by RAY LEWIS | The National News Desk
Wed, April 23rd 2025 at 4:52 PM
FILE - Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., speaks at a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 28, 2022. The federal government requires every state to recover money from the assets of dead people who, in their final years, relied on Medicaid for long-term care. Now, critics want the federal government to stop doing that because, they say, the program collects a bit of money from the poorest people. Schakowsky reintroduced legislation that would end the federal government's mandate. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
TOPICS:
SchakowskyRetirementCongressSocial SecurityDemocratsIllinoisHealth careDOJWASHINGTON (TNND) — An Illinois congresswoman is planning to announce her retirement in May, Politico reported Wednesday.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., reportedly told the news outlet she will make an announcement on May 5, though she didn’t explain what for. The lawmaker has started informing allies she will not seek reelection though, Politico said.
Rep. Schakowsky, who at 80 years old is serving her 14th term in the House of Representatives since she was elected in 1998. She is a Democratic chief deputy whip who is also a ranking member of the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee. The congresswoman serves on the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which assigns party members to other panels, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well.
Rep. Schakowsky says she is fighting to prevent the privatization of Social Security, which she expressed support for at an event with residents of a senior living facility last week. The congresswoman claimed there that Republicans are trying to gut the Social Security Administration, which the GOP has denied.
"President Trump and Republicans in Congress want to gut this lifesaving program so they can pay for tax cuts for corporations and billionaires. Enough is enough,” Rep. Schakowsky said.
“We must expand Social Security benefits, not cut them. We will not stop fighting back together — Democrats, seniors, Illinoisans,” the congresswoman added. “Because when we fight, we win.”
Trump has pledged to not touch Social Security, although he and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, have claimed the agency is rife with waste and fraud.
In March, Rep. Schakowsky criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) for an order to limit enforcement of a law that prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services, another subject the congresswoman claims to fight for.
She endorsed a letter that said the order would risk the well-being and security of patients and providers at the health care facilities.
“Individuals have the right to freedom of speech and the right to peacefully gather to protest,” the letter read. “However, individuals do not have the right to use physical force or intimidation as these acts pose a threat to those attempting to access a range of health care services - from abortion care to breast cancer screenings, prenatal care, reproductive counseling, and in vitro fertilization.”
The DOJ said in a memo that enforcement of the law, called the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, was an example of the “weaponization of the federal government.”
Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.
