On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee during a field hearing in Chicago on how to lower prescription drug costs for all Americans. During my testimony, I spoke about the role Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have played in driving up the costs of prescription drugs and their squeezing of local and independent pharmacies.

These practices have also allowed PBMs to target independent pharmacies, undermining them by imposing measures like direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees that leave local stores struggling to get by. Practices like these have resulted in 73 percent of Illinois counties experiencing pharmacy deserts, forcing patients to travel longer distances for their medication. In 2024 alone, more than 2,000 local and independent pharmacies across the country have closed due to these pressures.

During my time in Congress, I have made reducing prescription drug prices and taking on PBMs a priority. That’s why I have introduced several bipartisan pieces of legislation that aim to rein in their power and put the needs of patients first. I am grateful to Chairman Dick Durbin for holding this field hearing to allow me to shed more light on the power of PBMs, and I am committed to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to pass meaningful PBM reform that will help independent pharmacies and lower the cost of prescription drugs for Illinoisans and all Americans.

You can watch my full testimony here or by clicking the image above.

Last Thursday, I met with state and local officials in Bloomington-Normal to discuss the future of regional transportation across our state. During our meetings, we spoke about the $95 million in federal funding allocated for Illinois following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A portion of that funding will be used to improve and update facilities and service along the Chicago-St. Louis Amtrak rail corridor, which will benefit both commuters and casual riders.

Communities across our district and the Chicago suburbs benefit every day from Amtrak, commuter rail lines, and other regional public transit that allow workers to live outside the city. I believe that the rest of the state should also have that option, and it’s time we invest in regional transit across Illinois. The Bloomington-Normal station serves 200,000 passengers annually, making it the second busiest Amtrak station by volume in the state, trailing only Chicago. I am committed to working with local, state, and federal officials to make sure public transit services throughout Illinois are invested in and improved upon. You can read more about my discussion here.

Last week, I traveled to John A. Logan College in Cartersville and Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville to host two roundtable discussions on the importance of career and technical education (CTE) with local labor and educational leaders. This was a continuation of meetings I held in our district, and both events featured conversations on how best to continue to grow our state’s economy through investment and funding into CTE programs, as well as discussions on how best to help graduates from community colleges succeed in the future.

CTE programs, workforce development opportunities, and job training have been priorities for me since entering Congress because a ticket to the middle class should not require a four-year college degree. That is why I wrote Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act, which increased funding for CTE programs across the country by $1.3 billion annually, and why I am meeting with local education, business, and labor leaders as we prepare to reauthorize the law next year.

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.