Privacy
We have a right to the protection of personal information. As our economy and technology continue to change, so does the face of privacy rights. Americans should feel confident that the purchases they make, the books they read, the places they travel, sensitive medical information and the legal activities they participate in within their own homes can be kept personal and private. I will continue to speak out in favor of strong privacy protections and to guarantee that individuals control what information they divulge and the nature of that information.
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Right now, Congress has until the end of September to fund our government and avert a shutdown. It is my hope that we can quickly reach a bipartisan agreement to temporarily extend current spending levels. I will keep fighting to ensure that any continuing resolution we consider is free from poison pill policy provisions. Too much is at stake. This is not a game.
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Ranking Member of the House Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee, released the following statement on the bipartisan American Privacy Rights Act:
"I am furious that Republican Leadership did the bidding of Big Tech and special interests today and derailed our committee’s bipartisan efforts to protect consumers and pass comprehensive privacy legislation. Americans feel helpless online and the time to act is now.
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.
This week was a big week in the House of Representatives! Thanks to the passage of the National Security Supplemental package, Congress took a major step towards giving our allies the assistance they need, standing up to global aggressors and bad actors like Russia, Iran, and Hamas, and getting desperately needed aid to civilians around the globe.
For my entire career, I have worked to advance reproductive freedom. I will always remember the horrifying story of my friend’s back-alley abortion pre-Roe v. Wade. Roe was not the beginning of women having abortions, it was the end of women dying from abortions.
Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to enforce an antiquated law that bans nearly all abortions in the state. This cruel ban was first enacted in 1864—more than 150 years ago, before Arizona was even a state and well before women had secured the right to vote.
After months of far-right extremists hijacking our appropriations process, Congress has completed the final part of the FY 2024 budget, which will help Americans deal with high prices, sides with the hard-working middle class, protects women’s rights, and reinforces America’s global leadership. I am pleased to report that my final community project funding request was approved, which means, in total, I will be bringing home nearly $19 million to the 9th Congressional District of Illinois.
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.