Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Too often, advances in civil rights or women's rights are undermined by wrong-headed legislation or weak-kneed political leadership.
When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt people.
Racial politics in Chicago has a long history of being intertwined with the mayor's race, but I'd like to think we're past much of that.
I taught policy and politics for seven years at a university. I told my students lobbyists are not a bad thing; they're absolutely vital.
As a husband and a father of two daughters, I want young women around the globe to have the same rights and opportunities as my daughters.
In order to maintain public trust in government, elected officials must answer for what they do and say; this includes 140-character tweets.
The modern labor movement that began around the mid-19th century has given us many of the basic working rights that we now take for granted.
Empowering women by allowing them to choose when and how many children to have is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.
President Trump's executive order creating a Muslim ban undermines the foundational ideals of the United States, a nation founded by immigrants.
We should be growing and make ourselves, as a state and a nation, more competitive. India, China and these other countries are not waiting for us.
Anyone who has ever asked for directions knows you need two crucial pieces of information to get good results: a starting point and a destination.
My outspoken positions haven't always been popular in the halls of Congress, but they have been rooted in what I believed was right and necessary.
You could make a case for job creation or education, police on the street, but none of those things can happen unless we got our financial house in order.
In the end, the public has the right to know about any undertakings top public officials engage in that may influence how they conduct the people's business.
We need to replace hyperbole with a reasonable, informed discussion about how to reinvent the federal budget with more transparency and better accountability.
In many cases, here we are, putting out reports that we're spending $100 million a year on, and we're telling the public, 'Oh, you don't have access to them.'
Just the circumstances of being in D.C., people give you books, and there are issues you want to learn more about, so you are tearing into as many as you can.
By working together to keep health at the center of our focus, as well as the national conversation, we can create the safe communities we all want and deserve.
Climate change is not just about carbon dioxide levels and melting polar ice caps. It is about our public health and protecting our Earth for future generations.
I come from a state where four governors have gone to jail since I've been alive. Two of my last four predecessors in this seat went to jail or are going to jail.
One of the things we have to understand is that federal transportation dollars require a local match. If that money isn't there, that money goes to another state.
We know that trade doesn't just help Wall Street or even just Main Street; it also helps businesses on the side streets, such as Elston Avenue in my home district.
If the U.S. fails to set the rules for global trade, then other countries with records of environmental and labor abuses, like China, will step in to fill the void.
I think what we're learning with the Trump Jr. meeting is when you meet with any Russians, you're meeting with Russian intelligence. And, therefore, President Putin.
Immigration is not about visa numbers or building a fence. It is about reclaiming our roots as a nation of immigrants and a refuge for those who have been cast aside.
I introduced the Transparency in Government Act, a multi-faceted transparency bill that would bring unprecedented access and accountability to the federal government.
As the leaders of this great country, I urge my fellow colleagues in the House, governors, and presidential candidates alike to hold ourselves up to a higher standard.
It's time to elevate the debate in this country and allow the public to access the same neutral, unbiased, nonpartisan information that we in Congress rely on every day.
There are more kids playing hockey, and the game has become more diverse from a cultural, ethnic and geographic point of view, but we still don't have a lot of congressmen.
Since 2001, I've done what every elected official should be doing in government right now. My staff and I took a look at the books, thought outside the box and proposed reforms.
Instead of focusing on attacking unions and the labor movement, we need to find ways to strengthen and empower workers so we can put more money in the pockets of middle class families.
Americans donate blood every day - on high school and college campuses during blood drives, in workplaces after a coworker falls ill, and in hospitals as loved ones prepare for surgery.
On Capitol Hill and in state houses across the country, anti-women's health politicians continue to make it clear that they will stop at nothing to end access to a safe, legal abortion.
A Supreme Court ruling is supposed to provide clarity to contentious legal issues, but in the case of reproductive rights, it was just the beginning of a long, heated, and grueling debate.
Forty-two thousand people is an attractive target for people who want to hurt us. And a ballpark that's about 6 feet, at one point, from the street is as big a target as any we can imagine.
Lincoln's address at Gettysburg - 272 words dedicating a cemetery at the site of one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles - has been called by scholars the source of all modern political prose.
Technology has aided in serious advancements so that HIV detection tests now have near-perfect results. And those tests can detect HIV in the blood an average of nine to 11 days post-infection.
Honest to goodness, Brian Campbell, he was holding the Cup, and there was no one around for a minute. He says, 'Hold this for a second.' So he hands it to me - one of the best moments of my life.
Congress must take some thoughtful and targeted steps towards long-term solvency in the Social Security program. One such step is to eliminate the cap on income that is taxed for Social Security.
Unions have long championed measures to reduce social and economic inequality, and efforts to weaken the labor movement at both the state and federal level have successfully stalled any progress.
While everyone is entitled to a little vacation now and then, America's top legal officers should adhere to basic measures to increase accountability and restore the public's trust in government.
Let's face it: when it comes to denying access to abortion care and reproductive rights, especially for low-income women with limited resources, there's no limit to how far some are willing to go.
It is the duty of Congress to ensure our lead regulations are up to date and consistent with modern detection methods so that we can better protect children from the harmful consequences of exposure.
Scaling back the U.S. fleet of 14 nuclear-armed submarines to eight would maintain a robust deterrent at sea while generating billions in savings and easing pressure on the Navy's shipbuilding budget.
In my home district, exports support more than 100,000 jobs. Imagine how many more jobs we can create by breaking down the barriers that prevent Chicago-made goods and services from entering new markets.
The fact that Russia has shown a willingness to disrupt elections and undermine institutions should come as no surprise. Just ask our allies across Europe, particularly in places like Georgia and Ukraine.
Denial of contraception to women without the financial means to afford it could cause substantial economic burdens, and even greater burdens if the lack of contraception results in an unintended pregnancy.
As the largest contributor to the United Nations and funder of international family planning, the U.S. is in a unique position to continue to lead the global agenda and place reproductive health at its core.
From bank accounts to financial systems, power grids to air traffic controls - our most critical infrastructure remain attractive cyber targets, and if they are ever compromised, the effects could be devastating.
I've visited Lincoln Park Zoo more times than I can count because I believe the more the public learns about our animals, plants and environment, the better equipped we are to play a leading role in protecting our planet.