-jerusalem-israel-s-capital,Statement on U.S. Recognition of Jerusalem as Israels Capital,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the below statement: “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people for more than three thousand years, and since 1948 the capital of the Jewish state. These are facts that cannot be denied.  “Today’s announcement does not and should not change the United States’ commitment to pursuing a real and sustainable peace in the region. Only through direct, bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will a lasting peace and viable two-state solution be achieved with two peoples living side-by-side in peace, security and prosperity.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-passing-the-dream-act-by-the-end-of-the-year-is-a-matter-of-justice-and-fairness,Durbin: Passing The Dream Act By The End Of The Year Is a Matter Of Justice And Fairness,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.06.17 Durbin: Passing The Dream Act By The End Of The Year Is a Matter Of Justice And Fairness WASHINGTON—Three months after the Trump Administration’s September 5th announcement that it will rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act before the end of the year.  More than 10,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status, and beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose this protection each day. During his speech, Durbin shared the story of one Dreamer – Yuriana Aguilar, who was five years old when her family brought her to the United States from Mexico.  She is a research scientist specializing in cardiac health at Rush Medical Center in Chicago.  Yuriana is the 99th Dreamer whose story Durbin has told on the Senate floor over the years.  Other Dreamer stories are available here. “Don’t we want someone like Yuriana to stay in this country?  Of course we do!  She’s a pretty determined young woman, and her determination does not only mean she has an opportunity for a great life, it’s the opportunity to make the lives of so many of us better,” said Durbin.  “If we make the Dream Act the law of the land, young people like Yuriana can prove to work their way into legal status, work their way into citizenship, and become a valuable part of America’s future.  Let’s roll up our sleeves and do what we were sent to do, solve problems, pass laws, make sure that we set the stage for America to be a better nation in years to come.”  Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor are available here. Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here. Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations. Yuriana Aguilar grew up near Fresno, California and she was an excellent student.  She was in the top one percent of her high-school class and graduated as the valedictorian.  She was a member of her high school’s JROTC (Junior Reserves Officers’ Training Corps) unit.  And she volunteered at retirement homes and with a group called Tree Fresno, which plants trees and builds playgrounds in the community.  Yuriana was accepted to, and attended University of California Merced, where she majored in Biological Sciences.  She made the Dean’s List every semester, and was on the Chancellor’s Honors List.   She conducted research in marine biology, as well as atherosclerosis - the build-up of fat, cholesterol, and other substances in arteries.  And she continued her community service. Yuriana volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, with a local hospital, and with her church’s Sunday School program.   Currently, Yuriana is a postdoctoral fellow and instructor in the Rush Medical College Department of Physiology & Biophysics.  She examines cardiac functioning on the cellular level.  Yuriana’s studying proteins that regulate calcium signaling, which is critical for contraction and electrical functions in the heart.  Seeing how this process works in a normal heart can help her detect differences in an unhealthy one.  Yuriana has a work permit thanks to DACA, but it will expire in one year if DACA ends. In July, Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the bipartisan Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. Print Email Tweet Previous Article Next Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://lipinski.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&itemid=3470,Lipinski Joins Fight for Commonsense Bill to Alert Law Enforcement When a Criminal Attempts to Purchase a Firearm,2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Daniel Lipinski,L000563,lipinski.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) released the following statement today: “While the scourge of gun violence continues to plague our nation, there are numerous commonsense measures that we could implement to combat this violence.  We should all agree that we want to keep firearms out of the hands of people who are not legally allowed to purchase them.  That is why I am joining colleagues from both sides of the aisle in cosponsoring the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Denial Notification Act (H.R. 4471).  This bill would create a system to alert state and local law enforcement when an individual legally prohibited from purchasing a gun attempts to buy one. “We trust the police in our communities to help keep us safe.  We should all be able to get behind legislation that lets them know when felons, domestic abusers, and the mentally ill are prevented by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System from purchasing a gun.  We need to give law enforcement the tools they need to intervene before a dangerous person acquires a weapon and commits a violent crime.  “In order to build bipartisan support for this bill, the authors – Reps. Quigley (D-IL) and Meehan (R-PA) – are requiring Democrats who want to co-sponsor the legislation to bring a Republican co-sponsor onboard.  I reached out across the aisle to my colleagues Reps. Lance (NJ) and Fitzpatrick (PA) to urge them to cosponsor this bill.  They subsequently signed on to the legislation.  I will continue to work to garner additional support so that we can finally start getting some commonsense legislation passed to curb gun violence.  “Other bills I’m supporting would establish a committee on gun violence prevention (H.Res. 367), eliminate policy prohibiting the Health and Human Services department from researching causes of gun violence (H.R. 1478, Gun Violence Research Act), make firearms trafficking a federal crime and impose stronger penalties on straw purchasers of guns (H.R. 1475, Gun Trafficking Prevention Act), ban bump stocks and similar devices (H.R. 3947, Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act), and reauthorize and strengthen the criminal background check system and subject gun show, internet, and classified ad sales to the background check system (H.R. 4240, Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act). “I understand these changes are not going to solve all our problems related to this life-and-death issue, but these necessary steps are long overdue.  After what we have witnessed as a nation in recent years, we can’t afford to just keep doing nothing.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schakowsky.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=3596,"Progressive Caucus Leaders Condemn Post-Election Repression in Honduras, Urge Full Recount and Suspension of U.S. Military Aid",2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Jan Schakowsky,S001145,schakowsky.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.- Today, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), and CPC Vice Chairs Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), reacted to the political crisis in Honduras resulting from Sunday’s disputed presidential election results: “As tens of thousands of Hondurans continue to take to the streets to express disapproval over their government’s deeply flawed electoral process, we wish to extend our solidarity and sympathies to the families of slain Hondurans like 19-year-old Kimberly Fonseca, who was shot in the head by Honduran military police when they opened fire on nonviolent demonstrators. We add our voices to Honduran civil society groups demanding that Honduran government end its use of state-sponsored violence, martial law, and restrictions on media freedoms. “The United States should not tolerate President Juan Orlando Hernández’s moves to increase his grip on power in response to public outrage over what is widely seen as a stolen election. We are more committed now than ever to see Congress pass the Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act to immediately suspend U.S. arming and training of the Honduran military and police until human rights defenders are protected and security forces are prosecuted for flagrant human rights violations. “Given the Honduran electoral authorities’ lack of transparency as well as credible and widespread accusations of irregularities, which led the Organization of American States to express doubts over the results, the United States should not recognize the outcome of the election until a full recount is carried out at every polling place with international supervision and with the participation of all political parties. The chaos and violence that resulted from Honduras’s 2009 coup d’état should serve as a lesson: this time, the U.S. government must unequivocally stand with Hondurans’ right to democracy and free expression. America must not tolerate autocratic and anti-democratic behavior by our allies.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-schneider-announces-holiday-cards-heroes-program,Rep. Schneider Announces Holiday Cards for Heroes Program,2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Brad Schneider,S001190,schneider.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (IL-10), launched the “Holiday Cards for Heroes” program for the 2017 holiday season. Tenth District constituents are invited to drop off holiday cards for military servicemembers at Congressman Schneider’s District Office in Lincolnshire, starting today through Friday, December 15, 2017. Holiday cards placed in envelopes should not be sealed closed. “The holidays are a special time for families and friends to gather together, but many of our brave men and women in our armed forces must spend this season far from family and home,” said Schneider. “A personal, handwritten card is a much-appreciated way to say thank you to the Americans serving our country, offer words of encouragement, and share holiday cheer. I’m glad our office can help facilitate this program to connect constituents and our service members.” Congressman Schneider’s district office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm at 111 Barclay Blvd, Suite 200, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Constituents can also deliver cards during any upcoming Neighborhood Office Hour event. Check the schedule here. Please call (847) 383-4870 with any questions.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-call-on-president-trump-to-swiftly-nominate-head-of-consumer-watchdog-who-will-put-main-street-ahead-of-wall-street,"Durbin, Duckworth Call On President Trump To Swiftly Nominate Head Of Consumer Watchdog Who Will Put Main Street Ahead Of Wall Street",2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Democrat,House,IL,Richard Durbin,D000563,www.durbin.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.05.17 Durbin, Duckworth Call On President Trump To Swiftly Nominate Head Of Consumer Watchdog Who Will Put Main Street Ahead Of Wall Street WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to follow the law and swiftly nominate a permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) who will put working families ahead of Wall Street. In their letter, the Senators cited the CFPB’s “aggressive enforcement and supervision,” which has resulted in $12 billion in relief to 29 million American consumers who were cheated by financial companies. The Senators also expressed serious concerns with the White House installing Budget Director Mick Mulvaney as part-time acting director on November 24th , despite clear language in the Dodd-Frank law stating that the Deputy Director, Leandra English, ‘shall’ run the agency in the ‘absence or unavailability’ of the director. Mulvaney has a clear record opposing the CFPB and has sought to abolish it. “Assigning leadership of the CFPB to someone who already has a full-time job reporting to the White House and who does not believe in the CFPB’s mission jeopardizes the agency’s independence and effectiveness,” wrote the senators. “We urge you to nominate a CFPB Director who will bring to the job both bipartisan support and a track record of being tough on Wall Street. Following the Dodd-Frank succession provision and nominating a Director who will fight for consumers allows the CFPB to continue its work without political interference.” The letter was also signed by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI),  Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Al Franken (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jon Tester (D-MT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bob Casey (D-PA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Bill Nelson (D-FL). The full text of the letter is below and available here. December 4, 2017 The Honorable Donald J. Trump President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear President Trump, After the 2008 financial crisis wiped out trillions of dollars of wealth and the jobs of millions of Americans, Congress passed important financial reforms and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an independent watchdog to protect people from financial scams.[1] Through aggressive enforcement and supervision, CFPB actions have resulted in $12 billion in relief for more than 29 million American consumers who were cheated by financial companies.[2] The CFPB has taken almost 200 enforcement actions: against mortgage schemes that rip off struggling borrowers, against predatory financial firms that set up shop next to military bases to target servicemembers, against scam for-profit schools that take advantage of veterans’ benefits, and against companies that train their employees to trap consumers in debt.[3] These are the enforcement results that the National Fraternal Order of Police and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general expected when they endorsed Rich Cordray’s nomination and said he would be “an effective partner in combating fraud and other illegal schemes[.]”[4] His nomination passed the Senate with 66 votes, including 12 Republicans.[5] In a 2016 campaign speech, you said “…[T]his election is a choice between taking our government back from the special interests, or surrendering our last scrap of independence to their total and complete control.”[6] Polling shows that the vast majority of Americans agree that the CFPB has been doing great work holding special interests accountable. 74% of Americans -- Republicans and Democrats -- approve of the CFPB’s mission and 55% of Republicans who voted for you believe that the CFPB should be left alone to do its work or even be given expanded authority to do more.[7] Assigning leadership of the CFPB to someone who already has a full-time job reporting to the White House and who does not believe in the CFPB’s mission jeopardizes the agency’s independence and effectiveness. We urge you to nominate a CFPB Director who will bring to the job both bipartisan support and a track record of being tough on big banks and other financial firms that rip off consumers. Following the Dodd-Frank succession provision and nominating a Director who will fight for consumers allows the CFPB to continue its work without political interference. Please stand up for American military servicemembers and veterans, students, seniors and workers. Sincerely,",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z