Dear John,

In this week's newsletter, my statement on former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's conviction, my work to protect taxpayers, and pushing back on Chicago's sanctuary city laws. If you need help with federal agencies, please reach out to one of my offices listed at the bottom of the newsletter.

My Statement on Michael Madigan's Conviction

Wednesday's verdict on former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is a victory for the rule of law, our justice system, and the citizens of Illinois.

I thank our men and women in law enforcement who worked tirelessly to achieve justice in this case.

Read my full statement below:

Prosecuting Unemployment Insurance Fraud

Fraudsters stole hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars from pandemic era unemployment programs. The House Ways and Means Committee passed the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act to hold these criminals accountable.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and protect U.S. taxpayers.

Watch my remarks below:

Meeting with Illinois Realtors

It was great to sit down with the Illinois Realtors in D.C. this week!

I look forward to working together to address the affordable housing issues we are seeing across Illinois' 16th District and around the country.

Stopping Sanctuary Cities Failed Immigration Policies

Illinois and Chicago have spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to support illegal immigrants. President Trump ran on fixing our broken border, and he is keeping that promise.

Under this administration, sanctuary city policies won’t be tolerated.

Watch more below:

A Turning Point for Lebanon

The election of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is a positive step for the future of Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

I’m hopeful under new leadership, Lebanon can move past the cancer of Hezbollah and chart a new path forward as a prosperous and independent nation.

Read more here: LaHood to This Is Beirut: Lebanon's New Political Path Is a Turning Point for Change in a Divided Nation

Simplifying the Tax Filing Process for Americans

Earlier this week, my Electronic Filing and Payment Fairness Act unanimously passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee.

This commonsense bill would extend the “mailbox rule” to electronic submissions and documents to the IRS. This legislation will eliminate unnecessary late fees and administrative burdens for the nearly 90% of Americans who file their taxes electronically.

Watch my remarks below:

Combatting the CCP's Latest Attempt to Steal Government Data

The CCP's DeepSeek poses greater national security risks than TikTok because the app stores sensitive data directly in China.

I won't enable U.S. government data to be stored in China. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ban DeepSeek from federal devices.

Read more here: Congressman Darin LaHood seeks to ban DeepSeek from federal government devices

One More Thing: Celebrating Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

On Wednesday, we celebrated one of the greatest presidents in our nation's history, Abraham Lincoln.

Illinois is proud to be the home of America's 16th President. After overseeing one of the most challenging times in history, he will always be remembered for his commitment to preserving freedom and democracy.

It is a privilege to serve the constituents of Illinois' 16th Congressional District. Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. Please do not hesitate to reach out to one of my offices if we can ever be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Darin LaHood
Member of Congress