In the News
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
June 07, 2022
How Rep. Sean Casten went from ‘Licensed to Ill’ to climate policy pragmatist
Sean Casten once gave a speech on the House floor riffing on Fergie's "Fergalicious," with the goal of getting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to embrace renewables quicker. But long before he was making dad jokes, the Illinois Democrat could claim some street cred. Look close enough and you can spot him in a Beastie Boys video, at a show opened by then-unknown rap group Public Enemy. Casten's love of rap and the issue he is best known for — climate change — help explain how he … Continue Reading
June 07, 2022
Democrats push to pass climate change policy
Environmentalists are betting on Democrats getting climate change policy across the finish line before the midterms.President Joe Biden is vowing to make the effort a top priority after Senators failed last month to get his larger Build Back Better plan passed.Collin O'Mara, the president of the National Wildlife Federation, says he wants Congress to pass key environmental protections before Biden's first State of the Union address this March."We have to act now," O'Mara said. "We can't afford … Continue Reading
June 07, 2022
Manchin's Coal Corruption Is So Much Worse Than You Knew
One of the hardest things to grasp about the climate crisis is the connectedness of all things. One recent drizzly afternoon, I drove from Charleston, West Virginia, to the John Amos coal-fired power plant on the banks of the Kanawha River, near the town of Nitro. In the rain, the plant looked like one of the dark satanic mills that poet William Blake wrote about, with three enormous cooling towers that steamed like giant witches' cauldrons. Across the river from the plant, mobile homes … Continue Reading
June 07, 2022
Fear, anger, and trauma. How the Jan. 6th attack changed Congress
A year later, the House of Representatives can still look like a crime scene some days. Five metal detectors ring the outer doors to prevent weapons from getting onto the chamber floor, including one that stands just a few feet from where a Capitol Police officer shot and killed a Jan. 6 rioter trying to crawl through a door just off the House floor. But the detectors aren't there to deter armed insurrectionists. Instead, those detectors are there to prevent lawmakers or their staff from … Continue Reading
June 07, 2022
Reflecting on a dark anniversary: The latest D.C. Memo
Tensions are running high in Washington ahead of Thursday's anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Asked to reflect on the attack a year later, members of the Illinois congressional delegation said the memories remain sharp. "I was in the House Gallery during the attack," Rep. Robin Kelly, a Matteson Democrat, recalled. "I crawled on my hands and knees and hid behind chairs and railings praying for safety for my colleagues, staff and all who work in the Capitol complex. This attack … Continue Reading
June 07, 2022
Democrats push to pass climate change policy
Environmentalists are betting on Democrats getting climate change policy across the finish line before the midterms.President Joe Biden is vowing to make the effort a top priority after Senators failed last month to get his larger Build Back Better plan passed.Collin O'Mara, the president of the National Wildlife Federation, says he wants Congress to pass key environmental protections before Biden's first State of the Union address this March."We have to act now," O'Mara said. "We can't afford … Continue Reading
September 02, 2021
Democrats' 'Hot FERC Summer' campaign aims to boost FERC's visibility on Capitol Hill
Dive Brief: What do the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, rapper Megan Thee Stallion and climate change have in common? They're all tied to a new campaign launched on the House floor Tuesday intended to boost FERC's visibility on Capitol Hill. The "Hot FERC Summer" campaign, launched by Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., and supported by other Democratic members of Congress is a play on Stallion's 2019 hit "Hot Girl Summer" — a move Casten's office hopes will bring increased attention to FERC … Continue Reading
August 27, 2021
SEC accelerates inquiry into gamification of trading on sites like Robinhood
A top Wall Street regulator is officially taking a deeper look at the gamification of trading. On Friday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked for public comment within the next 30 days on how brokerages, wealth managers, and other financial-technology companies use so-called digital engagement practices like behavioral prompts, specified marketing, and gamelike features on their platforms. "While these new technologies can bring us greater access and product choice, they … Continue Reading