Brad's Newsletter

It sure was nice to be home last week, especially after two long weeks and a rare Saturday session in Washington. As always, I enjoyed traveling around the district, with visits to Northfield, Wheeling, Deerfield, Highland Park, Waukegan, Libertyville, and more.

Better late than never! It took almost six months longer than it should have, but on Friday, the House finally passed the last six of the twelve appropriation bills to fully fund the government for Fiscal Year 2024. The Senate needed until 2:00 AM Saturday to complete their part, and President Biden swiftly signed it Saturday afternoon. Mind you, the fiscal year started last October 1! 

With all the tumult in Congress last month, it’s been a while since I last wrote, so I thought I would offer some general reflections on some of my work in February, both in Washington and here at home.

First, whether you tuned in to root for the Chiefs or ‘Niners, or your thing was watching for the commercials, the Usher halftime show, or simply to see Taylor Swift, Sunday’s Super Bowl was one for the history books. Record for the largest TV audience. Record for longest Super Bowl game. Record for longest field goal (55 yards), and then another record for longest field goal again (57 yards)!

The big news this past week is that Congress again narrowly avoided—for the third time since September—a government shutdown by passing a last-minute temporary spending bill. While I am relieved we avoided an irresponsible, unnecessary, and costly shutdown, I am frustrated that House Republicans still refuse to honor the agreement then Speaker Kevin McCarthy made last June with President Biden and continue to block the House and Senate from passing the necessary legislation to fund the government for the full year.