Bushra Amiwala: 2026 candidate for 9th Congressional District

Bio

Office sought: 9th Congressional District

City: Skokie

Age: 28

Occupation: Former Solutions Consultant, 2020-2025\

Previous offices held: Skokie School Board Elected Member (2018-present)

Q&A

What is your top issue and how do you propose to address it?

We are in an affordability crisis. Families are being squeezed: groceries cost more each month, rents are rising, transportation is expensive, and wages are not keeping pace. Our neighbors are being priced out of their own homes. This is not inevitable. It is the result of policy choices.

Congress has failed to stop price gouging, allowed wealth to concentrate at the top, and ceded its authority on tariffs, which are a tax on working people. Trump’s tariffs are making everything more expensive, from food and gas to clothing and household goods. Only Congress has the power to levy taxes, and I will reclaim that authority and repeal tariffs.

I support a progressive tax system that asks corporations and the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share. That includes cracking down on loopholes that reward hoarding at the top while everyone else falls behind.

Affordability also means mobility. I will invest in robust public transit and infrastructure so no one is locked out of opportunity because they cannot afford to commute. Affordability is not abstract. It determines whether people can stay housed and fed. I am running to make this economy work for the people who actually live in it.

Do you support the unilateral foreign policy course President Trump has taken with such actions as the bombing of Iran, assaults on Venezuelan ships and the seizure of the Venezuelan president?

I do not support President Trump’s unilateral use of military force. Bombing Iran without Congressional approval and seizing the Venezuelan president were impeachable offenses. The Constitution is clear: only Congress has the power to declare war. A president cannot launch military actions on a whim. That isn't how coequal branches of government work.

Two things can be true at once. Maduro is an abusive leader, and the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela were dangerous. Military strikes and the seizure of a foreign head of state are acts of war with global consequences. They must never be decided by one person behind closed doors.

Allowing “shadow wars” erodes democratic accountability and puts civilians at risk. Congress is not powerless. Every member has the authority to act. Impeachment is not symbolic. It is a constitutional responsibility.

This will end on my watch. I will use oversight and investigative powers to hold this administration accountable, and I will repeal the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force, which are used to justify executive overreach. Reclaiming congressional authority means using it, now. We can't afford to wait.

The executive branch has expanded its powers in recent years on foreign policy, economic tariffs, executive orders and more. Are you satisfied with the direction these activities are moving? If so, why? If not, what needs to be done differently?

I am not satisfied with the direction these powers are moving. The central argument of my campaign is that Congress must reclaim its constitutional role. The legislature was designed to be coequal with the executive, not subordinate to it. We are at an inflection point. If Congress continues to surrender its authority over war, trade, and spending, it risks becoming irrelevant.

This administration’s distasteful ballroom construction in the White House is symbolic of something far worse: President Trump turning the presidency into a throne. Now he is betraying his own voters by ruining our economy. Authoritarianism has a cost. It hurts the economy. Just look at Russia. Despite its vast size and resources, its GDP is a fraction of ours because authoritarian rule stifles growth.

Congress has a duty to stop the United States from going down that path. I will vote to reverse unlawful executive orders, repeal unconstitutional tariffs, and restore legislative authority over war and spending. And when a president abuses power, Congress must act. Impeachment is not symbolic. It is a constitutional responsibility. Our democracy and our economy depend on Congress doing its job.

What should U.S. border policy be? If elected, what would you do to make it happen?

Protecting national security and building a humane immigration system are not competing goals. We can do both. A just border policy welcomes people who make our country stronger while upholding due process, safety, and dignity.

I support comprehensive immigration reform that provides a broad pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, protects DACA recipients, and treats every person as a human being, not a threat. The way ICE tears apart families is unacceptable. Asylum seekers are punished for seeking safety. Visa holders live in fear. This is not order. It is cruelty.

DREAMers, in particular, deserve certainty. People who were brought here as children should not have their lives thrown into limbo by political whims. Congress must codify permanent protections and a path to citizenship for them, and I will fight to pass the DREAM Act for families in Illinois’ 9th District and across the country.

A humane system also requires due process. That means ending mass raids, expanding legal counsel, hiring more immigration judges, and ensuring cases are heard fairly and promptly. We do not need chaos and fear to have security. We need a system that reflects who we claim to be.

What should be the government’s role in assuring health care for Americans? What should be done regarding the ACA to better perform this function?

The government’s responsibility is to guarantee that no one is denied care because of cost, status, or circumstance. Healthcare is not a luxury. Before anything else, Congress must renew the enhanced ACA subsidies that millions of Americans rely on. Letting them expire would mean sudden premium spikes and lost coverage for working families. This should be bipartisan. It is both sound public health policy and basic economic common sense.

With that stabilized, I will move immediately to expand access. That means protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions, expanding Medicaid in every state, and introducing a robust public option is available to everyone. A public option is the fastest way to lower costs, increase competition, and help people who are currently uninsured or underinsured.

But that is not the end goal. Medicare for All is. Every other advanced democracy has a universal system. The United States is the outlier. A universal system is the most effective way to control costs. It simplifies a fragmented system, cuts administrative waste, and provides preventive and mental healthcare before crises occur. Health should never depend on a job, a zip code, or a bank balance.

What is your vision for a solution to conflicts involving Israel and the Palestinians? What should the United States be doing to advance this position?

Any lasting peace must guarantee freedom, safety, and dignity for all involved. I support the Palestinian right of return. Peace cannot be built on dispossession, blockade, or collective punishment.

For decades, the U.S. has propped up a regime repeatedly cited for human rights violations, using American tax dollars while our own communities struggle to afford the basics. That is a moral and political failure.

All U.S. aid must be conditioned on full compliance with international law. The distinction between “defensive” and “offensive” is meaningless when civilians are being killed. Any weapon system that enables violations of international law must be subject to extremely strict oversight.

We already have the legal framework to do this. The Leahy Law prohibits U.S. assistance to foreign security forces credibly implicated in gross human rights abuses. Conditioning aid is not radical. It is the law. What is radical is continuing to send billions of dollars in weapons while credible reports document mass civilian harm.

The role of the U.S. should be to end the genocide, protect human life, and push relentlessly for a just political resolution.