10th News: Keep Your Faith in the Promise of America
Only 100 Days In
Today marks the 100th day of the second Trump administration. President Trump promised a “shock and awe” strategy to swiftly remake the federal government and we have certainly experienced unprecedented actions taken with much haste and consequence.
Based on recent polling, it seems that the American people are at best skeptical of what the President is trying to do, and, broadly speaking, mostly unhappy about how he is doing it. According to CBS News, the first 100 days “in public opinion terms, have been marked by Mr. Trump’s continued support from a loyal base of supporters, but also a widespread and growing belief among others that the administration is focused too much on tariffs and not enough on lowering prices.” Indeed, the President’s approval ratings at the 100 day mark are the lowest of any U.S. president in 70 years (CNN).
A small sample of the notable items of the first 100 days include:
- Migrant crossings at our southern border have dropped to the lowest level in at least 25 years. ICE deportations have also dropped from the same period last year.
- The President issued an executive order ending birthright citizenship (the order is headed to the Supreme Court on questions about its constitutionality).
- Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency accessed and extracted massive amounts of Americans’ personal and financial data stored in numerous government databases, raising concerns about data privacy and security.
- Musk and DOGE have used that data to make sweeping cuts across the government. The Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and US Agency for International Development (USAID), among others, have had much of their staffs terminated, and their programs gutted or completely dismantled.
- Trump abruptly started a global trade war, sinking global markets. Just as abruptly, he then paused many of his proposed tariffs for 90 days. But he has so far left tariffs on goods from China to 145%. China responded with 125% tariffs on US products. Stock markets in the United States and around the world have subsequently lost trillions of dollars in value, while interest rates have risen.
- Economists are raising concerns about the probability of Trump’s trade war(s) causing a recession (up to 47% from 25% in February), while consumer confidence has plunged (from 71.7% in January to 50.8% in April).
- In response to the onslaught of actions by the Trump Administration, lawsuits have been filed by “states, unions, activist groups and individuals” across the country.
If you want to read more about the first 100 days, here are links to several articles:
- Chicago Tribune: Sweeping Change.' Donald Trump Voters Reflect on Controversial First 100 Days of Second Term)
- Daily Herald: Trump, the First 100 Days
- AP: Trump’s First 100 Days: Steamrolling Government, Strong-arming Allies, Igniting Trade Wars
- Wall Street Journal: The Starkly Different Look of Trumps First 100 Days
- FOX News: Trump’s First 100 Days: An Assessment
- NPR: What DOGE Has Done in Trump’s First 100 Days
Axios also has a detailed “accounting” of all the Administration’s actions, and Lawfare Media publishes a tracker of litigation.
Always Nice to be Back in Illinois
I just returned to Washington, DC yesterday after two weeks of working in Illinois during the Easter and Passover holiday recess. It’s always good to be home, and even more so as Spring takes hold. I hope you have taken the opportunity to get out and enjoy the sun and nice weather.
While home, I traveled around the district, talking to seniors about Medicare and Social Security and celebrating young readers who participated in my Brad’s Bookworms program. I hosted a roundtable with local medical researchers to discuss the Trump Administration’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health. I attended the opening of the Waukegan History Museum at the refurbished Carnegie Library. I joined Governor Pritzker and State Representatives Bob Morgan and Tracy Katz Muhl for a ribbon cutting at Vantive, formerly the Baxter Kidney Care business, and now an independent health care company headquartered in Deerfield. And I was with Reps. Morgan and Katz Muhl again on Sunday for a town hall conversation about confronting rising antisemitism.
Fighting Cuts to Medicaid and Social Security
One of the key topics of the moment, whether in correspondence with my office or as I talk to people throughout the district, is the growing concern about Republican efforts to cut Medicaid and Social Security. Over the next few weeks, Republicans in the House are expected to try to advance legislation that would make deep cuts to Medicaid, a program serving more than 70 million Americans – particularly kids, seniors, and people with disabilities. Meanwhile Elon Musk and DOGE continue to focus on weakening Social Security and making it harder for people to get their payments so that public support for this essential program goes down.
I visited with seniors around the district to hear their concerns and share the actions I and my like-minded colleagues are taking to protect Medicaid and Social Security. I attended town halls at Sedgebrook Senior Living in Lincolnshire and Covenant Living in Northbrook. I also dropped by Gurnee Assisted Living to chat with residents and meet with their staff. You can read on for more details about these visits, but please know – I will never support these GOP-led efforts to weaken Medicaid and Social Security.
Checks and Balances
Updates on efforts to push back on the Trump Administration’s chaotic, harmful policies.
I’m continuing our new section, “Checks and Balances”, to share with you what we are currently doing to spread awareness and stop what the Trump Administration is doing:
- DEFENDING QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL — I joined House Democrats in signing an amicus brief standing up for Congress’s power to ensure a quality education for all and defend the important work of the Department of Education.
- PRESERVING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP — I led an amicus brief signed by more than 200 congressional Democrats standing up for the essential constitutional principle of Birthright Citizenship, a right guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment to all who are born in the U.S.
- FROZEN FUNDS RELEASED — A judge ordered federal agencies to release billions in frozen funds awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
- HELPING EASE TAX FILING — I joined more than 100 House and Senate Democrats in demanding the Trump Administration preserve Direct File, the free and easy to use tool for people to file their taxes directly with the IRS.
- PREVENTING PRICE HIKES FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS — With my colleague Rep. Doris Matsui, I called out President Trump’s tariffs that may seriously disrupt medical supply chains and hike the costs of prescription drugs that millions of Americans rely on to stay or get healthy. You can read more about the effort in the New York Times.
Please keep reading to learn more about happenings in Washington and here at home.
OUT AND ABOUT IN THE DISTRICT
Sixth Annual Brad’s Bookworms
I love reading! I also love sharing my passion with others, especially young readers. That’s why I started “Brad’s Bookworms” and why I look forward to celebrating with each year’s class. Thanks to the hard work of students, teachers and parents across the district, this year’s program achieved great success once again. We celebrated with more than 100 students who participated by reading at least 10 books each. A big thank you to Forrestal Elementary School in North Chicago for hosting and for helping cultivate such a vibrant community of passionate bookworms!
Edgewood Middle School Town Hall
I returned to Edgewood Middle School in Highland Park for my annual town hall conversation with the 7th grade students. As always, their questions were thoughtful and often quite challenging. Thanks to everyone for being so interested in what’s happening in the world and for keeping me on my toes.
Half Day School’s Illinois State Fair
It was both an honor and a lot of fun to join local community leaders in speaking with fourth graders at Lincolnshire’s Half Day School as part of their Illinois State Fair project. We each shared our work serving the community, and answered student questions. My favorite question was “What is the most important thing you do in your job.”
Honor Flight Lake County
I was in North Chicago to help send off the 27th cohort of veterans participating in Honor Flight Lake County. This trip included veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam War. What united all of them was love for and a sense of duty to our country. But it’s not just veterans on these trips. Each veteran is partnered with a guardian who is by their side every moment and the entire trip is supported by incredible staff and volunteers.
Understanding the Devastating Impact of Trump’s NIH Funding Cuts
I convened a roundtable with leading medical experts from Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and Rush University Medical Center to discuss the devastating impact of the Trump Administration’s NIH cuts on our ability to advance medical research that improves both the health and lifespan of all Americans.
We also heard powerful stories from audience attendees about how NIH funding and scientific progress have touched their lives and those of their loved ones, and their profound concerns about what these cuts will mean for them, their loved ones and the community. The stories were heart-wrenching and only inspired me to continue doing everything I can to fight against these cuts.
Town Hall with Covenant Living in Northbrook
I was honored to join a standing-room-only crowd at Covenant Living in Northbrook for a vibrant town hall conversation. I listened to their stories and shared how I’m fighting to protect the programs seniors depend on, like Social Security and Medicare.
We also spoke about the urgent need to safeguard our democracy and push back against efforts to weaken our Constitution, undermine the rule of law, and diminish the luster of our nation.
Town Hall at Sedgebrook Senior Living in Lincolnshire
Residents at Sedgebrook in Lincolnshire also gave me a warm welcome at a town hall conversation with a packed room. I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from so many people and again to share that I am doing to make sure our country keeps our promises to seniors
A New Home for Waukegan History Museum
After sitting empty and under-appreciated for nearly 60 years, the Carnegie Library building in Waukegan has a new life. I was thrilled to join fellow supporters for a “pre-opening” celebration for the home of the new Waukegan History Museum. I was also proud to help with the extensive renovation by helping secure $3 million in federal funding. I know the museum and its landmark home will be a central gathering place for the community for years to come. The official opening will be this Thursday at noon.
Vantive Opens New Headquarters
On February 3, 2025, Baxter’s kidney care business officially became an independent company called Vantive. The new company, in their own words, “builds on a 70-year legacy of kidney care leadership and innovation, with a singular focus on empowering patients and care teams with more flexible, collaborative and accessible care options." Supported by Illinois’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit program, Vantive decided to locate their new headquarters in Deerfield, maintaining IL-10’s leadership in the life sciences industry.
Preserving the Tax Status of Municipal Finance
I had a timely conversation on the vital role municipal bonds play in strengthening community infrastructure across the 10th District with local leaders from Highwood, Antioch, and Mundelein. Municipal bonds are the primary tool state and local governments rely on to finance critical infrastructure—everything from roads and water systems to schools and nonprofit hospitals. Unfortunately, Republicans have signaled their intent to target these essential investments. Their reconciliation tax package proposes eliminating the tax exemption on interest for state and local bonds—a move they estimate would raise $250 billion over 10 years but would cost local communities substantially more. We must protect the tools that enable our communities to grow, thrive, and serve their residents.
Speaking to MBA Students at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management
I had a great conversation at the Kellogg Jewish Business Association moderated by my friend, Professor Suzanne Muchin. We talked about my experience at Kellogg almost 40 years ago as well as the current state of antisemitism in the U.S, my work leading the Congressional Abraham Accords Caucus, and the ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza and bring the 59 remaining hostages home, including 5 Americans.
Bickford Senior Living in Gurnee
I enjoyed the opportunity to tour the facility and visit with residents at Bickford Senior Living in Gurnee. I really appreciated the sense of community there.
Discussing the Future of Social Security with Tamarisk North Shore
I was honored to welcome residents of Tamarisk NorthShore to my office for an important conversation about the future of Social Security and my work to protect it. Amid the chaos and confusion sown by the Trump Administration, I want to make sure folks know I’m fighting every day to safeguard programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Supporting Local Libraries
I appreciated hearing from library directors about the threat to local libraries from President Trump’s plan to close the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Libraries are more than just a place to borrow books. They are community centers, meeting places, and maker spaces. IL-10 has incredible libraries that serve us all. I promise to do all I can to help them prosper and protect them from mean-spirited and short-sighted actions that diminish their potential.
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY
Please visit my website to find resources available for everything from saving money on your internet bill to locating your local food bank, and various help lines.
And, as always, I’m happy to meet constituents in my Lincolnshire office to share ideas, discuss legislation, or catch up on what’s happening in our community. If you want to schedule a meeting with me, you can do so here.
IN CLOSING
I want to leave you with an article that I found rather important for our present situation. Dr. Ardem Patapoutian is a professor of neuroscience at the Scripps Research Institute and received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2021. In this CNN article he discusses the future of scientific research in America, and how we can prevent its dismantling by the current administration.
Scientific pursuit and research are integral to the advancement of technology and medicine in America and thus, our position as a world power. The consequences of policies that set out to tear down institutions that uphold scientific discovery are dangerous. I will always fight to keep America a country whose purpose relies on the pursuit of curiosity and knowledge. Read the full article here.
Stay strong, stay safe, stay healthy.
Sincerely,
Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress