Consumer Protection
In just his first two years in office, President Biden has created over 12 million jobs, lowered prescription drug costs for seniors, invested in our climate, and so much more. At 3.4%, the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in over 50 years. We are bringing strong, good-paying union jobs back to America. Last week’s State of the Union proved that our best days are yet to come.
As I mentioned to you last week, extremist Republicans proceeded with yet another vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite the fact that Republicans failed to produce any evidence that Secretary Mayorkas had violated his constitutional duties, the Republicans had enough votes this time around and Secretary Mayorkas was impeached by a vote of 214-213. Every Democrat present and three Republicans voted against the measure.
President Donald Trump promised to lower the high cost of living in the United States, and he has done the exact opposite. The chaos, confusion, and fear Trump has unleashed during his first month in office has not improved the quality of life of the American people. But billionaires? They are getting more tax cuts. Trump and Elon Musk would rather gut lifesaving programs and agencies than ask the rich to pay their fair share.
As I have said many times before, we live in the richest country in the world at the richest moment in history. Yet, many Americans are unable to feel the full magnitude of our wealth. One of the biggest problems we face is income inequality. As big corporations continue to rake in record profits, there are many families struggling to put food on the table. For this reason, I was one of the 70 members who voted against a $78 billion tax bill that came before the House of Representatives.
President Donald Trump’s decision to place unelected billionaire co-President Elon Musk in charge of gutting federal agencies is an unconstitutional power grab that jeopardizes the livelihoods of all Americans and makes the world less safe.
The chaos, confusion, and fear caused by the Trump Administration is having real impacts. My office has received thousands of calls from constituents who are concerned that Musk and his team have been empowered and given unrestricted access to Americans’ tax dollars.
Welcome to the 118th Congress! In all my years in Congress, I have never experienced a week quite like last week. Instead of fighting for the American people, Republicans spent the week fighting against each other. Now that we finally have a Speaker of the House, and I have officially been sworn in for the 118th Congress, I can finally continue my work on behalf of Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a joyful and restful holiday season. This week, I was back in Washington for the start of the 119th Congress. It is the honor of a lifetime to be your voice in Congress, and I am looking forward to continuing the fight on behalf of everyday Americans.
This week, I talk about the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.