Dear Neighbors,
Last week, I shared my efforts to prevent a government shutdown that threatens the health and financial security of millions of Americans. Unfortunately, President Trump’s shutdown continues, and with each passing day, families face growing uncertainty and rising costs.
Without action to restore critical Affordable Care Act subsidies, health care premiums are set to spike across Illinois, forcing working families to pay more for the care they need. I’m continuing to work with colleagues in both parties to end this shutdown, protect affordable coverage, and prevent these increases from taking effect.
At the same time, Illinois communities continue to experience heightened ICE activity and the ongoing threat of National Guard deployments ordered without our governor’s consent. I remain in close contact with state and local leaders to ensure our residents’ rights are protected and our laws are upheld.
While my offices in Schaumburg and Washington remain open and ready to assist you, many federal agencies are still operating with reduced staff. This may cause delays in services such as passports, Social Security, veterans’ benefits, and IRS inquiries. My team and I stand ready to help with these issues, as well as with any concerns related to ICE operations or National Guard activity, until this unnecessary shutdown ends and the government returns to full operation.
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 Krishnamoorthi stands beside working families, promises to fight for affordable health care.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi during his virtual pop-up town hall on protecting Illinois communities. (Click the image above to watch the full town hall.)
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In recent days, Illinois has seen an alarming escalation of federal actions: militarized ICE raids and an attempt to deploy out-of-state National Guard troops over Governor Pritzker’s objections. These actions are unnecessary, unlawful, and un-American. They use fear and force where trust and cooperation should guide us. Across Chicagoland, masked ICE agents have conducted predawn operations, detaining legal residents and even U.S. citizens, separating families, and spreading panic. Now, the administration’s effort to federalize members of our Illinois National Guard without the governor’s consent marks a dangerous step toward normalizing military deployments against our own citizens. Illinois is not at war; our streets are not battlefields; and our Guard members are not props in a political spectacle.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi visits the Broadview immigration facility but is denied access, blocking his oversight and efforts to bring transparency to ICE’s raids across the Chicago area. (Click the image above to watch Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s visit.)
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I’m fighting for accountability. I’ve pressed to bring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem before the House Oversight Committee to answer for these abuses and for ICE’s conduct. The American people deserve transparency and the assurance that federal law enforcement will never be used as a weapon of intimidation. On Tuesday evening, I hosted a virtual town hall with the ACLU of Illinois to share accurate information and ensure residents know their rights if approached by ICE or other federal officers. Here are the key takeaways:
Know Your Rights - You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions or produce documents.
- You can refuse consent to a search of your person, car, or home without a judicial warrant.
- You have the right to a lawyer before answering questions. Ask to contact one.
- You may record officers performing their duties in public, so long as you do not obstruct. If told to stop, calmly step back and ask, “Am I being detained? Am I free to go?”
- Safety first. Do not obstruct or physically resist; assert your rights calmly and clearly.
Practical tips - If you carry proof of status (e.g., work permit, green card), carry a copy, not the original, and make sure a trusted person knows where the original is.
- If a loved one is detained, many in our area are processed through Broadview and may be moved quickly. Seek legal help immediately.
- Bystanders can film encounters in public spaces and share the footage.
Need help? - My district office: (847) 413-1959 — we are monitoring this line closely.
- Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Family Support Hotline: 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY for immediate legal and family assistance.
I will keep working to protect every Illinoisan’s right to live free from intimidation and to defend the rule of law that keeps our democracy strong. You can watch a recording of my town hall here.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi denounces Secretary Noem’s visit to Chicago and the militarized ICE raids. (Click the image above to watch the full interview.)
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At a time when millions of families are struggling to put food on the table, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has quietly canceled one of the most important tools we have to measure hunger in America – the annual Household Food Security Report. I have called on Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to immediately reverse this decision and reinstate the report. For nearly thirty years, this nonpartisan survey has guided federal and state action on food assistance programs like SNAP. Its findings are vital: the last report indicated that 18 million American households faced food insecurity in 2023, one million more than the year before. Eliminating this report now, as food insecurity worsens, makes it harder for policymakers and the public to understand how recent cuts to SNAP are affecting families across the country.
The administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act slashed SNAP by $186 billion, putting more than 200,000 Illinois residents at risk of losing benefits. At the same time, grocery prices have climbed at their fastest rate in years, driven in part by shortsighted tariff and immigration policies. More than half of Americans now cite grocery costs as a major source of financial stress. Ending the Household Food Security Report just as hunger is rising is indefensible. Transparency is not political; it’s essential. That’s why I’m fighting to restore this report and hold the USDA accountable to the American people. Families in Illinois and across the nation deserve an honest accounting of how these policies are affecting their ability to afford food.
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Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell operated one of the most horrifying sex trafficking networks in modern history, abusing young women and girls, exploiting their vulnerability, and weaponizing their wealth and influence to escape accountability for years. Survivors have spent decades fighting to be believed and to see the full truth brought to light. They deserve justice, and the American people deserve transparency.
That’s why, as Ranking Member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, I joined Congressman Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the full Oversight Committee, in demanding that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence release all intelligence and law enforcement materials related to Epstein, Maxwell, and their network of associates. Our letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard requests the preservation and production of every relevant document, including financial records, intelligence reports, and communications, concerning Epstein and Maxwell’s contacts, foreign ties, and any potential involvement with intelligence services.
For years, questions have lingered about how Epstein amassed his fortune, whether he had ties to foreign governments, who enabled his crimes, and whether he maintained relationships with powerful individuals or entities in America that shielded him from scrutiny. The public deserves to know the truth. Not conspiracy theories, but facts supported by evidence. This investigation is not about politics. It’s about justice for survivors who were silenced for too long and accountability for those who allowed exploitation to flourish in the shadows. Congressman Garcia and I will continue pressing for the full release of these records so that no one, no matter how wealthy or well-connected, can operate above the law.
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The Congressional App Challenge is the official computer science competition of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since its launch in 2013, more than 50,000 students from 374 congressional districts across all 50 states and five U.S. territories have participated, making it the largest student coding competition in the nation. This competition is a unique opportunity to develop coding skills, unleash creativity, and design innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
I’m proud to announce that my office is participating in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge. Now through the end of October, middle and high school students of all coding skill levels in Illinois’s 8th Congressional District are encouraged to take part. Learn more and get started 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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