Dear Friends,

Happy Friday! This past week, I honored Martin Luther King Jr. by continuing his work toward racial justice and civil rights in the Second District. I am committed to maintaining these goals with the new presidential administration in office, despite efforts to disrupt our progress.

Immigration Resources

President Trump has made it known that he wants to criminalize immigrants through a series of divisive executive orders. With increased ICE activity in Chicago, it is essential to know how to protect yourself when encountering law enforcement.

MLK Blood Drive

On Monday, I attended the fifth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Blood Drive organized by the Chi Lambda Lambda and Lambda Tau Omega chapters in collaboration with Versiti Blood Center of Illinois.

For me, donating blood is important. Just one donation can save up to three lives, which makes a huge difference. Even if you only donate once a year, it's a great initiative to give back to our community.

The Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act

In 2022, I had the opportunity to work alongside former President Biden to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. Since then, the act has capped out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs to $2,000 a year for Medicare enrollees with Part D coverage, and has allowed them to pay in monthly installments.

Ultimately, our work has cut prescription drug bills in half for over one million people across the country. In Illinois, the average reduction in total out-of-pocket costs was $2,406! 

This is just some of the progress that has been made. I will continue working to lower costs and improve quality healthcare access for everyone across the Second District.

Educational Program Opportunity for Educators

Calling all K-12 teachers and higher education faculty!

The National Endowment for the Humanities organization is looking for educators in our district who are interested in developing new teaching methods.

Selected educators get the opportunity to enhance their teaching skills while delving deeply into a humanities topic through one- to four-week residential, virtual, and combined format programs. There are over 44 programs to choose from, ranging from pandemics to the American West.

Over 235,000 students nationwide are currently taught by the more than 1,700 educators who participated last summer. The impact of these invaluable programs is broad.

You can apply here. The deadline for all 44 programs is March 5.

If you would like to share your thoughts with me, feel free to visit my website. You can also keep in touch through Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and BlueSky.

Sincerely,

Robin L. Kelly
Member of Congress