Duckworth Diary: October 2, 2015

Statement

Dear Neighbors,

I was proud that my legislation, which will protect education benefits for military surviving spouses, passed out of the House Veterans Affairs Committee last week and is one step closer to becoming law. You can read more about my bill, the Military Spouses' Achieving College Education for Survivors (ACES) Act on my website.

Last Thursday, I had the privilege of attending His Holiness Pope Francis' historic address to Congress. As a son of immigrants himself, Pope Francis reminded us of our immigrant heritage and urged us to reject hostility to foreigners and embrace those who come to America seeking a better life. He spoke of our responsibility to be good stewards of our environment. And at a critical time, he reminded us that the true goal of politics is to come together in cooperation and dialogue to advance the greatest common good. I was proud to bring LaVerne Horgan, the food pantry manager at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg, as my guest. Learn more about LaVerne's work here.

During a recent Oversight and Government Reform hearing, we examined taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood. This funding supports affordable, preventative services for low income women and men, including physicals, breast exams, women's annual wellness exams, and STD testing.

As a Veteran and new mother, I raised a question during the hearing regarding the critical services Planned Parenthood provides to service members in uniform, military wives, and Veterans who often do not have many options when it comes to family planning counseling and in vitro fertilization (IVF). I am glad to know that Planned Parenthood can provide these services to individuals and their families who have fought and made sacrifices for this country. Watch some of my comments from the hearing here.

This week the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) celebrated 50 years in office. I'm a proud supporter of the humanities, and am proud that 8th District organizations, like the Addison Public Library, help fulfill NEH's mission by making arts and humanities more accessible. I encourage constituents seeking information on NEH to contact my office.

I recently cosponsored H.R. 2023, the Hold Congress Accountable Act, because I believe Members of Congress should not be paid if the government shuts down. While we may have narrowly avoided a government shutdown this week, another crisis looms in December when the latest temporary funding extension expires. Read my OpEd on why defunding Planned Parenthood to potentially shut down the government is irresponsible.

Lastly, my office is accepting applications for Congressional recommendations for the military service academies. If you are in high school and would like a Congressional recommendation from my office, the deadline is November 20! You can visit my website or contact my office for more information. I hope you are having a great week.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Duckworth

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