Editorials
Dec 21, 2016
Editorials
O’Hare International Airport is a critical economic engine of the Chicago region, a hub of international commerce, and our city’s gateway to the world.
Nov 17, 2016
Editorials
November 14 marked Congress’s first day back in session following an extended recess period and the end of a divisive campaign season, culminating in an election night that many of my constituents and colleagues — myself included — found surprising.
Sep 29, 2016
Editorials
Currently, the VA provides many services for transgender veterans, including hormone therapy, mental health care, preoperative evaluation, and long-term care following gender-confirmation surgery, but gender-confirmation surgery itself is noticeably missing from the list.
Issues:
Aug 26, 2016
Editorials
Today, August 26, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day - a day to commemorate the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. As the father of two daughters, the ongoing struggle for women’s equality is very personal for me. That’s why it has been an honor during my time in Congress to support women’s rights by advocating for reproductive rights, equal pay, access to paid maternity leave and quality child care.
Issues:
Jul 28, 2016
Editorials
When I was sworn in to Congress in April of 2009, we were at the height of the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Unemployment shot up to 10 percent, median household wealth plummeted by almost 40 percent and nearly five million homeowners lost their homes to foreclosure. Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since 2009.
Issues:
Jul 13, 2016
Editorials
"Gun to the right. No gun to the left" was the greeting heard by attendees entering the cavernous hall in Crown Point, Ind., that hosted the Central Indiana Gun and Knife Show. The Industrial Arts Building on the Lake County Fairgrounds has played host to garden shows and home improvement and craft vendors. But on a recent sunny Sunday afternoon, the rambling, 90-year-old brick building played host to products that were of an altogether different nature.
Issues:
Jul 12, 2016
Editorials
Our current blood donation policy for gay and bisexual men reinforces tired stereotypes about gay men. Is this really the message we want to send to many healthy young men who go to donate blood for the first time, maybe at their high school blood drive or to help a friend or family member in need -- that their blood is worth less because of whom they love?
Issues:
Jul 5, 2016
Editorials
People are familiar with Ozone Action Days — times when ozone levels are high and people should be cautious. They should also make themselves familiar with Overflow Action Days. Overflow Action Days are days when the Chicago area has been hit with so much rain that people really should conserve water at home until the local sewer system has a chance to catch up with all the extra water. Overflow Action Days are important because if people don’t conserve water at home, our sewers back up and untreated sewage is released into Chicago area waterways, including the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.
Issues:
Jun 23, 2016
Editorials
Democrats from Illinois spoke out Wednesday during a rare, raucous sit-in on the House floor, demanding votes on gun control. They threw decorum out the window and, with C-SPAN's camera shut off, spread the word with tweets, snapshots and video.
Issues:
Jun 13, 2016
Editorials
Tourism has grown to be one of the United States’ most important industries, with one in nine U.S. jobs depending on it. Travel employment increased for the tenth month in a row this past April, according to an U.S. Travel Association estimate. And in 2015, domestic and international travelers spent $947 billion in the U.S. and directly supported more than 8.1 million U.S. jobs. Travel is also America’s largest service export, as well as one of our top job generating industries. So, it would stand to reason that Congress should be looking for ways to support this industry and increase international tourism.
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