Lake County News-Sun: Lake County's 4 Democratic congressional reps reflect on year under GOP control; "This is not a good recipe for the success of our democracy'

Between barely avoiding a government shutdown twice, taking 15 ballots to elect a speaker and then removing him from office, the U.S. House of Representatives had an unprecedented year, but not one of the four members representing Lake County consider it a good one.

“It was a historic year, but it was not great for the work of Congress,” said U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park. “The House and Senate passed 27 bills that became law. This is one of the most ineffective Congresses in history.”

Legislating in a narrowly divided government was a challenge for Schneider, Rep, Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, and Rep Bill Foster, D-Naperville, this past year in Washington.

As the year started, it took 15 ballots over four days to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaker creating the first historic moment. When he worked with Democrats to pass an increase in the debt ceiling in May, he angered some members of his own party.

A second effort at bipartisanship by McCarthy in the fall prevented a government shutdown, but cost him the speakership when one member of the GOP caucus sought his removal. It was a rule McCarthy approved in January to get the gavel.

With Democrats unwilling to vote to bail McCarthy out of his dilemma, their votes along with eight Republicans made him the first speaker in history removed from the position. Quigley said a few extreme GOP members are preventing Congress from legislating.

“This is a case of the dog’s tail wagging the body politic,” Quigley said. “This is a good lesson in what the lack of leadership can do.”

Though not optimistic about a more productive Congress, Schneider said the only way legislation becomes law in a divided government — the Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House, while the GOP has a majority in the House — is with compromise.

“The Republicans need to realize they have a slim majority and they’re not going to be able to force things through,” Schneider said. “They have to realize they’re not going to get everything they want.”

During the 117th Congress in 2021 and 2022, the Democrats’ House majority was about as narrow as the Republicans’ is now. Foster said they passed nearly 10 times as much legislation.

“Doing 10 times less is not good for the country,” he said. “A small part of their caucus is driving this. This is not a good recipe for the success of our democracy.”

Schakowsky said the dissimilarity between the Democrats’ ability to govern with a narrow majority and the Republicans’ inability to do so stems from her party’s ability to resolve its differences in an intramural fashion to eventually make laws.

“The difference is the Republicans are at war with each other,” she said. “We went three weeks without a speaker,” she added, referring to the span of time between McCarthy’s ouster and the election of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Though also critical of the lack of legislation enacted in 2023, Schakowsky said she is enthused a bill she co-sponsored is likely to pass early next year. It requires primary and secondary entertainment ticket sellers to disclose all costs to the buyer before the purchase.

Authored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Schakowsky is one of 11 co-sponsors including Foster — nine Democrats and two Republicans — the bill was unanimously approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier in December. She is confident it will soon pass.

“It means the consumer will see the full price of the ticket before they purchase it,” Schakowsky said. “It applies to all legitimate ticket sellers and resellers.

While not a legislative act, Foster said he is pleased he was able to work with the necessary federal, state and local officials as well as both management and labor to keep the Stellantis Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere open and making vehicles.

“This was all hands on deck from President (Joseph) Biden to local officials,” Foster said. “They all did everything they could to keep the plant open.”

When members of Congress return to Washington Jan. 9, Quigley said he and his colleagues will have eight days to pass legislation to fund part of the government and until Feb. 2 to fund the rest. He is also concerned about appropriations for Israel and Ukraine.

“The Republicans are not following the Reagan Doctrine,” Quigley said. “It means we will support our allies fighting Soviet aggression wherever it is. Supporting Ukraine is the quintessential Reagan Doctrine today.”

With funding the government essential, Schneider also puts a strong emphasis on approving the $105 billion package President Biden proposed in October to help Israel, Ukraine and the migrant situation at the United States’ southern border.

“We have to work to achieve that,” Schneider said. “We have to work to achieve consensus.”