Brad's Newsletter
It’s hard to believe 2022 is coming to an end. Our office will be closed next week for the holidays, so this is my final newsletter of the year. That is assuming Congress passes legislation funding the government this week.
I am back in Washington this week, hopefully able to make progress towards passing several end of year priorities. The top issue for Congress is funding the government for Fiscal Year 2023 before the current funding extension expires on Friday.
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving and holiday weekend, whether here at home, or, like millions of other Americans, traveling around the country. I had a very nice, mostly quiet weekend at home with family. I did make time on Wednesday to visit with seniors in Waukegan and sailors at Naval Station Great Lakes to enjoy an early Thanksgiving meal.
After Members spent the past six weeks in our home districts, the House was back in session this week. We were joined in the Capitol by the more than 70 new Members-Elect who won their election last week. Their presence brings a certain kind of energy to this place, and a fair bit of intrigue as Democrats and Republicans select their leaders for the 118th Congress.
I, for one, and I suspect you will agree, am happy to have the 2022 election behind us. Some may be happy with some of the results, others will be happy with other results. But the important takeaway from Tuesday’s election is that American democracy is resilient, the American people are strong, and we have a long list of challenges—and opportunities—before us. It’s imperative that we look for common ground and tackle the good and the bad together.
While I normally use this space to talk about my work in the Tenth District, today I want to shine a light on the work of one of the great organizations in our community.
Of the many extraordinary duties that I have as your Representative, few compare to the privilege of attending and speaking at a naturalization ceremony where immigrants take the oath to become citizens of the United States of America. And so, it was this past Monday at the Chicago Botanic Garden where 65 people hailing from 26 different countries—and with a remarkable diversity of life experiences, aspirations and dreams—made the incredible choice to officially become one of us.
Did you know air travel accounts for almost 2.5% of global greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions? Developing and deploying “sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF) could reduce ghg emissions by more than 50%. To help promote development of SAF, I and my team have been working on legislation for almost three years to create tax incentives to promote production of SAF. We achieved a major step forward when a version of our Sustainable Skies Act was included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and signed into law by President Biden on August 16.
October is Manufacturing Month, and to highlight the importance of manufacturing in our state, the Illinois Manufacturing Association (IMA) is on a 20-stop Makers on the Move bus tour. Noting the breadth and diversity of Lake County’s and Illinois’s 10th District manufacturing sector, IMA chose to kick off their tour at the newly opened College of Lake County Advanced Technology Center in Gurnee.
I hope you and your family enjoyed the first weekend of autumn, and to those who observed Rosh Hashanah earlier this week, Shanah Tovah, Happy New Year—I wish you a year filled with good health, happiness, and peace.
I'm back in Washington this week after spending the Rosh Hashanah holiday with my family. Our first priority this week is striking a deal with the Senate to fund the government and avoid a shutdown Friday at midnight. I am optimistic that my colleagues on both sides of the Capitol will come together to keep our government open and serving the American people.