U.S. Representative Jesús G. "Chuy" García proudly represents the Fourth Congressional District of Illinois. He was sworn into office on January 3, 2019, during the 116th Congress.
Throughout his career, Congressman García has been a progressive voice fighting to improve the lives of his working-class neighbors, many of whom are immigrants like him. He is a coalition builder committed to empowering youth and expanding access to quality education, affordable housing, and economic opportunity.
Illinois' fourth Congressional District is mostly urban and suburban, but as a Representative from the Midwest I recognize agriculture's importance to the region. I also appreciate the importance of the FARM Bill, which represents historic compromise between rural and urban America.
On the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I participate firsthand in making sure that Chicagoland's transportation network effectively moves agricultural products across the country and throughout the world.
Critical to the needs of many working class families, agricultural policies like the FARM bill govern important safety net programs including the national food stamp policy, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), and free and reduced school lunch for disadvantaged youth.
The right to vote is the cornerstone of American Democracy. For decades, we have made progress in expanding the right to vote but recent political trends have jeopardized that progress.
Congress must make meaningful reforms to ensure access to the ballot box is expanded and that election integrity is protected. We should support efforts that make it easier to vote: automatic voter registration, expansion of early voting, and the restoration of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Additionally, we must address the proliferation of dark money in politics, which perverts our political process and erodes the will of the people.
Lastly, we must ensure our democratic institutions are protected against the foreign interference and cyber attacks that sow division and skepticism within our political process.
I have the great honor of representing a district that embodies Chicago's diversity. We are a community of immigrants, where families from around the world have settled to call home.
As Congressman, I am determined to make a safe, equitable environment available to all, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, or immigration status.
As a Member representing a district disproportionately affected by gun violence, I consider gun violence a true public health issue for my constituents. Congress must find sensible solutions to improve public safety including work to establish common-sense background checks, make it more difficult for guns to get in the hands of youth, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as crack down on gun trafficking.
Criminal justice reform is long overdue. We have seen punitive policies disproportionally send people of color and low-income individuals into the prison system. For too long we have tolerated a school-to-prison pipeline.
I am a proud cosponsor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. No single bill can end pervasive racism in law enforcement, but the Justice in Policing Act is a necessary step toward much-needed reform. Beyond this legislation, I remain committed to transformative measures to improve our criminal justice system so that it is fair and effective as I worked to do in the Illinois State Senate and as Cook County Commissioner.
In Congress, I will strive to ensure every child has access to high-quality, public K-12, technical, and college education, and that they have opportunities to success in a diverse, globally competitive workforce.
Congress must provide robust funding for our education system and we must do more to address the over trillion-dollars of student loan debt that exists, currently saddling American families and strangling our economy.
I want to ensure that students are not graduating with overwhelming debt and that we protect and strengthen existing programs for financial aid.
This generation faces an unprecedented and urgent climate crisis that threatens our economy, our national security, and our planet. As a nation and member of the global community, we must aggressively confront human-caused climate change. To do so, policy makers must promote a transition to sustainable technologies in the 21st century.
We must work to conserve our national parks, public lands, and our precious natural resources, while ensuring that the air we breathe and the water we drink are healthy and clean. Toxic emissions and global warming threaten public health and the security of the American people.
By investing in the development of a green economy, we can create millions of good jobs, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and secure our economic prosperity by becoming an international leader in the development, manufacture, and implementation of green technologies.
The great recession of 2008 led to an unprecedented foreclosure crisis that was precipitated in large part due to unfair, under-regulated, and predatory mortgage lending practices.
Chicago, like so many areas across the US, was devastated by the crisis: millions of families lost their savings and their homes.
As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I am committed to ensuring that working families get a fair shake, that we expand opportunities to build and access credit, and that the policy missteps that led to the Great Recession of 2008 are never repeated.
Peaceful relations abroad are vitally important to our stability back home. When the United States acts as an agent of goodwill, we reap the benefits of a stable economy, a vibrant workforce, and a safer world.
I am particularly interested in ensuring that the United States is a good neighbor to Mexico, Central, and South America. Diplomacy, foreign aid, and peaceful mediation can prevent people's displacement, which in turn reduces the strain on our immigration system and fosters lasting relationships that benefit the entire region.
The United States can and should be a driving force around the world for freedom, human rights, and peace. This does not mean we should turn first to war and violence. Too many times, our first response to a foreign policy problem has been military action. I firmly believe that military intervention and the use of military force should be strictly reserved as a last resort, after all diplomatic solutions have been exhausted. I continue to oppose the broad authorization of military force that has operated as a blank check for military use for 15 years.
Far too many people remain uninsured in this country, including many of my constituents who pay too much for their medicine and care. No individual should ever have to choose between health care and bankruptcy.
I believe everyone should have access to affordable and quality health care. I will support measures that move us toward that goal, including fighting to protect Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, closing the uninsured gap, protecting people with pre-existing conditions, addressing the prescription drug affordability crisis, and reducing health disparities among different communities.
As a long-time advocate for universal health care, I aim to move our country towards a system with universal health care and I am an original cosponsor of Medicare for All. We must increase coverage, support small businesses, expand primary care, and lower premiums. Medicare for All is the right step toward addressing the high costs and inequalities in the current health care system.
As a member of the Financial Services Committee, I will encourage responsible urban development that takes into account community displacement and emphasizes transit-oriented, accessible and inclusive development. I intend to be a champion for fair housing policies and increased federal investment in affordable housing.
The Great Recession of 2008 led to an unprecedented foreclosure crisis that was precipitated by unfair, under-regulated, and predatory mortgage lending practices. Chicago, like so many areas across the US, was devastated by the crisis. I am committed to ensuring that the policy missteps that led to the recession are never repeated again.
We are a community of immigrants, where families from around the world have settled to call home.
As an immigrant and as a Member representing a community that is over one-third foreign born, this is an issue of great personal importance. Immigrants enrich our economy and society and we should welcome those who seek to better their lives as we have done for centuries.
We must combat the false narrative that immigrants are dangerous individuals. Not only do we need to undo the harm of the past Administration, we must also reimagine an immigration system guided by justice and compassion. This is why I have itntroduced the New Way Forward Act to restore the fundamental principles of due process to keep families together, and dismantle the prison to deportation pipeline.
We must also continue to hold agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accountable. Fighting for a fair immigration system also means finding an immediate solution for 800,000 DREAMers who are living in constant uncertainty. Ultimately, I am determined to pave a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented people in this country including DACA- and DAPA-eligible individuals and those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Like many immigrant children in Chicago, I learned at a young age that unions are a powerful tool to help women, Latino and Black workers fight discrimination. Both my parents were proud Teamsters and I was still a teenager when I joined the Retail Workers Union before becoming a Teamster and a member of the United Legal Workers Union.
I am a strong supporter of workers' rights and labor protections. I cosponsored the PRO Act, a bill to protect the basic right to form a union by ensuring workers are free to organize without employer interference.
The United States Postal Service provides critical services that we all rely on and we should ensure that federal policies do not erode their work.
A robust, reliant, and efficient federal postal services is critical to my constituents and for small businesses all across America and abroad.
As your representative, I will continue to advocate for consistent service, timely delivery of postal mail, and the wellbeing of our postal workforce.
Science and technology play vital roles in understanding and addressing the challenges we face as a nation. We have the potential to become global leaders in environmental stewardship and infrastructure innovation.
I support scientific research and believe our policy decisions should be evidence-based and data-driven. I also believe the federal government should encourage STEM education in schools to prepare a young, diverse workforce to tackle tomorrow's challenges.
Technology also coincides with my work on Financial Services. As monetary policy and banking evolve, I want to ensure innovation is equitable while also protecting consumers from tech giants' possible overreach.
Chicago is the heart of the nation's transportation networks, including airways, transit, railroads, waterways, and highways.
As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I aim to ensure we bring our national infrastructure to a state-of-good-repair, fix our crumbling roads and bridges, and invest in more efficient, accessible, and affordable public transit all while ensuring the travelling public's safety.
Access to good jobs, healthcare, education and job training starts with viable transportation -- it is the catalyst that drives our economy.
The fourth Congressional District is home to many veterans who have served our nation. I am determined to make sure veterans receive the recognition and honor they deserve, and have access to the services they need, whether in health, housing, education or job training.
The right to vote is the cornerstone of American Democracy. For decades, we have made progress in expanding the right to vote but recent political trends have jeopardized that progress.
Congress must make meaningful reforms to ensure access to the ballot box is expanded and that election integrity is protected. We should support efforts that make it easier to vote: automatic voter registration, expansion of early voting, and the restoration of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Additionally, we must address the proliferation of dark money in politics, which perverts our political process and erodes the will of the people.
Lastly, we must ensure our democratic institutions are protected against the foreign interference and cyber attacks that sow division and skepticism within our political process.