Standing Up For Working Families
Our ability to compete in a global economy depends on a robust middle class. That is why I am committed to supporting policies that will enable the middle class to expand and grow in a 21st-century economy. It is no secret that the financial crisis of 2008 structurally changed the way our economic system works. Congress needs to act accordingly. Congress must make sure hard work is rewarded and all Americans have a chance to succeed.
Congress needs to help working families achieve economic security by raising the minimum wage, expanding access to overtime pay, guaranteeing maternity and sick leave, and expanding the child tax credit.
As a child of immigrants to this country who struggled to get reach the middle class, I have seen firsthand the importance of a college degree, and what it means to succeed. Unless we act now, student loan debt will continue to climb and make it that much harder for young people to achieve financial independence. College affordability impacts everyone and as your Congressman, I will continue fighting to make sure a college degree is within everyone's means.
More on Standing Up For Working Families
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, lead Democrat on the House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules led a subcommittee hearing yesterday on local efforts to address the opioid epidemic and federal programs supporting that work, including High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) grants and Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grants. HIDTA grants provide assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies reducing the supply of illicit drugs through dismantling and disrupting drug trafficking organizations.
SCHAUMBURG, IL — Original cosponsors Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Buddy Carter (R-GA), and G.K Butterfield (D-NC) hailed passage of the Senate version of their legislation, the Ceiling Fan Energy Conservation Harmonization Act. The law helps the environment by making it easier for consumers to purchase energy efficient ceiling fans. Statements from the cosponsors follow below.
SCHAUMBURG, IL - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement in response to the Department of Education's decision to block states from enforcing consumer protections against student loan collection companies:
SCHAUMBURG, IL — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D, IL-08) today announced the formation of a bipartisan Congressional Solar Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, co-founded by Congressman Ralph Norman (R, SC-05), which will serve as a unique forum for Members of Congress and the public to discuss high priority issues relating to the renewable energy and solar technology production sectors.
SCHAUMBURG, IL — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, lead Democrat on the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act which would reauthorize the Perkins career and technical education (CTE) program, issued the following statement in response to the President Trump's support of re-authorizing Perkins as part of updating our nation's infrastructure.
WHEATON, IL — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi today held a roundtable discussion with the DuPage County Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Taskforce at the DuPage County Health Department. DuPage County Board Chair Dan Cronin opening the discussion and introduced Congressman Krishnamoorthi, who discussed his own work on the issue at the local and national levels.
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement in response to a potential government shutdown at midnight tonight:
WASHINGTON, D.C.--- Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi today introduced the AI Jobs Act of 2018, partnering with Representatives Darren Soto (D-FL), Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Mark Takano (D-CA), Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-DE), and Ralph Norman (R-SC). This legislation would direct the Department of Labor, working with businesses and research institutions, to report on the future workforce impacts of artificial intelligence, both its challenges and opportunities.
SCHAUMBURG, IL – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi today continued his fight to preserve the State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction benefits for residents of his suburban Chicago district. Congressman Krishnamoorthi convened a round table with local mayors and constituents on the importance of the SALT Deduction in the aftermath of its being capped at $10,000 by last month's tax bill passed by the Republican majority in Congress.
SCHAUMBURG, IL — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following response to President Trump's widely-reported comments on African countries and Haiti :
"The President's comments about other countries neither comport with the dignity of the presidency, nor do they comport with the goodness of America and the majority of Americans in their positive views toward immigrants and other countries. In short, the President's comments are un-American. In a time when we need to come together as a country, these comments drive people further apart."