Jan's Plans & Pans - February 7, 2025

Dear John xxxxxx,

President Donald Trump’s decision to place unelected billionaire co-President Elon Musk in charge of gutting federal agencies is an unconstitutional power grab that jeopardizes the livelihoods of all Americans and makes the world less safe. 

The chaos, confusion, and fear caused by the Trump Administration is having real impacts. My office has received thousands of calls from constituents who are concerned that Musk and his team have been empowered and given unrestricted access to Americans’ tax dollars.

My Democratic colleagues and I have made clear, any effort to steal taxpayer money from the American people, end Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, strip away food aid, annihilate the ability of Congress to represent our constituents, or in any way attack the lifesaving programs that Americans rely on will be resisted at every turn.

Right now, there are more than 20 different lawsuits challenging at least 11 executive orders. House Democrats have introduced legislation to prevent unlawful and unsecured access to Americans’ tax dollars. This week, I protested at the Department of Treasury, Department of Education, and Department of Health and Human Services. We will not stop fighting against these harmful violations of our laws, privacy, and our constitutional order.

Take care,

Schakowsky Protests Potential Cuts to Department of Education

For Trump and Musk, billionaire tax breaks are more urgent than teaching kids to read or count. They put profits first and your children last. I am a former elementary school teacher, I will not stand by as they try to dismantle the Department of Education. Click here for a clip from the protest.

Schakowsky Stands with Federal Workers

Trump bragged about how he was going to bring jobs back to America. Instead, he is taking jobs away. Our federal workers care for our veterans, fight back against climate change, support our economy, and so much more. I stand with all our federal workers and thank them for their dedication to our country.

Schakowsky Rallies with SEIU to Protect Medicaid

Congressional Republicans, led by Musk and Trump, are planning to cut taxes for billionaires while ripping health care away from seniors and people with disabilities. I joined a room full of advocates from SEIU to say hands off our Medicaid!

Schakowsky Demands Answers at Treasury Department

Billionaire Elon Musk was not elected by the American people. He has illegally accessed our private information and thinks he can decide if you get your Social Security check or if your loved one can get care under Medicare. I was at the Treasury Department to say Elon Musk must go!

Schakowsky Hosts Roundtable Discussion with Shore Community Services

At a Shore Community Services home, I spoke with two moms whose sons rely on Medicaid for daily living, health care, and employment assistance. If Trump prioritizes tax cuts for billionaires over Medicaid, millions will lose their lifesaving care. Lives are more important than tax cuts.

Schakowsky Visits Kenmore Plaza 

I visited Kenmore Plaza, a senior affordable housing building in Chicago, to speak with alarmed seniors. Trump must support our seniors instead of prioritizing billionaires.

Direct File Open for Taxpayers in Illinois

Direct File is now open for eligible taxpayers in Illinois! Direct File includes new features this year to make filing taxes quicker and easier. Similar to commercial tax software, a data import tool allows taxpayers to opt-in to automatically import data from their IRS account, including personal information, the taxpayer’s IP PIN and some information from the taxpayer’s W-2. 

This year, Direct File users can try a new chat bot to help guide them through the eligibility checker. Live chat is again available in English and Spanish, and users can opt into additional authentication and verification, which allows customer service representatives to provide more information.

Also, this year, Direct File covers more tax situations. Previously, Direct File supported taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Credit for Other Dependents. This year, Direct File also covers taxpayers claiming the:

• Child and Dependent Care Credit
• Premium Tax Credit
• Credit for the Elderly and Disabled
• Retirement Savings Contribution Credits

In addition to covering taxpayers claiming the standard deduction and deductions for student loan interest and educator expenses, this year, Direct File supports taxpayers claiming deductions for Health Savings Accounts. The Treasury Department estimates that more than 30 million taxpayers are eligible to use Direct File across the 25 states. 

Direct File is a web-based service that works on mobile phones, laptops, tablets or desktop computers. It guides taxpayers through a series of questions to prepare their federal tax return step-by-step. Last year, thousands of Direct File users got help from IRS customer service representatives through a live chat feature in English and Spanish. Once taxpayers have completed their federal tax return, the Direct File system automatically guides them to state tools to complete their state tax filings.

Social Security Fairness Act

On January 5th, 2025, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law! This bipartisan legislation eliminates the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which reduces Social Security benefits for workers who receive a public pension. The bill also repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which reduces Social Security survivor or spousal benefits for persons whose spouse has or had a public pension. The changes to the Social Security Administration (SSA) calculations made by this legislation will apply to monthly benefits accrued in January 2024 and beyond.

I have been fighting to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) for decades. Public employees who qualify for Social Security based on their, or a spouse’s, work history should not be penalized by having their earned benefits reduced. As a Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the House Democratic Task Force on Aging and Families, I will continue to fight for policies that support public employees and their families.

This new law involves multiple federal agencies and is a large undertaking by Social Security. Social Security is in the process of creating and implementing the new method of benefit calculation and will not be able to distribute the money owed to those impacted by this legislation until that method is finalized. As soon as this process is completed, those who are impacted by this will see an increase to their current benefits, as well as a lump sum for the retroactive benefits that are due from January 2024 until the time of implementation.

For now, it is my understanding that, as a benefit recipient, you do not need to do anything yet. It is suggested that everyone set up a SSA account on the Social Security website, SSA.gov, so that you are able to stay informed, and I will include updates in my Plans and Pans as l learn more!

Passport Renewal

Remember to check your passport validity before booking any travel plans! Current processing times for passports are: 4-6 weeks for routine and 2-3 weeks for expedited. These times are subject to change and are posted on the Dept. of State Website.  Please apply well in advance of your travel date – if your travel date is sooner than the current processing times, you may not get your passport in time for travel.

Please remember that emergency in-person appointments at the Chicago Passport Agency are intended for emergencies and availability is not guaranteed unless it is a life or death emergency! These appointments are not and have never been intended for routine renewal. If you have upcoming travel you should NOT plan on receiving an appointment at the Chicago Passport Agency. Passport renewals are intended to go through the mail. 

Did you know that many countries require your passport to be valid for several months beyond your date of travel? Depending on your destination, validity requirements can vary from 3 to 6 months beyond the date of travel! You can check the requirements for your destination on the Dept. of State Website under "International Travel" and "Country Information".

If you have planned travel and have a pending application that may not arrive on time, or if you need an emergency appointment at the Chicago Passport Agency, the Constituent Advocates in my District Office are happy to help! Please call the office at 773-506-7100, or you can open a case with my office online.