Jan's Plans & Pans - February 24, 2025

Dear John xxxxxx,

President Donald Trump promised to lower the high cost of living in the United States, and he has done the exact opposite. The chaos, confusion, and fear Trump has unleashed during his first month in office has not improved the quality of life of the American people. But billionaires? They are getting more tax cuts. Trump and Elon Musk would rather gut lifesaving programs and agencies than ask the rich to pay their fair share.

At least 79 different lawsuits have been filed in federal courts against the Trump administration’s illegal and unconstitutional executive orders. My Democratic colleagues and I are continuing to stand united and shine a light on the pain this administration is inflicting on the American people. I have made it my personal mission to attend every protest possible. I will continue to take every opportunity I can to speak out against efforts to dismantle our democracy, end Medicaid as we know it, get rid of Social Security or Medicare, undermine veterans benefits or nutritional assistance to children and families, and so much more. 

This week, House Republicans are planning to hold a vote on their bill that will give $4.5 trillion worth of tax cuts to billionaires and wealthy corporations. Instead of working on legislation to benefit all Americans, my GOP colleagues want to further enrich the ultra-wealthy. Democrats are committed to making life better for every single American. We must continue to resist and make our voices heard wherever and whenever possible.

Be well,

Schakowsky Protests the Potential Elimination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

How ironic that Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is trying to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency that has returned $20 billion to more than 200 million Americans cheated by greedy corporations. This is nothing but a gift to scammers and fraudsters who will now get to keep the money that they have stolen from consumers.

Schakowsky Stands with Civil Servants and Union Workers

A protest a day will help keep the billionaire tax cuts away. We raised hell about Donald Trump and Co-President Musk's $3 trillion budget freeze and they retreated. Each and every day, my Democratic colleagues and I are shining a light on the pain this Administration is inflicting on the American people.

Schakowsky Leads Effort to Protect Public Education

I, alongside U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08), led 42 colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump requesting that he immediately withdraw his recent executive order which directs the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Department of Defense to prioritize funding for private and charter schools, including faith-based institutions, via ‘voucher’ programs. To read the full letter, click here. 

Schakowsky Rallies with Educators at the Capitol 

As a former elementary school teacher, I will not sit on the sidelines as Trump and Musk try to dismantle the Department of Education. Our children are more important than tax cuts for billionaires. I joined dozens of educators from the National Education Association to protest potential cuts to this vital agency. It was a rainy day, but that could not stop us. We must persist.

Schakowsky Joins Environmental Protection Agency Workers at Daley Plaza

Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk do not care about our federal workers. They want to fire civil servants to further enrich themselves and their billionaire friends. I joined Environmental Protection Agency workers at Daley Plaza to take a stand. We are not backing away from the fight. We have to resist.

Schakowsky Meets with Constituents Who Rely on Medicaid 

Trump on Tuesday: No cuts to Medicaid. Trump on Wednesday morning: Supports the House GOP's budget with over $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Do not be fooled by Trump's lies. He wants tax cuts for billionaires funded by cuts to the lifesaving programs that working families desperately need.

Schakowsky Visits RefugeeOne

Trump's order to suspend funding for resettlement agencies directly harms families in the 9th District. RefugeeOne works tirelessly to help individuals who have fled violence and war become independent and self-supporting members of our community. Supporting refugees not only helps ensure a more stable and democratic world, but it also enriches our culture, ideals, and economy.

Follow Me on BlueSky

During this fraught time, it is more important than ever that we stand together and stay connected. Follow me on Bluesky to keep up with my latest work on behalf of the 9th Congressional District of Illinois. Click here to follow.

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.