Press Releases
Casten, Blumenauer Introduce Bill to End Taxpayer Subsidies to Oil and Gas Companies ?for Climate Change-Causing Fossil Fuels
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06) and Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) introduced the End Oil and Gas Tax Subsidies Act of 2020, which would remove unfair fossil fuel tax breaks. Specifically, the legislation would eliminate 11 provisions in the tax code that unfairly benefit oil and gas companies. Casten said, "The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our lifetimes. We've seen fires rage across the West and hurricanes batter the Gulf Coast, all just in the … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Casten, Huffman Statement on the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06) and Jared Huffman (CA-2) released the following statement on H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act. The legislation ?would provide funding for a wide variety of ?clean energy, grid modernization, and other programs. The package also includes two Casten-led bills, the bipartisan, bicameral Promoting Grid Storage Act and the Clean Industry Technology Act (CITA). The members said, "Climate change is the … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Casten, Frankel, Lawrence Introduce Bill to Protect K-12 Students from Sexual Harassment and Assault
Washington, D.C - Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) and Democratic Women's Caucus Chairs Lois Frankel (FL-21) and Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) introduced the Stop Sexual Harassment in K-12 Act. The bill aims to address sexual harassment and assault occurring in our nation's K-12 schools by creating clear standards and related funding streams for schools to uphold their students' Title IX rights."As our nation has reckoned with the pervasiveness of sexual assault and harassment on … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Casten Launches ‘Founding Mothers’ Program to Highlight Reproductive Freedom Efforts in IL-06
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) released the following video to highlight DuPage County's "Founding Mothers," a group of women who have been fighting for reproductive freedom since the early ‘70s, when they opened DuPage County's first women's health clinic in the basement of a church in Wheaton, Illinois. The purpose of the discussion was to shed a light on the obstacles women have historically faced when seeking reproductive care or family planning services, and … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Casten, Sherman, Foster Urge SEC Chairman, FINRA President to Protect Robinhood Investors
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06), Brad Sherman (CA-30), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets, and Bill Foster (IL-11) Chairman of the Task Force on Financial Technology, led a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) President Robert Cook pressing them on how they are protecting inexperienced investors on online trading … Continue Reading
September 10, 2020
Casten, Underwood, Foster, Announce Grant Funding to Support Youth Substance Use Prevention in Naperville, McHenry County, and Will County
WEST CHICAGO— Today, Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Bill Foster (IL-11), and Sean Casten (IL-06) announced that the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program has awarded grant funding to organizations that provide youth substance use prevention programs in Naperville, McHenry County, and Will County. The grant funding includes a $42.5 million investment for FY2020 to youth substance prevention in communities across the country, including 360 Youth Services' Community Alliance for … Continue Reading
September 10, 2020
Casten Climate Priorities Included in the CFTC Market Risk Advisory Committee Report
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) applauded the release of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Climate-Related Market Risk Advisory report entitled ‘Managing Climate Risk in the Financial System', which included polices from two Casten-led bills, H.R. 3623, the Climate Risk Disclosure Act and H.R. 5194, the Climate Change Financial Risk Act. The Climate Subcommittee voted unanimously 34-0 to adopt the report. In May, Casten submitted a comment letter to … Continue Reading
September 03, 2020
DURBIN, DUCKWORTH, CASTEN, DAVIS LEAD ILLINOIS DELEGATION IN URGING HHS TO EXPAND USE OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS’ COVID-19 SALIVA-BASED TESTING INITIATIVE
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and Rodney Davis (R-IL-13) today led the Illinois Congressional Delegation in sending a bipartisan letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging federal resources to support the expansion of SHIELD T3, an innovative system of COVID-19 testing and tracing, developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). In a letter to HHS Secretary … Continue Reading
September 01, 2020
Casten Tours Westmont Fire Department During Annual Training
Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) toured Westmont Fire Department and participated in their annual training drills to congratulate them on recently being awarded $181,000 in federal grants from the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA for safety equipment and training."I feel it's important to directly connect with the constituents and agencies of our district so that I can better understand their needs," said Rep. Casten. "After getting a chance to experience these drills … Continue Reading
August 22, 2020
Casten Votes to Protect the United States Postal Service
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) voted for the bipartisan ‘Delivering for America Act,' legislation that prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020, and provides $25 billion in critical funding to support the Postal Service.The vote comes at the same time as newly uncovered internal Postal Service documents warning Postmaster General DeJoy about steep declines and increasing … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Casten Announces Second Federal Grant of the Summer for Westmont Fire Department
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) announced that the Westmont Illinois Fire Department has been awarded a second Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) Grant from the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency. This $181,818 grant will enable Westmont Fire Department to better protect the health and safety our community as well as first responders by obtaining much needed emergency response equipment and vehicles, specialized training, PPE, and … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Casten Joins Durbin In Urging Postmaster General To Address Delays In Letter & Parcel Delivery In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in leading fourteen Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional delegation in urging Postmaster General DeJoy to take corrective action against the recent operational changes, including the elimination of overtime and a reduction in mail sorting and processing hours, which have led to significant delays in the delivery of letters and packages to Illinoisans. In their letter, the lawmakers … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Casten Joins Adams, DeFazio, Maloney, and Connolly in Effort to Save the Postal Service
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) joined Congresswoman Alma S. Adams (NC-12), Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (OR-04), Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), and Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11) in leading 127 other Members of Congress in sending a letter to Speaker Pelosi requesting strong support for the United States Postal Service in forthcoming COVID-19 relief legislation. "The United States Postal Service is an … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Casten Introduces Legislation to Reduce Vehicle Emissions
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced the Efficient Vehicle Leadership Act, legislation that would combat the climate crisis by reducing transportation emissions, and save Americans' money by creating a financial incentive for consumers to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles. In 2018 the transportation sector was the largest single source of emissions in the United States, responsible for 1.9 billion tons of CO2 equivalent entering into the atmosphere. … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Casten’s Illinois Sixth District and Climate Priorities Included in Appropriations Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) joined a bipartisan majority in the House to advance ten Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) appropriations bills containing billions in investments for programs that supports Illinois Sixth District, advances clean energy and environmental protections, rejects the President's massive budget cuts, works to address the public health emergency and to stabilize the economy to put Americans on the road to recovery.Casten said, "As we continue to face … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Casten, New Democrat Coalition Members Urge House Action on Climate Change Legislation
Washington, DC - Today, the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Climate Change Task Force and NDC Leadership Members sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer] urging them to move NDC-endorsed climate bills have already passed out of committee and are ready for consideration by the full House.These bills were highlighted in the Select Committee on Climate Crisis's (SCCC) report as part of the potential path forward for congressional action to solve the climate crisis. The NDC … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Casten Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Ensure Education Professionals Have Access to Family and Medical Leave
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06), introduced the bipartisan, bicameral ESP Family Leave Act, legislation which would ensure that the Education Support Professionals (ESPs) who keep our schools running have access to leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. The legislation is cosponsored by 17 Representatives."The COVID-19 pandemic has made even clearer what we already knew: Workers need access to family and medical leave to keep themselves, their families, … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Casten Announces Federal Grant for Westmont Fire Department
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) announced that the Westmont Illinois Fire Department has been awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Department of Homeland Security's FY 2020 COVID-19 Supplemental Grant Program (AFG-S). This $38,205 award will help Westmont Fire Department protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel through the purchase of PPE and essential supplies related to the COVID-19 response. … Continue Reading
July 14, 2020
Casten Introduces the National Security Resiliency and Sustainability Act
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced H.R. 7417 the National Security Resiliency and Sustainability Act, which would enact President Obama-era standards to reduce emissions and increase use of clean energy sources for the Department of Defense (DoD) while maintaining military readiness.A study from DoD last year highlights how climate change has impacted US military readiness through increased exposure to flooding, droughts, desertification, wildfires, and … Continue Reading
July 13, 2020
Casten, Foster, Underwood Push Investment Trading App Robinhood to Improve Transparency and User Safety Following Death of 20-year-old Naperville Man
Downers Grove, IL - U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06), Bill Foster (IL-11), and Lauren Underwood (IL-14) led a congressional effort pushing Robinhood, a financial services company that offers an investment trading app, to take immediate action to improve user information and safety. The letter follows the unspeakably tragic death by suicide of Naperville resident Alexander Kearns, a Robinhood user. News reports have indicated that Kearns was shown misleading information by the app, … Continue Reading