Catching Up with Quigley: Week of June 15
This week's Catching Up with Quigley is coming to you a day early in anticipation of my office's closure on Friday, June 19, in recognition of Juneteenth. I hope all of you have a safe and celebratory Juneteenth.
1. Visited the LES Turner ALS Clinic
I had the pleasure of visiting the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern this week. Doctors and researchers at the Center are helping patients with ALS and looking for new treatments — and maybe even a cure. One of my proudest achievements in Congress was my bill, ACT for ALS, being signed into law. This law opened up the pathway to treatment for people living with ALS. It’s given so many families a fighting chance against ALS.
Last Congress, I secured $90 million in funding for ACT for ALS to get even more patients access to new treatments. This year, the bill is up for reauthorization. We already passed it out of Committee. Now it’s time to get it to the floor and get it passed. I hope all of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, join me in reauthorizing this vital program.
2. Met with Members of the Hispanic Business Community
I recently met with the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA). They shared with me how the Trump administration's attacks on minority programs have harmed their work.
HACIA's mission is to help diverse professionals and businesses find equitable opportunities as construction leaders. Trump and his administration have been relentlessly cutting any funding opportunities that aim to uplift minority communities, making it much more difficult for organizations like HACIA to get project support.
From hate-motivated funding cuts to hostile immigration tactics, this administration has repeatedly harmed Latino and Hispanic communities. I’m going to keep up the pressure and fight for them.
3. Called For Raising Social Security Contribution from Billionaires
Elon Musk just became the world's first trillionaire, but somehow he pays the same amount into Social Security as someone making $184,500 a year. At the same time, the Social Security trust fund is set to run out by 2032. Without action soon, our nation's seniors will face a 25% cut to their monthly Social Security benefits
The ultrarich should be paying their fair share into Social Security. We need to lift the cap on taxable income and protect this critical program for future generations. Every millionaire, billionaire, and trillionaire should be doing their part, just like the rest of us.
If you or someone you know is worried they could be detained, please use my office's Immigration Protection Kit. You can also call my office for additional assistance, as we have Spanish speakers on staff.
Please don't hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or to share your opinions and concerns during this period. You can call my DC office at (202) 225-4061 or my Chicago office at (773) 267-5926. You can also email me through my website at Quigley.house.gov/contact. You can also sign up for in-the-moment updates on my work by following me on social media @RepMikeQuigley or texting "QUIGLEY" to (773) 200-2854.