June was a busy month in Congress, and one bill that we spent a lot of time on was the Fiscal Responsibility Act, aka the debt limit deal, which I voted against. I could not vote for a bill that disinvests from our communities, and there were better ways to avoid a default. The bill makes it easier for tax cheats to avoid paying up and easier for corporate polluters to poison our environment as they rip away lifesaving social programs from people who need them and make it harder for constituents of all ages to access student debt relief. I wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune that goes into further detail on my vote.

The last week of May, I introduced the Reward Work Act. The bill bans companies from artificially increasing their stock prices by buying back their own stock at the expense of workers. The money companies spend on these buybacks could be used to improve products, safety, or worker pay and benefits. Last year companies spent a record amount on buybacks, and this year they are on track to spend more than a trillion dollars on them. Here’s an article from The American Prospect with more information on the bill.

On the infrastructure front, it was announced that thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our state will receive $1.7 billion dollars to purchase electric buses, making our public transit fleet greener and cleaner. I was also happy to work with my colleagues in the Illinois delegation — both in the House and Senate — to secure $8 million to modernize rail grade crossings in Franklin Park. These improvements will make things safer and easier for people in my district, especially in places like Franklin Park where people live with the daily reality of freight trains passing through their community.

In June, the Supreme Court handed down a number of rulings that hurt our communities. The Court ended affirmative action, and their decision returned us to an admissions policy that doubles down on a legacy of segregation and exclusion. The Court also blocked the President’s student debt relief program. This decision is a tragedy for the more than 1.5 million in Illinois who had applied for debt relief. The fight for debt relief is far from over, and I support the Biden administration’s plan to use their authority under the Higher Education Act to still cancel debt.

In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, the Supreme Court decision licensed discrimination against the LGBTQI+ people. This ruling was based on an invented scenario of a web designer denying service to a same-sex couple. It creates a dangerous precedent that could be used to roll back far more rights and protections from the LGBTQI+ community and other groups.

I welcomed the fourth district’s 2023 Congressional Art Competition Winner, Mariana Calderon, to my Washington, DC office! 

Her masterpiece, Farming A Dream, is going to be displayed in the Capitol tunnel for the next year. I can’t wait to see it each time I go to vote.

Congratulations Mariana!

On June 26th, I also hosted my first town hall in Franklin Park with Mayor Barrett Pederson as a special guest! It was great to meet many new constituents and have an opportunity to answer their questions. I’ll be hosting more town halls soon, so stay tuned for future dates and locations. You can watch a live stream of the town hall here.

Along with fellow members of the Illinois delegation, I attended President Biden's speech at the Old Post Office. I was glad to hear the President speak about addressing the devastating legacy of trickle-down by building an economy from the bottom up. 

What better city for this speech than Chicago — a city built by unions.

I spoke on the House floor to honor Rudy Lozano, the great organizer and activist who built coalitions and fought the Chicago machine.

He was my friend, political mentor, and compadre.

¡Que Viva Rudy Lozano!

You can watch my speech here or click the video below.

Upcoming Events 

My staff will be tabling at the following events and sharing services and resources my office can help with. 

Saturday, July 22nd: ACCESS Community Health Network Health Fair

ACCESS Pilsen 1817 S. Loomis St. Chicago, IL 60608

10AM-2PM

Friday, July 28th: Solutions for Care’s 2nd Annual Healthy Living Event

7222 W. Cermak Rd. North Riverside, IL 60546

10AM-2PM

Satellite Office Hours

In an effort to be accessible and serve all constituents from IL-04 my team has traveled the district to bring our services to you. Since March my team has hosted satellite office hours in Stone Park, Franklin Park, Northlake, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Stickney, and Berwyn! Stay tuned to where we’ll pop up next!

Need Help with a Federal Agency?

Our office has a dedicated team of caseworkers that assist constituents with many federal services. Some services we can help with:

• Social Security claims
• Medicare and Medicaid claims
• Passport requests
• SBA loans
• Veterans benefits
• Immigration case inquiries

Click here to request help.

Have a safe and healthy end to your July,

Congressman Chuy García