Government Transparency
Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Services & General Government, released the following statement after Senate Republicans included $1.75 billion for the reconstruction of FBI headquarters in their coronavirus relief proposal:
"As Chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, it's been clear for years that the FBI needs a new headquarters in a new location. The Hoover Building is falling apart and simply cannot support the security needs of the Bureau.
U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Roger Stone. Stone is a longtime political ally of Trump and was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering as part of Special Investigator Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) issued a statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the consolidated cases of Trump v. Mazars and Trump v. Deutsche Bank, in which the Court asked the lower courts to further develop the record to assess the House's need for the President's financial records:
U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) sent a letter to Representative James Clyburn (SC-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and House Majority Whip, expressing strong concerns about possible misuse of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds by United States Secretary of Education Betsy Devos. He cited dramatic changes that have been made to the plan for the distribution of funds, in an apparent effort by DeVos to advantage small, private, often religious schools.
As of this week, over 1.5 million Americans have contracted coronavirus and over 90,000 have died – including more than 4,100 here in Illinois. And last month, nearly 22 million Americans filed for unemployment. I know that essential workers can't wait for support and families can't wait to pay rent or to keep food on their tables. I was proud that Congress mobilized quickly to pass three pieces of smart, bipartisan legislation but the crisis hasn't ended, and Congress can't consider our work done either.
Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) introduced the Court Access Amid the Pandemic Act, which would authorize video and teleconferencing of judicial proceedings during the COVID-19 emergency period. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced federal courts across the country to change their daily operations to protect the wellbeing of the Justices, court staff, and the public. Quigley's bill would enable public access to these proceedings while experts recommend against gatherings.
Specifically, this bill:
Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman on Financial Services and General Government and co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Transparency Caucus, sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts requesting that the Supreme Court allow real-time audio and video access to all Court proceedings. Quigley argued that, in a time when live-streaming of appellate courts is highly normalized, modernization of the Supreme Court is overdue.
Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler during a hearing on the Agency's Fiscal Year 2021 budget request.
U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (NY-10) and Representative Hank Johnson (GA-04) introduced the 21st Century Courts Act, a robust legislative plan to increase transparency in the federal court system. This legislation aims to dramatically enhance the accountability, accessibility, and transparency of the federal judiciary to improve public trust in our system.
Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Steve Chabot (R-OH), continued their call for greater public access to our federal court deliberations by reintroducing the Eyes on the Courts Act, legislation to require cameras be permitted in the Supreme Court and all federal appellate courts.