Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I have proudly served my district since I was first elected in 2018, when I pledged to my constituents that I would be the most accessible, transparent, and accountable Congresswoman this community had ever seen.
I am running to continue to bring resources to families across northern Illinois and ensure our shared values are reflected in Washington, D.C.
Ensuring access to high-quality, affordable health care remains my focus. Together, we’ve made real progress lowering out-of-pocket costs for families.
I am fighting for an affordable America to bring down the cost of housing, gas, groceries, health care, and child care for working families – and there is still a lot of work to do.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
Affordability is the most pressing issue in the 14th district right now.
The war in Iran must end, allowing shipping to normalize through the Strait of Hormuz and stabilizing the supply and cost of fuel, oil, and fertilizer. This would mean lower gas prices at the pump and much-needed relief for farmers this upcoming harvest season.
Reversing the Trump Tariffs would also lower costs for working families, specifically lowering the rising costs of groceries and goods. With a Democratic majority, I look forward to voting to reverse, block, and refund the disastrous Trump Tariffs.
Similarly, I support reversing the cuts made to SNAP, a critical food program that feeds hungry people across our community, including thousands of children and seniors.
I also support reversing the health care cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that the Republicans passed in the Big Ugly Bill. Local hospitals are already closing essential units like pediatrics and labor and delivery, and with these deep funding cuts scheduled to take effect in January, we can expect more closures.
Supporting working families also means making sure that families can access affordable child care. I have voted for legislation that would cap out-of-pocket child care costs at 7% of a family’s income, while also investing in growing our early childhood education workforce.
Finally, tackling the affordability crisis also means addressing rising housing costs across northern Illinois. I support legislation to increase affordable housing in our community and offer financial incentives and down payment assistance to buy homes.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
Investing in infrastructure has been a priority throughout my time in Congress, and I have secured hundreds of millions of federal dollars to rebuild roads, bridges, broadband, railways, and airports across our region. I support expanding transit like Metra commuter rail stops in DeKalb and Kendall Counties.
An urgent and existential issue facing municipalities across IL-14 is improving our drinking water infrastructure. Whether it’s removing lead pipes, building new water treatment plants, identifying new water sources, building new water towers, upgrading stormwater management, or even installing smart water meters, we are working hard to identify federal funding sources to help our local communities afford the necessary water infrastructure projects to keep folks safe and healthy. I will continue to prioritize improving our drinking water infrastructure as several communities undergo major projects to bring Lake Michigan water into IL-14.
My congressional office has extensively funded infrastructure projects including:
- Water main replacements, water tower upgrades, construction of water receiving stations, and water pipe replacements in several communities across our district;
- The construction of a new Fire & Ambulance station in Ottawa, IL.
- Updates and improvements made to fencing, runways, and staging areas at both the DeKalb and Joliet regional airports.
- Investments in electric buses for both the Plainfield and Aurora PACE bus systems to grow their fleets and serve our community.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
Immigrants have been vital to America’s cultural fabric and economic success since our nation’s founding. Our policies must honor and recognize the value and dignity of all of our immigrant communities, and I strongly condemn the divisive rhetoric and cruel, violent anti-immigrant policies that have become commonplace under the Trump Administration.
We need comprehensive immigration reform that grows our economy, benefits working families, and reflects our values as Americans. Specifically, comprehensive immigration reform must include pathways to citizenship and permanent legal protections for those on the DACA program.
It is clear that our federal immigration enforcement system is broken. I do not support any additional funding for federal immigration enforcement (including ICE, CBP, Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations) until meaningful, fundamental reforms are enacted. These agencies are completely out of control and betray the important work of keeping our country safe and securing our borders.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
My number one legislative priority is passing my Health Care Affordability Act, legislation that makes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits permanent and makes health care coverage affordable for Illinois families. Under these tax credits, 4 in 5 Americans could purchase high-quality health care coverage for $10 or less per month. They proved to be incredibly popular! In 2025, more than 24 million people signed up for coverage - including nearly 466,000 Illinoisans.
Since the ACA tax credits expired, health care coverage losses have been staggering. The Trump Administration is even encouraging health insurance companies to offer customers loans because many can’t afford premiums that have doubled or tripled.
We have seen bipartisan agreement that these tax credits must be extended -- after successfully filing a discharge petition in December 2025, the House of Representatives passed my bill to extend the tax credits in January 2026. If the ACA tax credits are not addressed in an end-of-year package, we will file the Health Care Affordability Act and work to pass it in the first days of a Democratic Congress.
We must also reverse the health care cuts that Trump and the Republicans in Congress enacted in their Big Ugly Bill – taking $1 trillion out of Medicaid, $500 billion out of Medicare.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
Restoring access to food assistance and life-saving healthcare, helping families afford rent and down payments to buy a home, and ensuring affordable childcare across IL-14 can all be paid for by making corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.
Tax reform should put working families and small businesses first, and ending the Big Ugly Bill’s tax giveaways to billionaires will provide the revenue needed to give Illinois families greater economic security.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
There is no metric by which the House in the 119th Congress is fully exercising its constitutionally outlined oversight responsibilities. Once democrats flip the House, Congress will resume its role as a separate co-equal branch of government, as outlined in Article I of the Constitution. We will pursue an agenda focused on affordability and accountability.
Congressional Representatives need to reclaim the power of the purse -specifically by reaffirming that presidents are required to spend all congressionally authorized funds. Similarly, we need to crack down on presidents' use of private funding for government projects so that they cannot bypass the appropriations process or accept donations from those who pose potential conflicts of interest.
Other key areas for congressional oversight include the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) -- both in investigating the abuses of power and use of taxpayer dollars in conjunction with Trump’s mass deportation policy, and also auditing the $200+ billion DHS has received in funding through the partisan reconciliation legislation passed in 2025 and 2026.
Similarly, Trump’s unlawful tariffs must be repealed immediately. Tariffs are taxes, and Article I of the U.S. Constitution gives the Congress the authority to levy taxes. It is disgraceful that the House is not exercising this constitutional responsibility in the face of such a catastrophic economic policy.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
The United States has deep national security interests in a stable, peaceful Middle East. Donald Trump disrupted this stability by initiating an unconstitutional war in Iran. So unbelievably reckless.
This war in Iran must end, and I have consistently voted for the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran pursuant to the War Powers Resolution. Similarly, I have opposed any funding increases to support the war.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
The federal government must quickly act to regulate artificial intelligence to protect the safety and security of the American people. Strict, mandatory guardrails must be put in place to address issues like data privacy, deepfakes, disinformation, data centers, utility affordability, environmental impacts, transparency, copyright, and intellectual property.
Given the enormous present and projected economic impact of artificial intelligence -- including how Wall Street is deeply invested in AI and related tech companies, the potential for mass unemployment across many sectors and industries, and more -- I believe everyday Americans must benefit financially from AI growth, and that the financial benefits cannot be limited to the elite tech CEOs. Whether this means creating a sovereign wealth fund or, more simply, paying people to use their data, AI wealth must be shared.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
The Democratic Party is growing and expanding after a devastating loss in the 2024 cycle and urgent demands from our base to “fight harder, do something” after Trump took office in 2025. Across the country, we are seeing record turnout, high voter enthusiasm, and even increases in new voter participation from young people and people of color. These voters are electing next-generation leaders and are URGENTLY demanding a policy agenda focused on:
- Affordability and ensuring working people can access essentials like housing, health care, and groceries
- Ending the corruption that advances the elites, including the billionaires and wealthy corporations
- Stopping Trump’s abuses of power
Voters want us to get things done. And they want to hear about our successes. Democratic elected officials must continue to invest time and resources in growing our digital communications infrastructure so we can meet voters where they are and consistently create content that is engaging, entertaining, and informative, communicating our legislative and oversight accomplishments while also lifting up the stories of everyday Americans. We need to adopt a digital-first approach to communications if we want to build durable majorities in the Congress.
Voters see the failures of the Republican Party -- every Republican president in the modern era has blown up the deficit and started a new endless war in the Middle East. They reject this vision of America, and want to hear more from Democrats about how we can meet the moment.