Press Releases
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.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced the Advancing Standards in Regenerative Medicine Act to help foster innovation in regenerative medicine, a burgeoning field that holds potential for more targeted medical treatments for chronic and life-threatening diseases. The bill is the House companion to S.2443, introduced by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in January.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) spoke at a hearing of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee titled Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe: Gravitational Waves. The hearing was held to discuss the first observation of gravitational waves, a historic breakthrough that was recently announced by a team of physicists working with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster applauded the emphasis on science, transportation and infrastructure, and substance abuse treatment funding in President Obama’s FY2017 Budget, singling out the new construction start for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Washington, DC – On Tuesday, February 9, 2016, Congressman Bill Foster spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives to recognize the life and contributions of Dr. St. Elmo Brady, the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry.
Video of Foster's speech can be found here.
Text of Foster's remarks as prepared is below:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. St. Elmo Brady.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) and 34 Members of Congress wrote President Obama to request robust funding for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the organization that is responsible for ensuring that Iran fulfills its commitments as outlined in the recently negotiated nuclear agreement.
Joliet, IL – Today, Congressman Bill Foster brought together community leaders to discuss the ongoing fight against the opioid epidemic happening throughout the Eleventh Congressional District and the country.
The annual event was held at the Will County Health Department in Joliet, Illinois, and featured presentations from local governmental organizations and community groups focused on ending the spike in heroin, prescription drugs, and other opioid-related deaths.
Washington, DC— Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) spoke on the House floor about President Obama's challenge to find a "moonshot" to cure cancer. Foster argues that the moonshot is achievable, but only because of many years and millions of dollars of investment in federal research and development.
Foster, who was a high-energy physicist for over 20 years, is the only Ph.D. scientist in Congress.
Video of Foster's speech is available here.
Washington, DC – Today, President Obama proposed $1.1 billion in new funding to combat opioid abuse and heroin addiction throughout the United States. Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) praised the increase in resources and called on Congress to adopt the proposal.