Press Releases

Washington, DC – In a letter to Transportation Secretary Foxx, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) called for the awarding of more transportation grants to Payer States.

Payer States receive less in federal funding than they pay out in federal taxes. Illinois, for example, faces an annual shortfall of $40 billion because of this problem.

Under current law, formulas used to award federal transportation funds disproportionately benefit states that pay less in federal taxes than Payer States like Illinois.

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) took to the floor of the House of Representatives to commemorate National Library Week, and to speak about the work being done by libraries across the country.

You can watch Congressman Foster's speech here.

Text of Foster's remarks is below:

I rise today to commemorate National Library Week – and to celebrate how local libraries continue to be a vital resource in communities across this nation.

Washington, DC – In a letter to Governor Rauner, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) and eight members of the Illinois congressional delegation called for immediate action to aide Illinois college students facing financial hardship due to the prolonged state budget impasse.

The letter calls on the governor to reconsider his decision to veto legislation that would have restored funding for the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) – immediately helping thousands of students who rely on MAP grants to pursue their education.

Chicago, IL – On Thursday at the University of Chicago Law School, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) joined students, faculty, and other members of Congress, for a discussion with President Obama about the Supreme Court and our country's judicial system – including the need for the Senate to do its job and give the President's Supreme Court nominee a fair hearing.

Washington, D.C. – In a letter to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), and 99 of their Democratic House Colleagues this week requested stronger federal funding to combat the opioid addiction epidemic in Fiscal Year 2017.

Washington, DC – On Wednesday, March 23, 2016, Congressman Bill Foster spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives on the importance of strengthening the global nuclear security architecture.

Video of Foster’s speech can be found here.

Text of Foster’s remarks as prepared is below:

Mr. Speaker, as the only physicist remaining in the United States Congress, I feel a special responsibility to speak out on the importance of strengthening global nuclear security.

Aurora, IL – On Friday in Aurora, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) toured the Dunlee Manufacturing Facility, a division of Philips, to learn more about how the Manufacturing Careers Internship Program is helping to get young people interested and involved in manufacturing career opportunities.

Launched in 2011 to help fill the critical shortage of young adults entering manufacturing, the MCIP partners with local employers to place students into internships and helps them to secure long-term employment.

Washington, DC – Today, the House passed H.R. 1471, the FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015, legislation that would help to close the Payer State gap by giving Illinois communities a fair shot at securing federal disaster funding. Currently, federal disaster declarations are issued based on a calculation using a state’s population. The result is that two states could have identical disasters, but the smaller state could receive federal support while the more populous state would not.