Congresswoman Cheri Bustos released the following statement after the first 100 days of the 116th Congress. She cites her 30legislative endeavors on behalf of citizens in the 71st Congressional District.
“Our House Democratic majority promised folks we [would] govern with a purpose and fight for the people, and as we look back on these first 100 days, that’s exactly what we’ve done. On Day One, we fought back against efforts to strike down the Affordable Care Act and protections for pre-existing conditions….Last month, we introduced legislation to bring down the cost of health care and prescription drugs for hardworking families.”
“I also helped pass transformative legislation to take on the culture of corruption in Washington and get dark money out of our elections….I urge Mitch McConnell to immediately take up our bill in the Senate.
“In the coming months, I’m looking forward to working on legislation to rebuild our Country and invest in our infrastructure. [This will create] millions of good-paying jobs and [set] up future generations for lasting success.”
In the first 100 days of the 116th Congress, Congresswoman Bustos has:
- held five Library of Congress Book Drops
- participated in five Cheri on Shifts
- listened to folks at nine Supermarket Saturdays
- helped pass legislation to protect Illinoisans with pre-existing conditions
- gained a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, including its Subcommittees on Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education
- chosen to continue her service on the House Agriculture Committee
- facilitated the sixth annual Valentines for Veterans program
- brought a farmer from Edgington, IL, to the State of the Union Address to highlight the impact of the President’s trade war
- introduced legislation to protect taxpayers and crack down on lavish spending by Cabinet officials
- presented the Gold Star Spouses Leasing Relief Act to Kiley Riney in Farmington, IL
- hand-delivered a letter to the Acting Secretary of Defense and other top military officials, regarding her top defense priorities for our region
- worked tirelessly to end the Government shutdown and pass robust, effective border security measures to keep communities safe
- pressed the VA Secretary to improve care for veterans in rural America
- fought back against Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education’s lack of oversight on student loan servicers
- introduced legislation to end Executive bonuses during corporate bankruptcies
- again led the charge to stand up for survivors of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination by ending forced arbitration
- stressed the importance of the Peoria Ag Lab and trade markets to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue
- stood up against President Trump’s budget that called for devastating cuts to Medicare, Social Security, crop insurance, and more
- toured the Greater Peoria Sanitary District to discuss legislation she passed to help Peoria with water infrastructure challenges
- helped pass the For the People Act, also known as H. R. 1, to clean up corruption in Washington
- worked across the aisle with Rep. Darin LaHood to save funding for the Peoria Ag Lab, which had previously been listed for closure under President Trump’s first two budget proposals
- founded the Congressional Air Cargo Caucus and toured Chicago Rockford International Airport
- held a roundtable in Peoria, IL, to hear from local providers and advocates about the cost of health care and prescription drugs
- helped pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, of which she was an original co-sponsor
- joined House Democrats to introduce legislation to bring down the cost of health care
- surveyed flooding in Freeport, IL, and the Quad-Cities
- introduced bipartisan legislation to expand agricultural trade with Cuba
- secured a commitment from the Army that the Peoria Air National Guard will not be impacted by [Trump’]s misguided emergency declaration
- invited the President of Augustana College to a Joint Session of Congress with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization voted to urge the Trump Administration to drop their lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, without a replacement
- helped reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act
- stood up against the Department of Labor’s efforts to undermine unions and worker protections
- introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to expand protections for Gold Star spouses.