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About the Candidate

Name: Daniel William Lipinski
DOB: July 15, 1966
Occupation: U.S. Congressman, 3rd District
Political Experience: 8th term U.S. Congressman
Website: lipinskiforcongress.com
Twitter: @DanLipinski

Candidate Statement

Hi, I’m Dan Lipinski. I have the honor of representing the hard-working people of Illinois’ Third Congressional District.

Before I was elected to Congress, I was a teacher, and an engineer. So I came to Congress knowing how to bring people together to solve problems. And that’s what I’ve done.

Even as gridlock has gripped Washington, I’ve been able to get things done to make life better for the people of my district, and middle class families across our nation.

I’ve helped create good-paying jobs, expand access to affordable healthcare, improve roads and public transit, and increase access to a quality education for middle class families.

That’s commonsense leadership.

Now I’m running for re-election on March 17th because there is still much to do.

We must reduce the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. I helped defeat President Trump’s healthcare plan that would have been devastating to those like me with pre-existing conditions.

Now we need to deliver a bill that will rein-in drug and hospital costs. I fought against the Republican tax bill that mostly helped those at the top; now we need to provide real relief for the middle class, especially those struggling with skyrocketing college costs and loans.

I helped defeat President Trump’s plan to cut federal funding for transportation. Now we need a robust federal bill to provide the money to fix our local roads, rails, and public transit, and with my chairmanship on the House Transportation Committee, I’m in the position to do that.

Others will offer you slogans, I deliver solutions. And if you re-elect me to Congress, I will continue to deliver, making life better for ALL the people of the Third District and our nation.

I’d appreciate your vote in the Democratic Primary on March 17th.

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

I am seeking reelection as Congressman for the Third Congressional District because I remain passionately committed to achieving commonsense solutions to problems faced by my constituents and our country. Since I was first elected, my priority has been fighting to improve the everyday lives of my constituents, especially middle class families.

Throughout my service in Congress, I have established a strong record of policy accomplishments that have helped create jobs, expand access to affordable healthcare, address climate change and protect our environment, improve roads and public transit, and bolster education. I seek reelection to continue this work on behalf of the residents of the Third Congressional District and our nation.

What is your vision for this office?

I would seek to build upon the work that I have been focused on, specifically when it comes to healthcare, transportation, growing local job opportunities, protecting retirement security and protecting taxpayers among so many other important issues.

Having lived for 30 years with diabetes, I have made it a priority throughout my time in Congress to improve access to affordable healthcare. I have fought to improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and bring down the price of prescription drugs. As our state’s most senior member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, I have made building and repairing our local transportation systems a top priority and have brought home hundreds of
millions of dollars to improve local roads and public transit. I’ve also worked very hard to ensure that Midway Airport remains a vital economic engine for the Third District and the region.

We must also continue to work to grow more good paying jobs at the local level and I will do this by continuing to advocate for policies that promote manufacturing, improve educational opportunities, facilitate technology transfer from universities and national labs, advance better trade agreements and strengthen Buy American laws.

I will also continue to fight to maintain the long‐term viability of Social Security, Medicare and retirement security for so many middle class and working class individuals.

I have made protection of the environment a top priority since I was first elected. The first two bills that I authored that became federal law both helped address climate change. More than a decade ago I helped introduce the first bipartisan carbon fee bill in the House. This Congress I introduced my own bipartisan carbon fee bill that would return all the money raised back to the American people. Locally, I helped to fight to close the Sterigenics plant, which was spewing high levels of cancer‐causing ethylene oxide into the air.

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?

Healthcare costs are soaring and reform is desperately needed to make care more affordable and accessible for individuals and working families. Too often families are burdened with skyrocketing healthcare bills which can make it difficult for them to buy a house, provide their kids with a good education, or simply meet everyday expenses.

I remain committed to working with all of my colleagues in Congress to ensure that Americans can get the care they need, at the right time, without risking severe financial hardship or bankruptcy. Reforming the healthcare system requires consensus building. My colleagues and I in the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus spent several months deliberating proposals to improve the Affordable Care Act and settled on a compromise that would significantly reduce premiums for health insurance.

Reforming the healthcare system also requires leadership and bold ideas. This year I introduced legislation that would allow Medicare to leverage the purchasing power of the federal government and negotiate with drug companies by using drug pricing data from other developed nations as a benchmark to ensure patients are not being price‐gouged on vital lifesustaining medications. Recently I helped the House pass H.R. 3 which would lower the cost of some of the most‐common prescription drugs used by Americans no matter what health insurance they have. I also helped pass major legislation to protect Americans with pre‐existing conditions and expand access to affordable healthcare. I continue to work to identify and craft solutions to address rising healthcare costs while ensuring that coverage choices are maintained.

It is easy for politicians to take the easy path of making a grand promise about how healthcare reform might work without being honest about the details ‐ such as cost – as well as the risks that are associated with a proposal not working out as planned. Making healthcare more affordable is not simple or easy, but I am committed to getting it done.