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Throughout her time in Congress, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos has been a steadfast advocate for families in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District. She has worked tirelessly to ensure the voices of hardworking Americans are heard in our government. She lives her heartland values, is a talented listener and consensus builder, and has never shied away from speaking her mind.

Earlier this month, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer testified before the House Select Committee on Modernization and highlighted the need for the House to offer competitive salaries and benefits in order to attract and retain talented, experienced, and diverse Congressional staff – particularly after an intense workload over the past year responding to the pandemic and its ensuing economic crisis, and after the trauma of the January 6th insurrection.

Once again we are seeing Republicans across the country, this time in Florida, restricting the right to vote under the guise of maintaining ‘election integrity.’ Make no mistake: the legislation that passed the Florida Legislature late last night is a thinly-veiled attempt to suppress access to the ballot box – particularly for Americans of color – and allow for continued Republican control across the state.

When 2021 began, our economy was in the middle of a crisis unseen in our lifetimes, with real GDP having fallen 3.5% in the previous twelve months and an outgoing Administration that consistently ignored the severity of our challenges and failed to provide adequate leadership.  What a difference four months have made. 

On January 20, President Biden took office amid the worst public health crisis in a century, the most painful economic crisis in anyone's memory, and the greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War.