Lake County Gazette

Happy May! Hopefully, we will soon cross over from the still chill air of early spring to the warmer summer breezes that bring with them the planting of vegetable gardens, the sounds of returning birds, and the joyous gatherings of family and friends.

I am back home this week after a very busy two weeks in Washington. Some of the highlights included: attending South Korean President Yoon Suk Yoel’s speech to a joint session of Congress; Ways and Means Committee hearings on trade and taxes, including a session with the new IRS Commissioner; Foreign Affairs Committee hearings and briefings on developments in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria; and, the week before last, two special programs marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

The big news last week, however, was the House passage of the Republican bill that would raise the debt ceiling in exchange for deep cuts in government programs, including those that provide veterans’ health care and combat climate change. I think the most succinct description of the plan comes from the nonpartisan Center for Budget & Policy Priorities: 

“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt-limit-and-cuts bill puts the U.S. economy at grave risk by using the need to raise the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip to force a set of unpopular, harmful policies — policies that would make deep cuts in a host of national priorities; leave more people hungry, homeless, and without health coverage; and make it easier for wealthy people to cheat on their taxes.”

I voted against what I considered to be an unserious, irresponsible bill for two primary reasons. First, it does not address the debt ceiling issue but instead kicks the can to next year, merely delaying a crisis and setting up another likely standoff in less than 12 months. Second, as if negotiating a ransom in exchange for a short-term delay, the bill requires long-term cuts to urgent priorities, including modernizing the IRS, assisting veterans impacted by exposure to harmful chemicals during their military service, and addressing the ever-increasing impacts of climate change. You can see my remarks on the floor here. We must not default on the nation’s debt and put our economy in grave danger.  As Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin stated in March in testimony to the Ways and Means Committee,

"In my assessment - and that of economists across the board - a default on our debt would trigger an economic and financial catastrophe… I urge all members of Congress to come together to address the debt limit – without conditions and without waiting until the last minute." 

My hope and expectation are that Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate, will work with the Administration to directly deal with two distinct issues: (1) pass a clean debt ceiling bill, and (2) responsibly begin the process of bringing down our deficits and reducing our debt burden. People with good intentions, negotiating in good faith, can tackle our challenges.

Meanwhile, though busy in Washington, I also had a few days at home to meet with constituents and travel around the district. I spent a good amount of time with some of our area students, attending the Mikva Challenge Issues-to-Action Showcase at Waukegan High School and hosting the awards presentation for the Congressional Arts Competition and Congressional App Challenge. I also had the honor of addressing new citizens at a welcome celebration hosted by HACES at the Warren Newport Library. 

I attended the Mikva Civics Challenge Showcase at Waukegan High School, where hundreds of students from Waukegan, Cristo Rey, Libertyville, and Stevenson High School displayed their ideas for addressing some of the most pressing policy challenges facing our community and our country. These young people are our future, and I have no doubt their ideas will significantly impact our communities and our country. 

The Congressional Art Competition decorates the halls of Congress each year with representation from every corner of the United States. The 2023 Congressional Art Competition participants again impressed me with their incredible creativity and talent. Jilian Rodriquez, a senior at Waukegan High School, will have her piece hang in the US Capitol for a year.

I look forward to pointing Jillian’s work (below) out to everyone visiting the Capitol throughout the year. I thank our judging panel and all the students who shared their unique artwork in our contest. The Tenth District is lucky to be home to many creative and talented young people! 

I celebrated a few of our students who participated in this year’s Congressional App Challenge. Students impressed me by putting their STEM skills to the test for a chance to have their apps featured in Washington. Ashley Keim and Connor Koefelda won our Congressional App Challenge with their app “Negative Headspace” to provide users with various pressing issues worldwide and suggestions on what can be done to address them. 

Every year on Earth Day, as I drive around our district, I am impressed at how many groups come out to make a difference, whether cleaning a beach or clearing invasive species in local forests. This year I kicked off the day with friends and local elected officials at Waukegan Beach and then stopped by the Lake County Veterans Earth Day cleanup in Round Lake. 

I was honored to host representatives from the Lake County Farm Bureau in my office to have the opportunity to hear their priorities and concerns and share the work I am doing on behalf of farmers and our farming communities. 

I met with Round Lake Fire Chief Greg Formica's Department to discuss their plans to create a mental health facility for first responders at a recently gifted property. The Fire Department plans to partner with NICASA to make this facility a reality, and I am eager to assist. 

I joined State Senators Adriane Johnson, Mary Edly-Allen, and State Representative Laura Faver Dias at the Alliance for Human Services to discuss numerous issues affecting our communities, including our nation’s broken immigration system. I was proud to share that in the last Congress; I was an original cosponsor of the U.S. Citizenship Act, President Biden’s inclusive and humane framework for the future of the U.S. immigration system.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON

As noted above, the big news was the vote on the Republican Debt bill. Below are scenes from some of the other big events of the past couple of weeks.

New IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel testified before the House Ways and Means Committee about his plans to modernize the agency, improving both “customer service” and compliance. He estimates that more than $500 billion in owed taxes go uncollected every year. If not addressed, those paying taxes will have to make up more than $5 trillion in lost revenues! You can see my exchange with Commissioner Werfel here.

I joined fellow Representatives, Senators, and diplomats worldwide to hear President Yoon Suk Yeol's wonderful speech. He touched on the history and the future of the U.S. – Korea relationship, the threats posed by North Korea, and global threats to democracy. I thought one of his most powerful lines was, "Those who cherish freedom also respect the freedom of others. Thus, freedom brings peace. Peace, in turn, safeguards freedom. Freedom and peace are sources of creativity and innovation. They bring prosperity and abundance."

RECOGNIZING ISRAEL’S 75 ANNIVERSARY

Last week the House voted 401-19 for my resolution honoring the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Israel relations and calling for the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords. I introduced the resolution with my colleagues Ann Wagner (MO-2), Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-Chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus, Chairman Michael McCaul (TX-10), and Vice Ranking Member Kathy Manning (NC-6). You can read my complete statement on the anniversary here.

In addition to the resolution, I was honored to host two briefing sessions with former Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for my colleagues. I also joined a meeting with former Prime Minister Ehud Barak. It was very helpful to hear the perspectives of both leaders on the prospects for the judicial reforms being considered in Israel and their views on the critical security issues facing Israel and the U.S. in the Middle East. 

I am incredibly honored to be one of 5 House members appointed to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council and was very proud to be again the lead sponsor for the Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance Ceremony in the Capitol. The somber ceremony included inspired remarks from U.S. Special Envoy Combating Antisemitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt. Most notable were the family photos and memories of some of the 20+ attending survivors. 

April 15, 1915, marks what is considered to be the beginning of the genocide against the Armenian people. More than 1.5 million Armenians were killed. As a proud member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, I was honored to address the annual meeting of the Armenian National Committee of America to reflect and call for the end of the Artsakh blockade. 

At a House Foreign Affairs Hearing, I made clear that we must do everything possible to ensure Russian war criminals are held accountable for their actions. We spoke with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine about how we are working together to expose Putin's crimes. You can watch my full remarks with the prosecutor general here.

I had the pleasure of attending the Democratic Women’s Caucus’s shadow hearing about the reality of a Post-Roe America. Around the country, women are in crisis as they try to access health care. Their story is being shared in the halls of Congress. 

Believe it or not, the picture above is a small subset of the March Fourth group that came to Washington to call on Congress to pass an Assault Weapons Ban. We had a great, serious conversation about what must be done to keep our kids and communities safe from gun violence. 

My good friends from The National Association of Letter Carriers stopped by my office to discuss The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 and The Federal Retirement Fairness Act. 

I was first a member of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) more than 30 years ago, so it was very special to see a JAC delegation from home in my office.  JAC is a nationwide advocacy network working to protect women’s reproductive rights, maintain the Constitutional separation of church and state, tackle gun violence, and strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship.  

Representatives from the Consumer Technology Association, including Denise Gibson, co-founder and chair of ICE in Libertyville, joined me outside a Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing to share their thoughts on various issues, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and broadband access. 

I enjoyed meeting student leaders and administration officials from the University of Illinois at Springfield. We talked about some of the recent successes achieved at the university and the plans for the students after graduation. Illinois is blessed to have many incredible universities and colleges. We need to ensure that more of our young people can benefit from higher education to pursue their aspirations and lead our nation into the future. 

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY

Please visit my website to find resources available for everything from saving money on your internet bill to locating your local food bank, various help lines, and even help Ukrainians refugees fleeing the war.

I want to share with you another constituent casework success story. Navigating the federal agency bureaucracy can be challenging, but my excellent casework team in Lincolnshire is ready to help you. If you need help with a federal agency, fill out a Privacy Release Form or call my Lincolnshire office at (847) 383-4870 so my casework team can assist you.

IN CLOSING—

Like our first event in 2019, this year, Republican and Democratic Representatives were joined by six Holocaust survivors to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day and read the names of people murdered but not forgotten. Among the survivors joining us, Rachel “Rae” Mutterperl Goldfarb shared her remarkable, truly harrowing story.

Rae was a young child when first the Soviets and then the Nazis occupied her hometown of Dokszyce, Poland. The Nazis required the area’s Jews to wear yellow stars, forcing them into a tightly confined, massively crowded ghetto.

When Nazis began mass killings in Dokszyce, Rae and her family hid, concealing themselves for nine days in a tiny, secret room between two walls. Rae’s brother was killed, and her paternal grandmother sacrificed herself to help Rae and her mother, Dina, escape.

Rae and Dina joined partisans armed against the Nazis, then found shelter in a displaced persons camp in Italy before immigrating to the United States in 1947. On May 2, 2023, Rae volunteers with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s visitor services, welcoming and guiding museum visitors and sharing her story. 

As always, Holocaust Remembrance Day is a potent reminder of carrying forward the responsibility to fight antisemitism and all forms of hate in our own time. People of all faiths and ethnicities should freely live and practice their faith with confidence and dignity. Only through remembrance, study, and through committed actions will we ensure "never again."

Stay strong, stay safe, stay healthy.Sincerely,

Bradley S. SchneiderMember of Congress

Original source can be found here.