Last week, the U.S. Senate voted to unanimously pass my legislation to rename the St. Charles East Side Station Post Office as the Veterans of the Vietnam War Memorial Post Office. Over 58,000 Americans, including almost 3,000 Illinoisans, bravely and courageously sacrificed their lives during the war in Vietnam. By renaming this post office in St. Charles in honor of the men and women in uniform who never came home to their families, it is my hope that our community is reminded of that sacrifice every time they visit the newly renamed post office. I look forward to joining local veterans from St. Charles and around our district in the coming months to celebrate the renaming of this post office in their honor.

On Thursday, I joined Fox News’ Common Ground segment with Republican Congressman John James to discuss policy areas that still have room for cooperation despite the partisan divisions that so often tear Washington apart. Over the course of our conversation, we addressed areas of shared, bipartisan concern, including the threats posed by Russia’s newly revealed efforts to develop anti-satellite technology to disrupt communications and the need to secure our border. We also touched on the importance of supporting our friends across the world by sending aid to key allies and security partners including Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, while expanding humanitarian aid, including to Palestinians.

In addition to those broader areas of agreement, Congressman James and I also discussed our bipartisan Opportunity to Compete Act which will help ensure that Americans who have developed the skills necessary to succeed in a job don’t hit a ‘paper ceiling’, namely that they are not rejected merely because they lack a piece of paper in the form of a four-year degree. As we continue to work to strengthen and expand our middle class, it is essential that we expand apprenticeships and skills-based education while also guaranteeing that the workers benefitting from them can reach their full potential so our economy can do the same. Learn more about our legislation here and watch our full conversation from Thursday here.

On Monday, as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I joined with Chairman Mike Gallagher and several other members of our committee in traveling to Boston for bipartisan discussions on how to best counter the threats posed by the CCP’s attempts to control the future of biotechnology. As the CCP’s economic threats to our economy and attempts to gather genetic information on Americans expand, it only becomes more important for us to contain those efforts and prevent American private or public funds from fueling the CCP’s initiatives. The American biotechnology sector is the world’s strongest, bringing enormous economic and health benefits to Americans. It is essential that we help the industry grow, creating jobs and beneficial technologies without seeing those innovations seized through the CCP’s sophisticated intellectual property theft efforts or used against Americans.

On Wednesday, I joined my colleague Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan for a discussion on how to strengthen our economy and better out-compete the CCP through embracing research, innovation, and American workforce development. Fundamentally, winning the competition against the CCP is about countering and containing their economic and military aggression while helping Americans and our economy reach their full potential. You can watch our full conversation here.

If you are unable to make it to our district office in Schaumburg, our staff is available at mobile office hours throughout the district. Share your concerns, questions, issues and get help navigating federal agencies at convenient locations across the district.

Our Next Wood Dale Office Hours: Wednesday, March 6^th: 10:00am – 1:00pm in the Wood Dale Public Library at 520 N Wood Dale Rd, Wood Dale, IL.

We will continue to hold additional office hours in Wood Dale on the first Wednesday of each month: April 3^rd, May 1^st, June 5^th, July 3^rd, August 7^th, September 4^th, October 2^nd, November 6^th, December 4^th.

Our Next Elgin Office Hours: Tuesday, March 12^th: 10:00am – 1:00pm at the Gail Borden Public Library (Elgin Branch) at 270 N. Grove Ave, Elgin, IL.

We will continue to hold additional office hours in Elgin on the second Tuesday of each month: April 9^th, May 14^th, June 11^th, July 9^th, August 13^th, September 10^th, October 8^th, November 12^th, December 10^th.

Our Next Des Plaines Office Hours: Tuesday, April 9^th: 9:30am – 11:30am in the Des Plaines Public Library at 1501 Ellinwood St, Des Plaines, IL.

We will continue to hold additional office hours in Wood Dale on the second Tuesday of every other month: June 11^th, August 13^th, November 12^th.

The best way to stay up to date on these issues beyond our newsletter is through my social media accounts, which I update multiple times each day. You can follow my Twitter (X) here, my Facebook page here, my Instagram here, and my Threads here. Thank you for staying engaged in our community.