Dear Neighbors,
Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope this message finds you well. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact my office by calling (847) 413-1959, emailing me at [email protected], or sending a message through my website at https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/contact/email. For more frequent updates, I encourage you to follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
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My office is hiring! If you are a veteran or a Gold Star family member who lives in our community, we would love to have you join our team at our Schaumburg District Office as part of the Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program (G&G CAP). The G&G CAP is open exclusively to recent veterans, Gold Star Families, and active-duty spouses who are interested in helping our neighbors with casework and serving as liaisons to local Veterans Service Organizations. To read more about the position and to apply, please click here.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi discusses the progress being made on the Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project.
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On Monday, I partnered with the leadership of the Illinois Tollway in updating the public on the progress being made on the Elgin O’Hare Western Access (EOWA) project. The project, which will connect Interstate-90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) and Interstate-294 (Tri-State Tollway), will significantly reduce the amount of travel time to Chicago O’Hare International Airport for communities across our region. The project, deemed regionally and nationally significant by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will cut travel time and traffic to the airport, as well as boost local and small businesses in communities around O’Hare by increasing accessibility to these areas. The EOWA construction is projected to bring 65,000 new, good-paying jobs to the greater Chicago area by 2040 and will reduce stress on national and global supply chains by better connecting O’Hare to ground and rail transportation.
The new connection will also reduce travel on local roads by 24 percent and serve more than 120,000 vehicles per day, meaning frequent fliers will be home faster. You can read more about my trip to the site in the Daily Herald here and watch the ABC7 Chicago segment here.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi questions FEMA Administrator Criswell on the dangers of mis- and disinformation following natural disasters and the impact they have on the government’s recovery efforts. (Click the image above to watch the full question line.)
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During an Oversight Committee hearing last week, I questioned Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell on the danger of misinformation and disinformation. Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which devastated parts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia earlier this fall, damaging disinformation began circulating online claiming FEMA employees and first responders discriminated against those in need based on their political views. During my question line with Administrator Criswell, I confirmed that these rumors were not only false but also dangerous, and future disinformation can jeopardize FEMA’s ability to help storm and natural disaster victims. FEMA has received bipartisan praise for its efforts to help those in need following the hurricanes, and disinformation undermines the government’s attempts to aid those impacted.
I also spoke with Administrator Criswell on the dangers posed to child care centers during natural disasters, specifically those located in providers’ homes rather than commercial facilities. Providers’ homes are often overlooked following natural disasters, creating a child care crisis that can extend long after the cleanup efforts are underway. The greater Chicago area is not immune to these natural disasters, and if mass flooding were to occur in our communities, thousands of child care centers would be impacted. Administrator Criswell has pledged to work with my office, the Oversight Committee, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to ensure these centers receive the support they need after natural disasters. A link to my full question line can be found here.
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Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi observes the tabletop exercise conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
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Last week, as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I co-hosted a tabletop simulation on the state of our country’s defense industrial base – the network of companies, facilities, and resources that provide the U.S. military with the materials, products, and services it needs to help our servicemembers succeed. This exercise, centered on threats posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to Taiwan, but also the limitations of our current industrial base to produce enough ammunition, armaments, and other supplies to sustain our troops as well as to support our security partners and allies. For example, according to the most recent Congressional Research Service data, the PRC is producing 359 large ocean-going ships for every one the United States produces. This translates into the PRC having a bigger navy than ours with a widening gap, reducing our deterrence.
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The graphic above displays the People’s Republic of China’s current 359 to 1 production advantage in large ocean-going ships which reflects many current weaknesses in the US defense industrial base.
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The question of these capabilities is not simply one of what might happen in an armed conflict but actually of how we deter conflict through demonstrating strength. As the CCP continues its policies of bellicosity and military buildup, signs of weakness and vulnerability on our part, whether in the state of our military or in our ability to supply it, actually make conflict more likely. Thus, to prevent conflict and safeguard our country and our friends from military aggression, it is essential that we strengthen our military industrial base to produce the ammunition, shells, missiles, and other supplies we need to succeed if a conflict were to occur, and, much more importantly, to help prevent one from breaking out.
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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.
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