Consumer Protection
Last week, House Republican leadership canceled planned votes amid a revolt by conservative members that brought votes on the House floor to a halt. Many far-right members are retaliating after Republican leadership negotiated with President Biden to raise the debt limit, avoiding a catastrophic debt default. Now, these far-right members are holding the floor of the House of Representatives hostage.
This week, I discuss the hearing I chaired in my Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee on the American Data Privacy and Protection Act. In addition, I provide an update on bipartisan gun safety negotiations in the Senate. I also reflect on the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and I commemorate Juneteenth. To all the fathers in Illinois' 9th Congressional District, I hope you have a wonderful Father's Day. Thank you for all you do!
Last week, House Republicans continued to push forth their agenda that will harm everyday Americans. The Republican Study Committee, which is composed of over 170 House Republicans, put forward their plan to strip away the Social Security benefits that Americans have worked so hard to earn. This is theft and we cannot stand for it; Americans deserve to retire with dignity and respect.
Yesterday, we honored the sacrifices made by those on D-Day, and the millions of others who aided the war effort worldwide. I have had the great privilege of meeting brave constituents who fought valiantly that fateful day. We owe our freedom and the reach of democracy in our world to them.
In paying tribute to our fallen heroes, we must recommit to honoring our active-duty military personnel and our veterans. Not only do they deserve our respect and recognition, but they also deserve to know that we have their backs.
In my weekly video update, I talk about the Ukrainian President's address to a Joint Session of Congress. I also talk about some of the bills and committee hearings we dealt with this week. And the new hot topic - daylight saving time. Speaking of - have you taken my survey about Daylight Saving?
In recent years, Americans have become increasingly concerned that their data is being exploited and abused. These concerns are warranted because weak laws have allowed Big Tech to invade people’s privacy. The very narrow TikTok bill we voted on last week, which Republicans rushed to the floor for a vote under the guise of protecting our national security, fails to ensure that all tech companies and data brokers are taking the steps necessary to protect Americans’ privacy and data.
Following the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, I know many of you are feeling uneasy. I want to assure you, there is a piece of legislation that I am cosponsoring, the Secure Viable Banking Act, that would help restore needed protections to safeguard our economy. The failure of Silicon Valley Bank can be traced back to harmful Trump-era regulatory rollbacks. I voted against those rollbacks in 2018 for exactly this reason. I will continue working to protect the safety and soundness of our financial system and help ensure those responsible for this crisis are held accountable.