E-Newsletters

First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you who have reached out in recent days to offer your support and check on the well-being of my staff and I. While I am fortunate enough to have come through last Wednesday's events unscathed, I remain shocked and appalled by what took place.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am writing to you about the difficult decisions we all find ourselves facing.

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year filled with joyous and cherished traditions. At this time of year, we're always reminded of what's truly important in life—our family, friends, and loved ones. And this holiday season, keeping those dearest to us safe should be of the utmost importance to us all.

Each year, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year, we pause as a nation to honor all those who have served in our armed forces.

I so wish that we could all be together today. In any other year, we would be celebrating our veterans at parades and festivals and thanking veterans in person. This year, we honor our veterans – and particularly our elderly veterans – by staying home instead.

As you know, this year tax-filing deadlines were postponed across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new federal and Illinois July 15 deadline – postponed from April 15 – is just a few days away. I wanted to reach out to make sure you have all the information necessary to file your tax return on time, pay the taxes you owe from 2019, or file for an extension. Please reach out to my office if you have issues or questions with your tax returns or any other financial concerns, so my staff and I can help you and your family during this difficult time.

America is experiencing a moment of national anguish, as we grieve for those killed by police brutality and racial injustice. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery should all still be alive today. Black Americans have spent decades demanding change and despite this, we continue to see unarmed African Americans killed time and time again. Going for a jog, a walk, a drive, going bird watching, or simply being in your own home should not be a death sentence for black Americans.

The past few weeks have shown that civic engagement is more important than ever. A small but meaningful action that you can take right now is completing the 2020 Census yourself or encouraging others to do so if you already have. The 2020 Census became available for response in March at my2020census.gov but as of today, only 53.7% of the Chicago area has responded so far.

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.

I know these past weeks have been particularly difficult for many Americans as you have been forced to celebrate Passover, Easter, and Ramadan away from your loved ones. Please know that continuing to following CDC guidance even when we most would have liked to be with our families helped keep our community safer. I'm wishing you and your friends and families the best.