Issues

I'll be checking in with you and asking for your opinions frequently in surveys, and will reflect them as closely as possible, even in a rapidly changing legislative environment. I welcome your input any time on any issue. I'll personally read every email, text, and survey response you send me, and my office will respond within two days.

If you have a problem with the federal government, as many do recently, my office will do everything possible to solve it to your satisfaction. I've done and supervised staff solving individual cases and responding to requests. My office will be responding to you immediately. You won't have to wait years for my office to be able to solve your problems.

I plan to help the 7th in many additional ways outside of purely legislative action. If I can help facilitate intergovernmental cooperation, even when the federal government isn't involved, I will. If I can help solicit foreign investment for Chicagoland business sectors or clusters of firms, I will certainly do it, as the State Department does - while avoiding personal benefit, specific or implied endorsement of products or companies. I'll support, in every way possible, all the critical nonprofits that provide needed services to our community.

Members of Congress play multiple roles: as delegates and trustees.

First, they're delegates, reflecting their constituents' views. I'll be listening at home every free minute to your views, problems, and concerns. If you sign up here on this website to keep informed, I'll send you surveys on your concerns and act on them in Washington.

Second, they play a trustee role. Constituents are busy living their lives. They don't always have time to be closely involved in telling their Congressman what to do. Other times issues are so complicated or fast-moving, such as policy negotiations , committee markups, or conference committees that consultation with constituents isn't feasible. Then, constituents have to trust their congressperson to act in their interest. Over time I will earn that trust.

On the negative end, constituents have to trust that their representative won't act in lobbyists' interests instead of theirs because of the implicit contractual overtones of campaign contributions. They have to trust that their representative won't abuse staff or government resources for their own benefit instead of their constituents or the country. We saw that every day in 2025 in this administration.