Newsletter: Syria, Federal Contracting, and Grant Opportunities
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Dear Friends,
U.S. Action in Syria
First, an update on Syria. On Friday, President Trump ordered U.S. military strikes against 3 chemical weapons-related targets in Syria in response to the Bashar al-Assad's chemical attacks on his own citizens.
I believe the United States and the international community have a moral responsibility to condemn and hold to account the Assad regime for its brutality. But the military strikes undertaken with European allies will only be effective if they are part of a comprehensive strategy, long overdue, to hold the Assad regime accountable, and bring forth the conditions for a political resolution to the war.
America must not be drawn into an open-ended conflict. Any commitment for a 'sustained' response, as implied by President Trump in his remarks Friday night, requires Congressional debate and authorization.
I remain particularly grateful for the service of our men and women in uniform, and will be continuing to monitor the situation in Syria closely.
E3 Summit: Economy, Environment and Eduction Forum at Chicago Botanic Garden
This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of hosting three discussions, each with a panel of experts and an engaged audience. Our first session focused on the need prepare our young people to not just compete, but thrive in a 21st century global economy. The middle session was a vibrant discussion about the Great Lakes and what individuals, businesses and policy makers can do to ensure the health and vitality of this critically important natural legacy. Our final panel centered on the importance of access to pre-K education and how we can work toward ensuring all your children enter kindergarten ready to succeed. Scroll down for photos from the event.
Please continue reading below for an invitation to an event for small businesses interested in pursuing federal contracting, information on federal grant opportunities, and photo highlights of an active week in Washington and at home.
UPCOMING FEDERAL CONTRACTING EVENT FOR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES
In May, I'm partnering with the Small Business Administration to host an information session for local small businesses interested in pursuing federal contracts. U.S. federal government contracts represent a tremendous sales and revenue opportunity for small businesses because the U.S. government is the world's largest customer and purchases products and services in both large and small quantities.
We'll review government contracting regulations and procedures, and explore how your small business can begin the process of becoming a government contractor.
Friday, May 4, 2018 | 1:00 – 2:30pm
Highland Park Fire Department
1130 Central Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035
HELP WITH FEDERAL GRANTS
Last week, I was proud to announce the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe was awarded more than $200,000 through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This grant will enable the Garden to continue digitizing their collection of nearly 4,000 rare books, journals, and manuscripts, and share this information with audiences around the globe.
Each month, hundreds of federal grants become available, and so far this year, more than $7.8 million in grants has been awarded to organizations in our district.
Our office is available to help navigate the grant process, and to write letters of support on behalf of your application. Please get in touch if we can be of assistance.
A great way to find out about new grant opportunities is our month grants newsletter. Sign up here!
NEIGHBORHOOD OFFICE HOURS
Our office hosts frequent Neighborhood Office Hours for constituents to more easily meet with caseworkers and staff to discuss any federal issues that they may have and learn more about services our office can provide. We're here to help if you have issues with Medicare, Social Security, the Veterans Administration, immigration and more.
This week, we'll be in Mt. Prospect. Check out the full schedule on our website and come meet with us when we're in your community!
WEEKLY WRAP-UP
Scenes from our #E3Summit on the economy, environment and education. Thanks to all who participated and Chicago Botanic Garden for hosting! More photos available on our Facebook page.
On Thursday, I joined my colleagues on U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary to help announce Special Counsel Integrity Act. It's a companion to a bipartisan Senate bill, and would protect Mueller investigation from political interference. This investigation must be allowed to continue to conclusion.
I discussed the importance of diplomacy and development with U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) at an event at the Canadian embassy in Washington.
It was great to see Anmol Parande of Vernon Hills High School in DC last week. His environmental app GoGreen was the winner of Tenth District The Congressional App Challenge.
During National Library Week, I stopped by Glencoe Public Library to thank the library staff and drop off a donation of surplus books from the Library of Congress for their collection. We've donated more than 600 books across the district through the program this Congress.
I joined Mano a Mano Family Resource Center to celebrate their work through the community in Lake County at the Monarch Gala in Mundelein.
I was glad to spend time with friends at the Humane Society of the United States, and am proud to receive recognition for my 100% rating for my record on animal welfare issues.
Please continue to stay in touch and share your thoughts, either by calling our DC office at (202) 225-4835 or emailing via our website.
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress