Climate Change
As I am sure you are aware, former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a New York grand jury and will be arraigned on Tuesday. According to reports, Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud for allegedly concealing hush money payments to Stormy Daniels in order to cover-up their extramarital affair from voters during the closing days of his presidential campaign.
Last week, we experienced four of the hottest days ever recorded on earth. Heat is the number one weather-related killer in the world, and it is a direct threat to our children and our planet. Last Congress, we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest ever federal investment in our climate, but we must do more to help ensure a habitable planet for our children.
Our greatest security threats have no military solutions, and it is time our budget reflects that. Last week, I voted against the final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill, that originally came out of committee with pay raises for our service members and civilian federal employees, turned into a MAGA manifesto with the addition of a series of extremist Republican amendments.
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.
On Friday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis issued an order that halts the Biden administration from disbursing any student loan relief funds until the court rules on an emergency request by six Republican-led states to block the policy. This order does not prevent borrowers from still applying for student debt relief at studentaid.gov. I encourage you to apply if you have not done so already. Nearly 22 million Americans have already applied for the program.
Here is my latest weekly update for constituents. This week I discuss Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Climate Change, online extremism, and several other topics.
WASHINGTON – Today, both of Illinois' U.S. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago's lakefront, sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to address the emergency on our city's shoreline. Following substantial progress on rebuilding nearly 9 miles of the city's lakefront, the area experienced record high lake levels for most of 2020. The letter asks the Army Corps to evaluate the uncompleted segments of the project, which has already been authorized by both chambers of Congress.
The letter reads:
Today, Pope Francis released the Papal Encyclical, calling on all of us to address the global crisis of climate change. But the Encyclical was not the only religious document this week calling for bold action. The Rabbinic Letter demonstrates that leaders in the Jewish faith share the commitment to meeting perhaps the greatest challenge of our time.
Chicago, IL (Friday, April 22, 2011) - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky released the following statement commemorating Earth Day:
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky released the following statement in response to the State Department’s Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement:
“The State Department’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement significantly underestimates the emissions and climate impacts of the pipeline, mistakenly assuming that without Keystone XL, the Alberta Tar Sands would be produced at the same rate.