Jan Schakowsky: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Jan Schakowsky

City: Evanston

Website: janschakowsky.org

Twitter: twitter.com/RepSchakowsky

Facebook: facebook.com/schakowskyforcongress

Office sought: U.S. House, District 9

Party: Democrat

Age: 74

Family: Husband, Bob Creamer; Children, Ian, Mary, and Lauren; Grandchildren, Isabel, Eve, Lucy, William, Aidan, and Aliceky

Occupation: Member, U.S., House

Education: University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign (1965).

Civic involvement:

Elected offices: Illinois House (U.S. House (since 1998); Illinois House (1991-1998)

Questions & Answers

Did you support or oppose the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017? Why or why not? Please outline your basic view of what the national economic policy should be?

I use a simple test to decide whether I can support legislation: will this proposal reduce income inequality or exacerbate it? The tax plan passed by Republicans in December fails this test spectacularly. It will make the rich much richer and make poor and middle-class Americans foot the bill with cuts to treasured government programs. This is why I worked and voted against it from the beginning.

While the top 1 percent will benefit (obtaining more than 80 percent of the benefits when it is fully implemented), the law does little to raise wages, create new jobs or improve the lives of working families. In fact, Republicans are already finding ways to make working men and women foot the bill for their $2 trillion tax gift to the ultrawealthy. Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans have repeatedly said that they intend to fill the $2 trillion hole created by massive tax breaks for the wealthy by cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - cuts that would undermine the health and financial security of nearly every American family.

As a leader in the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), every Congress I play an active role in drafting the CPC's budget proposal. In it, we propose a bold, progressive vision for the United States, where the wealthiest corporations and individuals are asked to pay for their fair share, so we can raise enough revenue to make necessary investments in health care, infrastructure, and education.

How strong is the threat of so-called cyberwarfare? What should the U.S. be doing in response to that threat that we are not doing?

The threat of cyberwarfare is extremely serious. Cyberattacks from foreign governments and nonstate actors alike threaten our national security, our personal information, our infrastructure, our democracy, and our infrastructure - including our banking system, internet, and power grid.

In many respects, the national security apparatus is taking cyberwarfare very seriously. They have emphasized those skills in their recruitment and hiring across different departments and have made this issue a priority. However, as evidenced by Russian meddling in our 2016 presidential election, our democracy is extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks. In Illinois, we have definitive proof that Russians hacked into our election database in 2016, though our delegation was briefed by government security experts who confirmed that the Russians did not alter election results. I am worried that we have not done enough to protect our elections systems. We need to fully fund election assistance programs so we can protect our country against further foreign election tampering.

Similarly, in the private sector, I think we have a long way to go to protect Americans' data. Although we have seen a number of high profile data breaches take place at high profile American companies like Uber and Equifax, the Republican Congress has been reluctant to take preventive action. As the Senior Democrat on the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection subcommittee I am the sponsor of a bill, the Secure and Protect Americans' Data Act, that would take important first steps toward protecting Americans' personal information.

Please outline your position on immigration. What should our philosophy be on the issue? Should there be a wall along most of our southern border? What should our philosophy be on how we treat and respond to undocumented immigrants?

The United States of America was built by immigrants, made strong by immigrants, and made great by immigrants. I am a first generation American - the daughter of immigrants who, along with their parents, were given the opportunity to work their way into the American middle class and raise a child who would become a Member of Congress. I am also the Representative in Congress of one of the most diverse and immigrant-rich districts in the country. Our thriving, caring, and peaceful community stands as a model of just how much immigrants contribute to our country. This is why I am convinced that our philosophy on the issue of immigration must be guided by the knowledge that immigrants make America great.

I support passing a clean DREAM Act, ending the separation of families at our southern border and require their reunification, and passing comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are living and working in our country, contributing positively to our communities, and obeying our country's laws. These people left everything they knew and had behind; they were either fleeing perilous circumstances, seeking to improve their family's well-being, or both; they endured life-threatening circumstances just for the opportunity to reach our shores and get to work. We would be doing a great disservice to our own country if we fail to harness their strength and gumption by allowing them to earn citizenship. I am completely opposed to President's Trump's useless, costly border wall.

What is your evaluation of President Donald Trump's job performance? Please specify what you view as its highs and lows.

If I were to evaluate President Donald Trump's job performance with a letter grade, I'd give him a big, fat "F". Every single day we see yet another example of President Donald Trump and his Administration sowing discord and division in American society, weakening America's standing on the world stage, striking fear in the hearts of immigrants and minorities, and supporting policies that benefit the ultrawealthy and powerful at the expense of the middle-class and those who aspire to be middle class.

There have been far too many egregious actions taken by the President for me to include in the space allotted here. Because of their enormous and ravaging effects, I think the ones that I disagree with the most are his attempts to repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act, his unilateral violation and withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran Deal, his support and passage of the GOP tax bill, his xenophobic and inhumane immigration policies as well as his all-out assault of the environment. Other low points in his Administration have been his racist and rambling news conference following the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville and his embarrassing and shocking performance earlier this summer praising Vladimir Putin while denying Russia's attack on our democracy. A high point of his presidency will be the day it ends.

How important is Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation? What's your assessment of its fairness and professionalism? What's your assessment of Rep. Devin Nunes' performance chairing the House Intelligence Committee's review of the matter?

I fully support the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. We need this investigation to continue to do its diligent work if we are to fully understand the scope of Russian meddling in our election, and how involved President Donald Trump and his associates were. I also have faith in Mr. Mueller personally. I got to see Mr. Mueller at work when he was Director of the FBI and I served on the Intelligence Committee. From my time interacting with him then, I know him to be a straight shooter in whom I have total confidence. He is as fair and professional as it gets.

So far, as a result of the Mueller investigation, five Trump associates - Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Rick Gates, and George Papadopoulos - have been charged with serious crimes. Flynn, Cohen, and Manafort have already pleaded or been found guilty. Alex van der Zwaan has already served jail time. 13 Russian nationals have been charged as well. Perhaps most troubling, Michael Cohen admitted that he had violated campaign finance laws while silencing women by paying them off at the direction of President Donald Trump himself. This makes Donald Trump an unindicted co-conspirator in this investigation. Mr. Mueller's investigation should be protected at all costs - our democracy depends on it.

Devin Nunes has shirked his responsibility to our country and has chosen instead to play lap dog to President Donald Trump. It has been disgraceful to watch.

Did you support Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court? Please explain.

Brett Kavanaugh is about as extreme right-wing and political as a judge in the United States today can be. From the bench, he has consistently ruled in favor of corporations over workers, opposed Obamacare and its protections for more than 130 million Americans living with pre-existing conditions, and attacked the right of women to control their own bodies and their health. Just last year, he attempted to block a young detained immigrant woman's right to an abortion. Women's rights, worker's rights, LBTQ rights, civil rights, immigrant rights, voting rights, access to health care, environmental protections, and much more are at stake. The allegations of sexual misconduct that have come to light are also extremely troubling and must be thoroughly investigated before a vote on his confirmation can take place. I believe Brett Kavanaugh is a threat to our justice system and that he must be stopped.

Please provide one example that demonstrates your independence from your party.

I am a progressive Democrat. I don't always agree with what my party is proposing or supporting. When it comes time to vote, I vote in favor of policies that match my deepest held convictions. I am no stranger to controversial votes. I opposed the Patriot Act, often vote against our National Defense Authorization Acts, and have opposed many "popular" financial deregulation bills, including the repeal of Glass-Steagall in my first term. Most recently, this September I was one of only two Democrats to vote against a spending bill package because it appropriated funds for the production of a low-yield nuclear weapon. I could not in good conscience vote to expand our nuclear arsenal.

This Congress, I have happily voted with the majority of my party on a majority of issues. Republicans have lined up one terrible policy proposal after another. It hasn't been difficult to join ranks with my Democratic colleagues in opposition. Republicans haven't given us many hard votes. It was easy for me to vote against their $2 trillion tax gift to the ultrawealthy, their attempts to rip health care away from millions of Americans, their budgets that slash nutrition assistance and poverty reduction programs, and their decimation of environmental and consumer protections. It was also easy for me to march in lockstep with Democrats as we tried to get Republicans to vote on a clean DREAM Act, build on the progress of the Affordable Care Act, or protect our country against further foreign election tampering.

What other issues are important to you as a candidate for this office?

I'm focused on improving the financial and health security of my constituents. Too many feel that they are falling behind - that wages aren't keeping up with rising costs of health care and other necessities. I'm working hard to create good jobs with good wages and benefits, to guarantee union rights, and to improve retirement security by expanding Social Security benefits. It is also why I'm concentrating on health care - guaranteeing affordable, high-quality coverage to all. As a longtime proponent and founding member of the Medicare for All Caucus, I believe government has the responsibility to guarantee health care as a right.

I'm proud to have played a role in passing the Affordable Care Act and eliminating discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions, women, and older adults while guaranteeing essential benefits and eliminating lifetime and annual caps on those benefits. We must protect the ACA against Republican attacks but we must do more. I have proposals to lower prescription drug prices. I have introduced legislation to make Big PhRMA open up their books, require price negotiation, and stop monopoly practices. Women need to have control of their own reproductive health - including when and whether to have children - and I co-authored the Each Woman Act to eliminate restrictions on women's access to abortion. As co-chair of the House Democratic Caucus Seniors Task Force, I'm pushing for a long-term care policy to provide the services and support older Americans, people with disabilities and their caregivers need.

In addition, we have a few questions meant to provide more personal insight into you as a candidate:

What makes Chicago's suburbs special?

Our suburbs are an exceptional, beautiful place to raise a family. Not only do our villages and towns provide quality education and excellent resources for children and young adults, we have the privilege of having local leaders who respond to the diverse needs of our increasingly diverse populations. These leaders emphasize making our neighborhoods safe and secure, as well as sustainable. Many of our communities are an example for the rest of the country on how to lead in education, sustainability, and safety.

Who is your hero?

My Hero is Democratic Leader and former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Many political observers believe that Pelosi was one of, if not the most, effective Speakers in history. I have admired her from the time I arrived in Congress.

Even before becoming Speaker, she has always known how to organize and reach out to every corner of our caucus. As the Ranking Member of the Intelligence Committee, she opposed the Iraq War, defying many Democratic leaders. She organized and strategized and was able to swing 60 percent of the caucus in her direction. Then, in the waning days of the Bush Administration, when the economy was on the verge of collapse, she delivered tough but necessary votes to avert a total meltdown.

As Speaker, she had a 100-hour plan to demonstrate that Democrats would hit the ground running. In those first 100 hours, the House raised the minimum wage, enacted provisions of the 9/11 Commission, ended tax subsidies for oil companies and made new rules for lobbyists. Later in her term, she ensured that the Obama administration didn't give up on or slow-walk the Affordable Care Act.

Even in the minority, Nancy runs circles around the Republican majority. She knows how to count votes and leverage her power. She is literally tireless - her schedule completely exhausts the young staff who travel with her. She embodies one of her favorite rallying cries - don't agonize, organize! Nancy Pelosi is my hero.

Each amendment in the Bill of Rights is important, but which one of those 10 is most precious to you?

If I had to choose, I would pick the First Amendment. It enshrines the fundamental principles of democracy into our nation's most important document and into our national values. It guarantees freedom of religion - respecting each individual's choice to practice the faith of their own choosing (or none at all) - and right to freedom of speech. It recognizes the necessity of a free press to democracy, a principle particularly important today. And it embodies the belief that government should be responsive to and act for the people, giving the public the right to participate in decision-making through peaceful means - to assemble together and to petition their government officials for change. The First Amendment both protects against oppressive policies that take away the rights of individuals and puts forward a vision of a democratic society that works for the common good.

What's something you know now that you wish you'd known when you were younger?

I wish I had known when I was younger that this is a marathon and not a sprint. Making change and solving the problems you set out to work on can sometimes take a very long time, and that can be a difficult thing to accept. This is especially true in the legislative process, where change certainly comes, but sometimes you have to be in the fight for a long time to make sure that the kind of change you want to see does come. It is also important to note that I fundamentally believe that, as Dr. King so eloquently put it, the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice - it just might be a longer curve than we would want it to be.

If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the world, what would it be?

This is an excellent question - and a difficult one. There are a great deal of issues that I would love to solve with a flick of the wrist - extreme poverty, crippling hunger, rampant violence, and incurable diseases come to mind. Those are all, of course, noble and worthwhile choices. However, I think that if I had to choose just one thing to change about the world with a magic wand, it would be to reverse the ravaging and, in some cases, irreversible damage that humans have done to the planet and our climate. There is no room for debate: climate change is happening, it has been enormously accelerated by human activity, and it threatens to upend every aspect of our lives. Seas are rising, temperatures are changing, natural disasters are happening more frequently and more violently. Climate refugees already exist in many parts of the world, and as coastlines continue to erode, more will soon follow. Natural resources are becoming scarce and that scarcity will lead to distress and conflict. We must address this global crisis head-on.

I am not waiting for a magic wand to come my way. In Congress, I am committed to promoting sustainable and renewable clean energy development, achieving energy independence through the use of sustainable 21st-century technologies and increasing energy efficiency. I am also a strong environmentalist and believe we have a special responsibility to protect natural resources and species, national parks and wilderness areas and the future of our planet.

What's the best piece of advice you ever received?

"Life is not a dress rehearsal. Be bold. You have only one life to live."

Think back to a time you failed at something? What did you learn from it?

Did not answer.