Mike Quigley
Too often, advances in civil rights or women's rights are undermined by wrong-headed legislation or weak-kneed political leadership.Collection: Leadership
While everyone is entitled to a little vacation now and then, America's top legal officers should adhere to basic measures to increase accountability and restore the public's trust in government.Collection: Legal
Economic inequality is not about food stamps and homeless shelters. It is about being a devotee of social justice and equality.Collection: Equality
In order to maintain public trust in government, elected officials must answer for what they do and say; this includes 140-character tweets.Collection: Trust
On Capitol Hill and in state houses across the country, anti-women's health politicians continue to make it clear that they will stop at nothing to end access to a safe, legal abortion.Collection: Legal
One hundred and fifty years after Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, equality for many Americans remains elusive.Collection: Equality
Climate change is not just about carbon dioxide levels and melting polar ice caps. It is about our public health and protecting our Earth for future generations.Collection: Health
As the father of two daughters, the ongoing struggle for women's equality is very personal for me. That's why it has been an honor during my time in Congress to support women's rights by advocating for reproductive rights, equal pay, access to paid maternity leave and quality child care.Collection: Equality
If the U.S. fails to set the rules for global trade, then other countries with records of environmental and labor abuses, like China, will step in to fill the void.Collection: Environmental
President Trump's frequent, unfiltered use of his personal Twitter account as a means of official communication is unprecedented. If the President is going to take to social media to make sudden public policy proclamations, we must ensure that these statements are documented and preserved for future reference.Collection: Communication
A Supreme Court ruling is supposed to provide clarity to contentious legal issues, but in the case of reproductive rights, it was just the beginning of a long, heated, and grueling debate.Collection: Legal
Once you've stared death in the face, every day is a good day.Collection: Death
The real cost of corruption in government, whether it is local, state, or federal, is a loss of the public trust.Collection: Trust
I do believe that the majority of elected officials worked very hard and their heart is in the right place.
We know that trade doesn't just help Wall Street or even just Main Street; it also helps businesses on the side streets, such as Elston Avenue in my home district.
In my home district, exports support more than 100,000 jobs. Imagine how many more jobs we can create by breaking down the barriers that prevent Chicago-made goods and services from entering new markets.
Without the U.S. leading the way in trade negotiations, we likely will see irreversible damage to our environment and widespread abuse of labor and human rights, all while we lose out on the opportunity to expand our economy and create jobs.
Illinois and Chicago have shown they can compete on the world stage, and we will continue to answer the challenge.
Being on the Intelligence Committee made me more of a hawk.
I think it can be very safe to go to O'Hare and Wrigley and Sox park and Soldier Field, but you have to deal with some reality. Just because a threat is not specific and verifiable doesn't mean nearly what it used to mean, in terms of you being able to sleep well at night.
I think you see a clear pattern of people in the Trump campaign coordinating with Russians.
I think what we're learning with the Trump Jr. meeting is when you meet with any Russians, you're meeting with Russian intelligence. And, therefore, President Putin.
For decades, allies have counted on the U.S. to step up to the plate to work with them to protect the shared values we hold dear. As we face numerous international challenges, both old and new, we need to put more faith and investment in our international and diplomatic institutions, not weaken them.
The United States did not earn its reputation as leader of the free world by standing back and allowing darker forces to prevail.
We defeated communism in part by showing the world that a commitment to democracy and expanding economic opportunity makes people's lives better and nations more secure, meaning our commitments overseas also makes us stronger and safer here at home.
Cyprus has a reputation as a laundromat for the Russians who are trying to avoid sanctions.
The fact that Turkey, the U.S., and Russia and other countries are really interested in Cyprus because of its strategic location... the fact that Russians launder their money there to avoid sanctions, and the fact that key U.S. and Russia players were there - all make it really important for the Russia investigation.
Inhumane treatment of the undocumented cannot be rewarded with repeated budget increases. It goes against our country's most fundamental values and cannot continue. We must cut I.C.E.s budgets until these concerns are addressed.
Protection of religious freedom means considering the faiths and beliefs of everyone involved.
I've visited Lincoln Park Zoo more times than I can count because I believe the more the public learns about our animals, plants and environment, the better equipped we are to play a leading role in protecting our planet.
There's a world to save. Don't let anybody tell you you can't change the world. You can, and you have a moral responsibility to try.
I taught policy and politics for seven years at a university. I told my students lobbyists are not a bad thing; they're absolutely vital.
Lincoln's address at Gettysburg - 272 words dedicating a cemetery at the site of one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles - has been called by scholars the source of all modern political prose.
We can't allow ourselves to descend down the rabbit hole of unbridled partisanship for partisan sake.
Everyone without extraordinary research skills ought to be able to know what is happening inside the government, how it operates, where their tax dollars are going. Then they can make better decisions in the electoral process.
The Russians hacked into the Illinois State Board of Elections. They got into the database.
I like to take out the recycling because I actually feel like I'm doing something.
The modern labor movement that began around the mid-19th century has given us many of the basic working rights that we now take for granted.
Despite its challenges, globalization has led to one of the most peaceful and productive times in world history.
Government influences your life every day. If there's a war, they're not drafting guys my age.
Scaling back the U.S. fleet of 14 nuclear-armed submarines to eight would maintain a robust deterrent at sea while generating billions in savings and easing pressure on the Navy's shipbuilding budget.
When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt people.
Immigration is not about visa numbers or building a fence. It is about reclaiming our roots as a nation of immigrants and a refuge for those who have been cast aside.
Our Founding Fathers drafted the Bill of Rights to ensure that We the People could determine how best to protect our communities.
Growing up during the Cold War, I remember the seemingly imminent threat of nuclear war. In primary school we were taught to 'duck-and-cover' for protection. But even as children hiding under wooden desks, we recognized the inadequacies of this strategy.
We can be just as safe with a smaller, more efficient nuclear arsenal at less cost.
Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we must no longer pretend that a large nuclear stockpile will protect us from the most immediate security threats the United States faces.
Before being elected to Congress, I oversaw the Cook County Hospital System as a Cook County Commissioner for 10 years.
Empowering women by allowing them to choose when and how many children to have is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.
As the largest contributor to the United Nations and funder of international family planning, the U.S. is in a unique position to continue to lead the global agenda and place reproductive health at its core.