As you know, saving democracy in America is a daily battle that requires not only being aware and educated about what is happening but also being ready to serve our fellow citizens when needed. Attending Lauren Underwood’s townhall in Oswego two weeks ago made me aware of the necessity for all of us to act quickly to save our country. And Lauren’s words motivated me to be even more active in the community as I joined other Democrats to express our frustration with the chaos occurring in America.
Lauren began by talking about the repercussions of “One Big Ugly Bill,” which Republicans pushed through Congress as “One Big Beautiful Bill.” What does the bill really do: it adds $3.4 trillion to the deficit and gives $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, which primarily help the extremely wealthy people in our country. And it cuts $1 trillion from healthcare, which affects people on both Medicare and Medicaid. Lauren mentioned that Republicans had secret meetings in the middle of the night to strip healthcare benefits from millions of people and make it more difficult for new applicants to sign up.
Illinois is already feeling the impact. For example, Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago is closing, and 93 nursing homes in Illinois are facing hardship and possible closure due to Medicare cuts. Nine hospitals in rural areas may also be on the chopping block, which will leave many people without healthcare. Even food assistance for the poor has been cut. Illinois had to end the funding it paid farmers to grow food for the hungry when funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program was cut. And over $6 billion in approved federal education grants for schools across the nation was taken away, which leaves school administrators in all 50 states scrambling to find the money they need.
In spite of these cuts, the Democrats in Congress are fighting back. Lauren introduced the Taxpayer Data Protection Act to protect the private data of all citizens, and she cosponsored the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act to stop Republicans from dismissing the federal employees that provide Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare services. In addition, she joined advocates to stop the administration from ending phone support, which resulted in a win for all of us. As the Ranking Member on the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, she passed amendments to the 2026 funding bill to ensure than none of the funds could be used to take away our rights to free speech, due process in a court of law, and a fair and speedy trial. She also addressed legal rights during searches and joined other members of Congress to protect funds for the veterans’ crisis hotline.
When Lauren asked for questions from the floor, many constituents expressed the concerns we all have. Can Democrats stop what is happening? Lauren responded that the courts are our best recourse since the executive and legislative branches of the government are controlled by Republicans who do not play fair. However, the Republicans will need 7 Democratic votes to pass a short-time funding measure while Congress attempts to work on the budget. And Democrats can negotiate for concessions for those votes. Without the Democratic votes, the government could shut down on Sept. 30. In March, House Democrats were angry with Chuck Schumer for “caving” in and voting with Republicans. Shutting down the government may be the only way to negotiate for important concessions, but it may also anger some constituents who need government services.
Every day brings new challenges and opportunities for us to work together. The Republicans are redistricting and setting up gerrymandered districts while also trying to change laws to suppress voting rights throughout the country. Kane County was privileged to host the Texas Democrats who protested the gerrymandering taking place in their state, and Illinois will be voting to take steps to fight this unfair action by doing the same thing to level the playing ground. Trump is also threatening to make mail-in voting illegal. Democrats have filed over 357 active cases challenging Trump’s executive orders or agency actions. In 200 cases, judges have rescinded or revoked the orders. Recently, the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the administration could not use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to support mass deportations. The 1798 law was set up to stop invading foreign soldiers, which cannot be applied to immigrants sent here by another country. Some cases—such as the birthright citizenship executive order–may be appealed to the Supreme Court again for clearer directions.
Lauren also mentioned that the Republicans adjourned early in August after passing the “one Big Ugly Bill” because they hoped to stop discussion about the release of the Epstein files. However, that ploy did not work. The American public was still clamoring last week for the release of all the files, not just the pages Republicans want them to have. The death of Charlie Kirk stopped the outcry over the Epstein files, and since that shooting, more steps are being taken to silence free speech in our country and create an atmosphere of fear.
It more important than ever that we speak out against the suppression of free speech. Trump takes extreme action to divert our attention from what is really happening. On September 4th, he instructed the military to blow up a speedboat in international waters. The administration said that the 11 people in the boat were drug dealers, but there was no evidence of that. The boat could have been stopped and searched, and arrests could have been made if warranted. On September 15th, the U.S. military attacked another boat in international waters and killed three people.
Lauren closed by telling the audience that “It will take all of us to defend our rights and protect our country. We cannot look away. We have to know what is happening. We the people have the power. They are counting on us to look away.”
We will not look away. Citizens in Chicago and the collar counties are working together to save our country. We Can Lead Change has arranged bimonthly rallies since the spring, and the number of people who assemble keeps growing. Nearly 2000 people assembled in St. Charles on Labor Day to rally and express support for labor unions and workers’ rights, and to show concern over the chaos in America and the possible intrusion of the National Guard into Chicago. As citizens, we are concerned about the possibility of martial law in “blue” states. It is our mission to learn what is happening and show up to push back against anything that takes aways the rights of people in our country.