Dear Neighbors,
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, Threads, and Bluesky.
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Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi with Cook County Health CEO Dr. Erik Mikaitis, Kathy Waligora from Everthrive Illinois/Protect Our Care Illinois, and patients and advocates.
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On Tuesday, I joined Cook County Health CEO Dr. Erik Mikaitis and Kathy Waligora from EverThrive Illinois/Protect Our Care Illinois, as well as medical professionals, patients, and advocates, to discuss the importance of protecting Medicaid funding. The event comes a week after I voted against the Republican budget resolution that lays the groundwork for $1.5 trillion in federal spending cuts, the majority of which would come from critical social programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Roughly 3.4 million Illinoisans depend on Medicaid for their health care, and more than 862,000 of them are at risk of losing their benefits completely if these cuts go into effect.
As someone whose family relied on programs like SNAP and public housing to help us through a difficult time, any attempts to slash these programs are deeply personal to me. Gutting Medicaid will lead to Illinoisans having to make impossible decisions for their health and the health of their loved ones. During our roundtable conversation, I made clear I will continue to fight any attempts to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs Illinoisans depend on to get back on their feet. You can watch the WGN segment on my discussion here.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi highlights several flavored vapes products during his questioning. (Click the image above to watch the clip.)
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Last week during an Oversight Committee hearing, I renewed my call for greater federal action to combat youth vaping. During my line of questioning, I highlighted how e-cigarette companies use candy-flavored vapes to entice young people into nicotine addiction. Despite Big Tobacco’s claim that these flavors are targeted at adults, I pointed out that products labeled ‘Rainbow Road’ and ‘Sour Skittles’ clearly exist to hook children. As a father of three and the co-founder of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End Youth Vaping, I find these attempts by Big Tobacco to market to young people disgraceful and worthy of action by federal agencies and Congress. You can watch my line of questioning from the hearing on vapes here.
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Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi delivers his opening statement during a joint hearing with the Senate Special Committee on Aging. (Click the image above to watch his opening statement.)
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Last week, I co-led a joint hearing of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Senate Special Committee on Aging to examine how the CCP targets seniors with financial scams and other illicit activities. Cyber scamming in Southeastern Asian countries like Burma and Cambodia is fueled by Chinese gangs, generating almost $44 billion in profit annually from unsuspecting victims and creating widespread human rights abuses for those forced to work as scammers in dangerous and inhumane conditions. The scams also strike close to home - during my opening statement questions to witnesses, I highlighted the story of Erika DeMask, a Lombard woman who lost her life savings of nearly $1 million to such a scam operation.
We need to do more to combat these organized crime scams and to help call attention to this issue. My staff and I organized a sting operation against a scammer named “Daisy” who reached out to my staff looking for an “approximate investment of 10 million to 30 million dollars” after just a few brief conversations. It’s critical that the U.S. work with our international partners and allies to crack down on these scammers and protect all Americans, but particularly seniors, from these complex schemes. You can watch my opening statement here and my question line here.
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Earlier this month, I reintroduced my State Taskforce Opportunity Program (STOP) Bullying Act, legislation designed to reduce bullying of students of all backgrounds and ages in primary and secondary schools, with a specific focus on LGBTQI+ students. The bill incentivizes the establishment of statewide anti-bullying task forces to study, address, and reduce bullying in schools—environments that should be safe and supportive for all students to learn and grow. Every child deserves that environment, and my STOP Bullying Act will help ensure safer and healthier climates for all students. I hope to see my legislation move to the floor of the House soon.
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Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide visual art competition for high school students to recognize and encourage artistic talent across the country and within our congressional district. More than 650,000 students have participated since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982. I want to encourage all interested and eligible students in our district to submit their art. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in the Eighth District of Illinois. The Student Information and Release Form and the artwork are due by Friday, April 18, and you can find more details on my website here.
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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, my Threads here, and my Bluesky here. Thank you for staying engaged in our community.
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