Jan Schakowsky Quotes

Food service workers, home care workers, farm workers, and other low-wage workers log long hours. They come home tired after providing services and producing goods that make our country stronger. They deserve fair treatment from their employers, and they deserve a voice in collective bargaining.

- Jan Schakowsky

The reality is that life expectancy has not improved for everyone. In fact, in some cases, life expectancy is actually decreasing.

- Jan Schakowsky

Without health insurance, getting sick or injured could mean going bankrupt, going without needed care, or even dying needlessly.

- Jan Schakowsky

There is no better way to improve wages and working conditions in our country than to support the right to unionize. Throughout our history, unions have improved the lives of millions of American families, grown the middle class, and pushed our economy forward.

- Jan Schakowsky

Higher wages for American workers are not just good for American families, they are good for our economy. I will keep fighting for a raise for hard working Americans so our families can afford housing, help their children get a quality education, and secure a good retirement.

- Jan Schakowsky

I will continue to push for solutions to eliminate reliance on hired guns to provide security in war zones.

- Jan Schakowsky

In Illinois, community, migrant, homeless and public housing health centers operate 268 primary care sites and serve close to 1 million patients every year.

- Jan Schakowsky

There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.

- Jan Schakowsky

Obamacare does much more than provide coverage to the previously uninsured - it improves the quality of coverage for all of us. Critical cancer and other health screenings are free. Women and people with disabilities or chronic conditions are no longer charged more - or priced out of the market altogether.

- Jan Schakowsky

It is truly appalling for Senator Mark Kirk to equate the Obama Administration's diplomacy with Nazi appeasement. As a Jewish-American, I am offended.

- Jan Schakowsky

We understand what President Trump means when he talks about taking the country back. He does not see America as a country of people from diverse backgrounds united around values of freedom and respect. In his 'American carnage' version of our country, immigrants and refugees are a threat.

- Jan Schakowsky

Few things give me more pride and hope for our future than when I see women, of all ages and backgrounds, in leadership roles. We need even more women in elected office, running businesses, and guiding organizations.

- Jan Schakowsky

Jackie Berman, a 64-year-old widow and former special education teacher from Chicago, enrolled in Obamacare. She really needed coverage after sustaining serious injuries from being hit by a car. Now Jackie gets the care she needs at an affordable rate.

- Jan Schakowsky

Efforts to repeal Obamacare are misguided, dangerous, and just another instance of Republicans fighting the political wars of years past. But, health care shouldn't be about politics; it must be about helping people lead healthier lives.

- Jan Schakowsky

Americans have a right to the security of their personal information, and the entities that hold personal information have a responsibility to protect it.

- Jan Schakowsky

We should put hardworking families first by voting on legislation to create jobs, raise wages, provide equal pay for women, invest in education, protect voting rights, and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

- Jan Schakowsky

The United States and our allies across the world are working every day to fight terrorism. We must continue those efforts, and we must promote peace and freedom.

- Jan Schakowsky

Three years into the war, tens of thousands of American troops remain targets of a growing Iraqi insurgency.

- Jan Schakowsky

As a member of the Democratic Women's Working Group and Co-Chair of the Congressional Seniors Task Force, I will keep fighting for women's rights until they are completely secured. My daughters and granddaughters and millions of women and girls nationwide deserve our tireless efforts until we become a country where there is truly equality for all.

- Jan Schakowsky

There is greater income inequality in the United States than in any other industrialized country. Yes, the debt is a problem that must be dealt with. To me, however, the disappearing middle class is even worse - bad for our economy and really bad for our democracy.

- Jan Schakowsky

One can only presume, despite unequivocal polling to the contrary, that Republicans believe relentlessly attacking womens' abilities to make their own health care decisions is popular and will help them win elections. I believe it is at their peril that they pursue this anti-women agenda.

- Jan Schakowsky

Fast track is about pushing through the TPP, TTIP and future trade agreements that would massively increase the power of big international corporations and affect the daily lives of Americans.

- Jan Schakowsky

The rise of franchising, contracting, and other similar employment practices has made it harder to enforce worker protections like minimum wages, overtime pay, and the right to unionize.

- Jan Schakowsky

The Republican 'Work Harder for Less' budget leaves more Americans even worse off than they are today. The 'People's Budget' makes the critical investments needed to give the American people exactly what they deserve - economic security and peace of mind - and helps grow our economy from the middle out.

- Jan Schakowsky

Rather than proposing a forward-looking energy initiative, House Republicans continue to push Big Oil's tired old ideas, ideas that will do absolutely nothing to lower gas prices for the American consumer.

- Jan Schakowsky

President Obama's executive actions on immigration are designed to temporarily address major flaws in our broken immigration system.

- Jan Schakowsky

At some point in our life, each of us is very likely to be a care getter or a care giver or both.

- Jan Schakowsky

You might not want to go without essential health benefits or lose consumer protections if an insurance company many states away denies your claim or goes belly-up.

- Jan Schakowsky

Because the Bush Administration will set no timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, both chambers of Congress acted to make sure our troops will not be left in Iraq indefinitely.

- Jan Schakowsky

Americans firmly rejected Republican legislative efforts to repeal the ACA - only 17 percent supported it.

- Jan Schakowsky

Women are the overwhelming majority of the workers providing long-term support to seniors and people with disabilities. As a result, women are the ones most affected by legislative decisions on long-term care.

- Jan Schakowsky

Handcuffing the ability of states and localities to develop clean fuels in the cheapest possible way, using local resources, is not sound or sensible policy.

- Jan Schakowsky

I've seen the impact of deportation in my district. It is heartbreaking to see families torn apart for no good reason.

- Jan Schakowsky

Simply raising fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks to 33 miles per gallon would eliminate our oil imports from the Persian Gulf.

- Jan Schakowsky

Americans need access to affordable, reliable health insurance. They want President Trump to take responsibility and work to ensure their continued access to their insurance - creating certainty and affordability, not confusion and chaos.

- Jan Schakowsky

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act doesn't protect women's health. It threatens it.

- Jan Schakowsky

From its onset, the labor movement has been at the forefront of the fight to improve working conditions and workplace safety. At the local level, knowing their union has their back gives workers the confidence and support they need to stand up and report harassment, poor working conditions, or workplace safety violations.

- Jan Schakowsky

Memorial Day is all about celebrating the lives of the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. The United States is made great because of their heroism. Their lives are remembered, honored, and celebrated by all of us, including the friends, family, and fellow service members who knew them best.

- Jan Schakowsky

In Illinois, we've seen job losses from agreements like CAFTA and NAFTA. Those agreements didn't help American workers - and they haven't brought improvements to the lives of workers in other countries, either.

- Jan Schakowsky

Each and every day health centers provide high-quality primary and preventive care to our constituents.

- Jan Schakowsky

When my office asked the regional HHS office to participate in an enrollment event - something they routinely have done for previous ACA and Medicare Part D enrollment - they said no. They were prohibited from doing so - under orders from the Trump Administration.

- Jan Schakowsky

In 1973, the Roe v. Wade decision concluded that women have a constitutionally protected right to safe and legal abortions. That landmark decision wasn't the beginning of women having abortions; it was the end of women dying from abortions.

- Jan Schakowsky

While trade agreements are negotiated in secrecy, behind-closed doors, we have learned enough from leaks to know that the result of passing TPA to 'fast track' these trade agreements would affect everything from food safety to environmental protection to consumer financial protections.

- Jan Schakowsky

The effects of climate change are real and only getting worse. I would like to build on the promises of the Paris Climate Agreement and make our country a global leader on the fight against climate change.

- Jan Schakowsky

Through educational programming, Jewish American History Month will help raise the awareness of a people, their history and contributions. It will help combat anti-Semitism, a phenomenon that is on the rise and that unfortunately still exists in our Nation.

- Jan Schakowsky

The 'People's Budget' rewards hard work and invests in our country. It ensures that everyone has an opportunity to get a good education, find a good job, live in a safe and secure home, put food on the table, have affordable health care, save for retirement, and maybe have a little left over.

- Jan Schakowsky

We must organize. We must protest. We must cry out in a loud voice that America needs a raise. We must keep working until workers in this country don't have to struggle to make ends meet.

- Jan Schakowsky

When girls can get an education and women can work and run businesses or even serve as elected officials, the world benefits.

- Jan Schakowsky

For far too long, virtually every time Americans have been asked to make 'tough choices,' it has resulted in disproportionate harm for hardworking Americans and retirees.

- Jan Schakowsky

I support negotiating authority to lower prescription drug prices.

- Jan Schakowsky

President Trump ran on protecting U.S. jobs and renegotiating unfair trade policies - those policies strengthen labor laws around the world.

- Jan Schakowsky

Ivanka Trump's declared mission to 'empower women who work' is a welcome element in the Trump administration. As a woman with a desk in the White House and the founder of an international corporation, she is certainly in a position to improve the wages, safety, and quality of life of working women around the world.

- Jan Schakowsky

Investing in women at home and abroad strengthens families, uplifts our children, improves health, makes communities and countries more peaceful, and brightens our collective future. Where women have equality, security, and the opportunity to live, work, and prosper, their families and societies are better off.

- Jan Schakowsky

I was born and raised in Rogers Park in Chicago. My father sold furniture, and my mother was a Chicago public school teacher and proud member of the Chicago Teachers Union for decades.

- Jan Schakowsky

Hatred, bigotry, and discrimination have no place in our country. We must work hard to make sure that America remains an inclusive and respectful country.

- Jan Schakowsky

President Trump proclaimed 'America First' from the inauguration stage. As an American Jew and daughter of immigrants, that slogan makes me shiver.

- Jan Schakowsky

The JCPOA has made the world safer. The deal ensures that Israel does not have to live with the threat of a nuclear Iran in its backyard.

- Jan Schakowsky

American workers deserve a raise. I fully support the push for $15 an hour and a union. We also must raise wages for low and middle income families.

- Jan Schakowsky

Instituting equal pay is especially important because families in our country increasingly rely on women's wages to make ends meet. When women bring home less money each day, it means they have less for the everyday needs of their families - groceries, rent, child care, and doctors' visits.

- Jan Schakowsky

Like other important immigrant communities, the Jewish experience in the United States represents the ideal of freedom and the promise and opportunity of America.

- Jan Schakowsky

American workers are the best in the world. They teach our children, care for our sick and elderly, build our communities, and much more.

- Jan Schakowsky

Community health centers do a great deal with limited resources. They provide critical medical care services to many who would otherwise have no other place to go or would end up in an emergency room.

- Jan Schakowsky

No military contractors should have a 'shoot first' culture that puts civilians or our brave military service members in danger.

- Jan Schakowsky

As a country, we can make the commitment to provide quality long-term services - so that getting care doesn't depend on whether you are fortunate enough to have a loved one willing and able to provide it.

- Jan Schakowsky

Engaging in diplomacy with Iran and putting an end to their nuclear weapons program was the right thing to do.

- Jan Schakowsky

As grateful as we are for all the work the community health centers do, it is also important that we recognize that they cannot solve the health care crisis facing our Nation by themselves.

- Jan Schakowsky

We need a vibrant Medicaid program and strategies to expand affordable access to health care for all, especially for the specialty care services that community health centers do not provide.

- Jan Schakowsky

My family reached the United States before the Holocaust. Both of my parents emigrated from Russia as young children. My grandparents were fleeing religious persecution and came to America seeking a better life for their family.

- Jan Schakowsky

We have a choice: we can allow the growing disparity between rich and poor to continue unimpeded, or we can take action to budget responsibly and strengthen and expand the middle class. If we want this economy - and this country - to meet its full potential, the choice is simple.

- Jan Schakowsky

The truth is the middle class is not only stagnant but it is my fear that, without sustained and focused action, it is at risk of disappearing.

- Jan Schakowsky

More than 180 countries around the world have ratified CEDAW, some with reservations. While the United States signed the treaty in 1981, it is one of the few countries that have not yet ratified it. As a global leader for human rights and equality, I believe our country should adopt this resolution and ratify the CEDAW treaty.

- Jan Schakowsky

Plan Colombia was supposed to reduce Colombia's cultivation and distribution of drugs by 50 percent, but 6 years and $4.7 billion later, the drug control results are meager at best.

- Jan Schakowsky

There are big winners in Paul Ryan's 'Roadmap,' and you can guess who they are. He would cut taxes for the wealthy, completely eliminate the corporate income tax, and create a value added tax.

- Jan Schakowsky

And we've also had now the speaker of the Parliament in Iraq using blatantly anti-Semitic remarks, saying the Jews and sons of Jews are the problem of all the violence that's in Iraq.

- Jan Schakowsky

I was proud to witness American Jewish organizations found the Save Darfur Coalition in June 2004 to mobilize a coordinated interfaith response to the ongoing humanitarian disaster.

- Jan Schakowsky

Immigrants are integral to the strength of our nation. They deserve comprehensive reform that will provide a pathway to citizenship and ensure that families aren't torn apart.

- Jan Schakowsky

All across this country, undocumented immigrants are living in fear of seeing their families torn apart because of our broken immigration system. Many of those immigrants are children who were brought here at a young age through no fault of their own.

- Jan Schakowsky

I will continue to stand strongly with my fellow House Democrats, with immigration reform advocates and with millions of hard-working, law-abiding families who want simply to remain together and contribute to our great country.

- Jan Schakowsky

I am a fierce advocate for the economic empowerment of all women. In the Congress, I am one of the leaders of an initiative called 'When Women Succeed, America Succeeds.' It is an economic agenda for women aimed at making sure women have equal pay for equal work, paid sick leave, and affordable child care.

- Jan Schakowsky

Before Obamacare, only 12% of individual insurance plans covered maternity plans. Even without that important benefit, women were charged up to 48% more than men for the same benefit package.

- Jan Schakowsky

Since the birth of our Nation, no other right has been more important than having the ability to vote. Unfortunately, as history has shown, the denial of this right to minorities is a scar on our system of democracy.

- Jan Schakowsky

In conflict zones in particular, we need personnel who wear the badge of the United States, are a part of our official military command, and are always held accountable for their actions.

- Jan Schakowsky

As American Jews and descendants of immigrants, we never forget where our families came from or what members of our community experienced. Because we remember, we look out for those who are freeing persecution, oppression, and danger.

- Jan Schakowsky

I will continue to do all that I can to ensure and enhance worker protections, including the right to bargain collectively.

- Jan Schakowsky

I've fought to close the gender and racial pay gap for a very long time. One piece of advice I like to give whenever I'm speaking on the subject: if you want equal pay, join a union! I've never seen a union contract that pays women 79 cents to a man's dollar.

- Jan Schakowsky

A woman should not have to fear retribution from her employer, and the District of Columbia should be able to pass laws to protect against that retribution.

- Jan Schakowsky

Reproductive health decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor. Any efforts to undermine women's reproductive rights must stop.

- Jan Schakowsky

Our Committee should be focusing on real priorities - improving health care, combating climate change, creating jobs and making products safer - not attacking Planned Parenthood and undermining women's access to critical services.

- Jan Schakowsky

As a first generation Jewish American, I have witnessed firsthand Jewish immigrants who have come to this Nation in order to create a better life for themselves, their families, and future generations.

- Jan Schakowsky

As a first generation American myself, I know that comprehensive immigration reform is good for our country. I know it will reduce our deficit, grow our economy, reaffirm our values, advance our ideals, and honor our history as a nation of immigrants.

- Jan Schakowsky

The truth matters, and despite my objection to the creation of the Select Panel, as its Ranking Member, I will do all I can to ensure that as long at it continues, it will be as fair, transparent and objective as possible.

- Jan Schakowsky

Working families spend about 90 percent of their income on consumption - buying stuff. The rich spend less than 45 percent.

- Jan Schakowsky

Workers should not be prevented from bargaining with the companies that help set their wages, benefits, schedules, and workplace conditions.

- Jan Schakowsky

If we can spend over $3 trillion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, surely we can find the money to meet the long-term needs of our people.

- Jan Schakowsky

Democrats stand ready and willing to work with President Trump to improve upon the ACA - but we will not sit by and watch him sabotage the health care of millions of Americans.

- Jan Schakowsky

Republicans who oppose Obamacare have a responsibility to show that they can do better - not return us to the days when insurance companies alone decided who to cover for what benefits at what price. Otherwise, they should move beyond the repeal fights of the past, accept Obamacare as the law of the land, and work with us to make real improvements.

- Jan Schakowsky

Every year, Planned Parenthood serves three million Americans - men and women - and one in five women will receive care at a Planned Parenthood clinic in her lifetime.

- Jan Schakowsky

The District of Columbia has every right to pass their own laws, and House Republicans should stay out of it.

- Jan Schakowsky

Immigration reform is for those thousands of people in my district and the millions of people across the country who want nothing more than to work hard, provide for their families, and reach for the American Dream.

- Jan Schakowsky

Our goal should be to, together, to improve Obamacare so that even more people have access to affordable, quality health insurance and services.

- Jan Schakowsky

Preventing gender-based violence is critical to establishing safe, productive, and healthy workplaces for all.

- Jan Schakowsky

Ensuring that our children have more and better opportunities is the essence of the American dream.

- Jan Schakowsky

With affordable health care, women can have economic security and the peace of mind that they will not become a financial burden on their families.

- Jan Schakowsky

We can afford to pay workers fairly, and it is the right thing to do. We also need equal pay for equal work.

- Jan Schakowsky

We must ensure American workers get the long-overdue raise they deserve.

- Jan Schakowsky

The JCPOA is working - preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. It's time for the Republicans to start working, too.

- Jan Schakowsky

I will continue to work to maintain Planned Parenthood's ability to provide excellent health care to millions of women.

- Jan Schakowsky

Unequal pay exists across most job sectors of our economy, even in nursing.

- Jan Schakowsky

Since the Affordable Care Act allows individuals to buy affordable health care coverage on their own, women no longer have to remain in a job just for the health insurance - they can feel free to start their own business or care for a child or elderly parent.

- Jan Schakowsky

As a Jew, support for Israel is in my DNA.

- Jan Schakowsky

As a Jew I cannot sit idle while genocidal atrocities continue to unfold in Darfur, Sudan.

- Jan Schakowsky

We should not wait any longer to ensure that women get the pay they deserve. I will keep fighting for this until we achieve equality. I am very thankful for all those who are already advocating for equal pay, and I hope others will join me in this fight.

- Jan Schakowsky

Making sure women get equal pay for equal work remains one of my top priorities.

- Jan Schakowsky

The best way to earn a fortune in America is to already have one.

- Jan Schakowsky

For far too long, the Republican leadership in Congress has refused to act and pass comprehensive reform fixing our broken immigration system. In light of Republican inaction, I strongly support President Obama's executive actions on immigration.

- Jan Schakowsky

Well, I was a very strong opponent of the war, in fact, one of those who went door to door to my colleagues and thus achieved 60 percent of the Democrats voting no against this war.

- Jan Schakowsky

We were far from rich, but I never remember my parents worrying about money.

- Jan Schakowsky

The House Republican leadership has simply run out of ideas.

- Jan Schakowsky

Every American must be guaranteed dignity and independence in their retirement.

- Jan Schakowsky

Your health benefits are not a gift - you work hard for them every day.

- Jan Schakowsky