E-Newsletter: Duckworth Diary - May 2, 2014

Statement

Dear Neighbors,

It has been a busy week with the House in session in Washington.

I joined my colleagues in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for a call with the media on immigration reform. We discussed how comprehensive immigration reform can help families and why we must push for reform that is practical, fair and humane. Immigration reform will reduce our deficit by $1 trillion over twenty years and it is important we act as soon as possible.

I also spoke on the House floor to congratulate the Science Chicks of Mount Prospect, IL for their great work in competition at the University of Illinois. You can watch my floor speech here.

This week, I voted yes on H.R. 4486: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015. This bill affects many elements of our military and Veterans Affairs, everything from funding for Arlington National Cemetery to the Veterans Health Administration and beyond. I advocated for some important provisions in this bill that includes funding for the Veterans caregiver supporter program, support for homeless Veterans and job training for Veterans transitioning to the private sector.

I met with Baxter Healthcare's Asian Leadership Network, African American Leadership Council, Asian Leadership Network, and Latinos@Baxter group on Wednesday. We discussed health disparities minorities currently face in our country. We must find ways to make the future of healthcare better for all Americans. We spent part of our discussion on the higher rate of deaths for African Americans from Breast Cancer and the importance of providing testing and treatment opportunities in all communities.

Additionally, I met with the National Restaurant Association to discuss their work in Illinois and how important these small businesses are to our economy. This association employs over 515,000 individuals in over 24,000 locations across our state.

I ended the week back home in Illinois with a visit to Glenbard South High School in Glen Ellyn. I met so many students who are interested in public service who had great questions for me on many domestic and international issues, including gun control, health care, immigration and our military.

I hope you are having a great week.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Duckworth

Source