In the News
Reps. Sean Casten & Juan Vargas Launch Sustainable Investment Caucus
by Jessica Hunt
House Democrats, Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) announced they would be co-chairing the House Sustainable Investment Caucus (CSIC), which also includes Reps. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), and Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). The caucus was formed to advocate for sustainable investing — a rapidly growing sector that already accounts for trillions in global investment and is expected to continue growing. The practice of … Continue Reading
January 25, 2023
House Democrats launch sustainable investing caucus
by Saul Elbein
January 23, 2023
'We're not going to let this die': Push for DuPage sheriff to retract weapons ban statement grows
by Alicia Fabbre
Flanked by fellow congressmen, state lawmakers and county board members, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten on Monday repeated calls for DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick to retract a statement about the state's new gun ban or resign. Earlier this month, Mendrick issued a statement that said he believed the state's new ban on high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines was unconstitutional. "Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement official for DuPage County, that neither … Continue Reading
January 15, 2023
Crystal Lake post office renamed for suburban Marine killed in Iraq
by Aaron Dorman
The post office in Crystal Lake is now the Ryan J. Cummings Post Office, renamed in honor of a former Streamwood resident and Hoffman Estates High School graduate killed in action while serving in Iraq. A bill signed into law by President Joe Biden at the end of last year renamed the post office after Cummings, a Marine who was 22 years old when he died in a 2006 roadside bomb attack. Cummings lived in Crystal Lake before moving to Streamwood. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Sean … Continue Reading
January 03, 2023
US Rep. Sean Casten joins rest of Illinois delegation watching GOP fight over who becomes next speaker
by John Byrne
As many Americans returned to work Tuesday following the holiday break, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove was in Washington and joining other Democratic members of Congress waiting to see how Republicans will settle their fight over the House speakership. It’s a strange moment for Casten. Starting his third term representing Illinois’ 6th District in the west and southwest suburbs, he’s perhaps more politically secure than ever. The 54.4% of the vote he received … Continue Reading
December 13, 2022
The Levin-Casten transmission bill
by Nick Sobczyk , Jael Holzman
Reps. Mike Levin and Sean Casten this morning released transmission and permitting legislation — the most ambitious bill on those issues that Democrats have put out so far. Why it matters: The Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act will become part of the current permitting debate and set the stage for talks on any future package over the next few years. That's especially true if Democrats succeed in winning back control of the House next year. [This is] the Democratic … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Ban members of Congress from buying, trading stock while in office
There's an iron rule of investing: Unless you're Warren Buffett or have access to insider information, you won't make money trying to outsmart the stock market. In fact, according to a report by CNBC, nearly 80% of professional investors fail to beat the market every year and hardly anyone does over a 10-year period. And yet, members of Congress continue to have unusual success trading stocks while in office. Between 2004 and 2010, research found that members of Congress beat the stock market … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Democrat pitches $500 checks to offset high gas prices
A Democratic congressman from Illinois has pitched giving a $500 check to Americans to offset high gas prices."It's fully paid for," Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., said.He said the money would come from taking away some of the record profits in the fossil fuel industry by repealing billions in tax subsidies."My goodness, let's take some of that back and give it back to the American people because (oil companies are) not using it to drill, they're using it to pay out dividends to their … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
House Democrats introduce bill to end fossil fuel subsidies, give cash rebates to consumers
Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) will introduce legislation Tuesday that would repeal 11 tax subsidies for oil and gas companies, worth $6 billion, and send a $500 cash rebate to American consumers. The bill is meant to help ease rising energy costs amid the war in Ukraine.The People Over Petroleum Act "will lessen the pain families are feeling, stop funding petro-dictators like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, and insulate Americans … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Flood insurance bill seeks to curb rising tide of bankruptcies
Americans with homes that are repeatedly flooded by extreme weather events could soon have the federal government buy their houses under a new bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.).The bill would allow the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the federal flood insurer of last resort, to buy houses and zones deemed indefensible in lieu of continually paying to repair them."You're not obligating people to move, but you're saying like, you know … if you want to avail yourself … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Congressman Sean Casten Tours State-of-the-Art COD Health Labs
Rep. Sean Casten (D-6th) explores state-of-the-art labs and learning technology in the Health and Science Center at College of DuPage with COD President Dr. Brian Caputo and Board Chair Maureen Dunne during a recent tour of the facility.View photos from the tour.Casten recently facilitated a $500,000 federal grant to modernize simulation apparatus used to train students in the College's Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Radiography and Sonography programs. The equipment will continue COD's offering of … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
House Democrats press Schumer for vote on scrapping filibuster
Dozens of House Democrats are urging Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to abolish the filibuster amid the battle for abortion rights.The group, led by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), highlighted the upcoming vote on the Women's Health Protection Act, which is meant to protect abortion access, in a letter to the top Senate Democrat. The vote on Wednesday is expected to fail in the Senate, as Democrats need 10 Republicans to support the measure in the evenly divided chamber. "When … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois Democrats vow to protect abortion rights after leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on Roe v. Wade
In the wake of news that a draft opinion circulated among the U.S. Supreme Court justices would overturn abortion rights, Gov. JB Pritzker and a coalition of Democratic state lawmakers on Tuesday vowed Illinois will remain a safe haven for women's reproductive rights as long as Democrats control the governor's office and state legislature."Let me be clear, no matter what atrocious opinion the Supreme Court rolls out this summer in regards to Roe v. Wade, abortion is safe and legal in … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
360 Youth Services to use $3 million in federal funding for homeless shelter for youth ages 18 to 24
Naperville-based 360 Youth Services rented 15 rooms at an area hotel throughout 2021 as a crisis shelter for 34 young people ages 18 to 24.In the first months of 2022, that number hit 37, and those figures don't include those who are homeless on the agency's emergency housing waiting list."If you have a car, we can't prioritize you because you have a home — like that's your car," said Valerie Tawrel, 360?s director of housing. "That is gut-wrenching, to say the least."With such a high demand … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
The Never-ending Cycle
We're all pretty much fed up with COVID-19, right? I'm just going to assume you all said "right!" The pandemic has taken an immeasurable toll - lost lives, lost jobs, lost connections, and lost time. Even today, we're still fighting to break free from this virus and recover from the far-ranging damage it has caused. This is not something any of us want to relive. But we may have to. Why? Because of climate change. According to a new study published in Nature yesterday, over the next … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Some suburbanites will be virtual State of the Union guests
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing congressional representatives and senators from bringing guests to President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address, some Chicago-area residents will be virtual guests of the Illinois delegation.Labor leader Pete Olson of Antioch will watch the speech as a virtual guest of U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, a Deerfield Democrat serving the 10th District.Olson is the business representative for Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 and president of the … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Nearly 90 House Dems want climate change to be the "starting point" for new talks on their rebooted party-line spending bill
What happened: A group of 89 House Democrats is asking President Joe Biden to make provisions aimed at addressing climate change the "building block to restart negotiations" on their stalled social spending bill. "Inaction now will mean irreversible consequences for our future generations. Given the widespread agreement in the U.S. Senate for House passed climate provisions, we have an opportunity to recommence negotiations with climate serving as a key starting point." — the House Democratic … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Why the return of earmarks could be good news for the planet
Last week, as Russian soldiers and tanks pushed deeper into Ukraine, members of Congress came together in a rare show of bipartisan cooperation to rapidly approve and pass a $1.5 trillion government spending bill that will fund the federal government through September. The 2,700-page bill, which President Joe Biden signed on Tuesday, averts a government shutdown, amply funds domestic programs and the military, and channels $13.6 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine. But that's not all the … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Burr Ridge gets nearly $800,000 in federal funds for culvert project
Burr Ridge officials this week announced the village will get $785,000 in federal funds to replace a failing culvert on Elm Street.The funding comes from America Rescue Plan Act, a pool of money set aside to help communities hit hard by COVID-19. Burr Ridge was among many communities in Rep. Sean Casten's district to get almost $7.9 million. Casten announced the approval of the funds last week, after they were approved as part of the federal spending bill signed into law Saturday.The village … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Producing and exporting more US gas helps Putin
Vladimir Putin's horrific war against the Ukrainian people has all of us talking about how to prevent him—and other fossil fuel autocrats—from holding the global economy hostage as he funds his war machine. In response, the fossil fuel industry is attempting to convince lawmakers and the public that the solution is more fossil fuels.This is a lie. Increasing our economy's dependence on fossil fuel increases our exposure to fossil fuel volatility. The industry doesn't want to export U.S. supply … Continue Reading