Jazmin J. Robinson

For general inquiries please reach out to my Campaign Manager:

Sloan Smith

• [email protected]
• Phone: (872) 216-0331 

For scheduling events with me please reach out to [email protected]

Solution: Ban all PACs, Paid Lobbyists, and the ultra-wealthy from financing candidates' campaigns and move to publicly funded elections. 

The Myth of the "Good PAC"

Many politicians will try to justify their funding by claiming they only take money from "good" PACs. Let me put on my H.R. hat: There is no such thing as a good PAC or Paid Lobbyist. If any organization, no matter how noble their stated cause, has more financial access and influence over our government than the average working voter, they are actively participating in and sustaining the oligarchy. Furthermore, if we accept a system where "good PACs" fight "bad PACs" with checkbooks, the "bad PACs" will always win because corporate billionaires and the ultra-wealthy will always have more money.

I am the only candidate in this race actively calling to ban the PACs and paid lobbyists that create the oligarchy we currently live in. It is no surprise I didn't get an endorsement from PACs, Lobbyists or Career Politicians that rely on the broken and corrupt system. 

Right now, our community is under a 'Total Funding War.' Because of the 2026 federal work mandates, over 2.4 million Americans including up to 340,000 Illinois residents are at risk of losing SNAP food benefits on May 1st.

In District 7 alone, tens of thousands of our neighbors are being told they must work 80 hours a month or lose their food. But as an HR expert, I know how to find the compliance loopholes. Every single person probably qualifies for an exemption, which means you don’t have to do it.

If you are 'unfit for work,' the requirement is waived. This isn't just for permanent disability. It includes temporary physical or mental limitations like severe anxiety or depression which many of us might be feeling right now due to ICE actions. Other exemptions include: living with a child under 14, caring for a child under 6, experiencing homelessness, being a student, or being pregnant.

Below are detailed step-by-step instructions on how to file your exemption today!

I’m already doing the work Congress is supposed to do, helping people access systems that already exist. And if this is how hard I work as a candidate, imagine what I can do as your Representative.

Like, share, and comment to help people get the care they deserve. Vote March 17, 2026, for Jazmin J. Robinson.

SAVE YOUR SNAP BENEFITS NOW!

1. Know Your "Protected Status" (The Exemptions)

You are exempt from the 80-hour monthly work requirement if any of the following apply.

• The "Unfit for Work" Shield: You have a physical or mental limitation that makes it hard to work.
  • Note: This includes depression, anxiety, or temporary injury. It does not require a permanent disability (SSDI) rating.
  • For Example:
  • Being diagnosed with depression or anxiety, which many of us might be suffering from right now due to ICE actions.
  • Temporary injury can mean chronic back pain. 
• The Household Anchor: You live with a child under age 14 (even if the child isn't on your SNAP case).
• The Caregiver: You are responsible for a child under age 6 (even if they live elsewhere) or an incapacitated adult.
• Chronic Homelessness: If you’ve been homeless for a year or have had four episodes in 3 years that's a diagnosable barrier.
• Recovery: You regularly participate in a drug or alcohol treatment program.
• Education: You are a student enrolled at least half-time.
• Pregnancy: At any stage.

2. Filing the Exemption

Do not wait for a letter. Take the initiative to "audit-proof" your file.

• Screen First: Go to ABE.Illinois.gov and click "Check if I Meet SNAP Work Requirements."
  • Once you click that link, it will take you to a page with a series of "Yes/No" questions. This is not the application, this is the diagnostic.
• The Form: Download “Link to Unable to Work Determination Form IL444-2341" (this is the Exemption Request form).
• Medical Verification (If needed): Use form “Link to SNAP Exemption Form IL444-2340". (This is the medical evaluation that can be completed by your doctor or a social worker).
• Per Illinois Department of Human Service (DHS) Manual MR#26.03, a written statement from a nurse, counselor, or even a homeless shelter staff member counts as verification.

Submit & Receipt:

• Upload: Use "Manage My Case" (MMC) on the Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) portal. Save the tracking number.
• In-Person: Go to your local Family Community Resource Center (FCRC).
  • How to find the one closest to you:
  • Use the IDHS Office Locator
    
  • Select "Cook" under County.
  • Select "Family Community Resource Center" under Office Type.
  • Enter your Zip Code.
• Request a date-stamped copy. This is your "Insurance Policy."
• The Witness: Consider bringing a friend or family member. In administrative law, a witness to the filing is powerful if the state later claims they never received the form.
• The Date Stamp: This is the most important part. You must ask: "Can you please date-stamp my copy of this form for my records?" Ask the clerk for their name or Workers ID number. Write it on the back of the stamped copy. If the case is ignored, you now have a specific individual to name in your Inspector General complaint.
• Take a photo of the date-stamped form before you leave the office. If the FCRC "loses" the paper, a photo of a stamped document with metadata (GPS/Time) is almost impossible for a judge to ignore.

3. "Lawfare": What to do if Denied

1. How do I know if I was denied? (The "Notice of Decision")

• The state doesn't just call you to say "no." They send a formal document called a Notice of Decision (Form IL444-0360C).
• The Red Flags: If your Link card balance is $0 or you receive a letter that says "Cancellation" or "Denial," you have been officially hit.
• The Coding: Look for "TAR Codes" (Technical Action Reasons) on the letter.
  • Code 97: "Does not meet work requirements."
  • Code 03: "Failed to appear for interview" (often used when they lose your paperwork).
• The "Pocket Audit": If you haven't received a letter but your benefits stop, log into ABE Manage My Case (MMC) immediately. If your status says "Closed," the clock is ticking.

2. Appeal Request Form: IL444-0103

• This is the official Appeal Request Form IL444-0103
• The Strategy: Ask for the Appeal Request Form (0103) "at the window." If they give you a blank piece of paper, that’s fine too—legally, a signed statement saying "I want to appeal my SNAP denial" counts as a filing.

3. How to Appeal (The "Grievance" Workflow)

• Don't just do one thing; do all three to create a "Triple-Threat" paper trail.
• Online: Log into ABE, go to "Manage My Case," click the Appeals tab, and file digitally. (This is the fastest timestamp).
• Phone: Call the Bureau of Assistance Hearings at (800) 435-0774. Tell them: "I am filing an appeal and I am requesting Aid Continued."
• In-Person: Take the 0103 form to the Family Community Resource Center (FCRC). Request a date-stamp.

4. The "Freeze" Tactic: How to keep the money flowing

This is the most powerful tool in your "Lawfare" kit. It’s officially called "Aid Continued."

• The Rule: If you file your appeal within 10 days of the date on your notice, your benefits cannot be cut off while you wait for your hearing.
• The Script at the Window:
  "I am here to file an appeal for my SNAP case. I am within the 10-day window of my notice, and I am formally requesting Aid Continued under 7 CFR 273.15. Do not stop my benefits until the Administrative Law Judge makes a final ruling."

5. Strategic "Work-Arounds" (Meeting the Rule)

If you don't qualify for an exemption, we "game the clock" to stay compliant:

• The 14.5 Hour Rule: Since the IL minimum wage is $15, working just 14.5 hours a week meets the federal "earning equivalent" of 30 hours at federal minimum wage, satisfying the "General Work Rule."
• Verified Volunteering: Use form IL444-2610 to log volunteer hours at a local church or non-profit. 20 hours a week = Safety.
• The 20-Hour Rule: To hit the 80-hour monthly requirement, you need to log exactly 20 hours per week of volunteering.
  • The Signature Strategy: The constituent fills out the top (Name, Case Number).
  • The Organization Representative (the supervisor at the food pantry, church, or non-profit) must sign and date it.
  • Tactical Tip: Ensure the organization includes its Tax ID (EIN) if possible. It makes the "Audit" go faster and makes the filing look more official to the FCRC caseworker.
• The "Pre-Approved" Loophole: Under WAG 21-06-10, "Self-initiated Community Service" with any legitimate non-profit is valid. The caseworker might try to say they need to be "assigned" to a site. That is incorrect. You have the power to choose your own site.

Campaign Legal Disclosure: This guide is provided for educational and administrative literacy purposes. Jazmin J. Robinson is not a doctor or an attorney. All medical exemptions must be verified by a licensed healthcare professional. All legal appeals should be filed according to the instructions provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services. This information is based on public policy manual MR#26.03. 

DISCLAIMER: For educational purposes only. Not legal or medical advice. See full disclaimer HERE.

At a recent Indivisible meet-and-greet, I helped a neighbor realize something huge, they may qualify for free or heavily discounted, high-quality health care just based on their income.

By law, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and nonprofit hospitals must offer financial assistance based on income and family size. That means if you’re uninsured or low-income, you could qualify for up to 100% free care.

A lot of people assume they don’t qualify, but you’d be surprised. Many FQHCs and hospitals use Federal Poverty Level guidelines and offer deep discounts, often around 80% off medical bills, for families earning up to six times the federal poverty level. 

I made a 'How to guide' with resources to help you navigate the system, please see below.

With my Human Resources background, I’ve spent over a decade designing and managing benefits systems and helping people navigate complex healthcare rules. I’m already doing the work Congress is supposed to do, helping people access systems that already exist.

And if this is how hard I work as a candidate, imagine what I can do as your Representative.

Please share with your community so they can get the care they deserve.

Vote March 17, 2026, for Jazmin J. Robinson!

Free or Heavily Discounted Healthcare Guide

I am unequivocally pro-choice because the government has no legal, moral, or medical authority to mandate what you do with your own body. In Human Resources, we call this a gross violation of bodily autonomy and fundamental privacy.

But let me be clear: saying "I will vote to codify Roe v. Wade" is no longer enough. We are dealing with a hostile federal administration and rogue state governments that are actively hunting women. I am not going to Congress just to protect Illinois; I am going to Congress to wage administrative and legislative warfare to restore abortion access nationally. Here is exactly how I will do it without using vulnerable patients as collateral damage:

1. The Corporate Squeeze (Federal Contractor Compliance) Corporate America loves to operate in red states to avoid paying taxes, but those states are now endangering their female workforces. I will use federal procurement law to force corporate compliance. I will fight to mandate that any corporation receiving a federal contract must provide guaranteed, paid travel stipends and legal shielding for any employee who needs to cross state lines for reproductive care. If a massive defense or tech contractor refuses to protect their workers from local abortion bans, they lose their multi-million dollar federal contracts.

2. Enforcing FDA Preemption (Protecting the Pill Nationally) Over 60% of abortions are currently performed via medication (mifepristone). Red states are illegally trying to ban a drug that has been explicitly approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Federal law supersedes state law. I will fight to codify absolute FDA Preemption into law, legally stripping states of their ability to ban, seize, or restrict any FDA-approved reproductive medication, and I will demand the Department of Justice sue any local sheriff who attempts to intercept the U.S. Mail.

3. The H.E.A.L. Act (Repealing the Hyde Amendment) True national access means nothing if you cannot afford it. My H.E.A.L. Act treats abortion exactly as it should be treated: as standard, essential healthcare. It completely repeals the discriminatory Hyde Amendment and ensures that all reproductive care is fully covered, free of charge, for every American, regardless of their zip code or income bracket.

I am not going to Congress to write polite press releases about women's rights. I am going to enforce compliance.

No. In fact, simply 'abolishing ICE' is no longer a sufficient response to what we are witnessing. My 13 years in Human Resources taught me how to spot a department that has become fundamentally toxic and fundamentally unaccountable. The current models of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prioritize the destabilization of communities and the militarization of our streets over genuine national security. I support the total dissolution of the agency in its current form, replacing it with a streamlined, transparent system focused on accessible pathways for work permits and citizenship, and deep biometric background checks via FBI databases to ensure safety.

But we must address the immediate crisis: We are currently dealing with a catastrophic breach of the Constitutional Oath of Office.

Every Member of Congress took an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Right now, Congress is breaking that oath by refusing to act against the domestic threats operating out of the executive branch.

• Gross Violations of Article III, Section 3 (Treason): The Constitution defines treason, in part, as "levying War" against the United States. When the executive branch deploys federal agents to our streets who then shoot and kill American citizens—like the tragic, preventable murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota this past January—they are treating the American populace as an enemy combatant.

• Gross Violations of Article II, Section 4 (Bribery & Extortion): U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently sent a letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, heavily implying that the federal government would only withdraw its occupying troops (Operation Metro Surge) if the state handed over its sovereign voter rolls. That is textbook extortion. That is bribery.

THE SOLUTION: THE CONSTITUTIONAL CLEAN SWEEP

Politicians keep telling us to wait for the next election. You do not wait to terminate leadership that is actively harming the public. Congress has the procedural power to remove this entire administration today using existing law:

1. Vacate the Chair: Under House Rules, any single member can introduce a privileged resolution to declare the Office of the Speaker vacant. We must remove Speaker Mike Johnson and elect a Speaker who will actually defend the Constitution.

2. Impeach Trump & Vance: Immediately file Articles of Impeachment for Bribery and Treason.

3. Execute the Presidential Succession Act of 1947: Upon the removal of the President and Vice President, the new Speaker of the House legally assumes the Presidency. They can then dismantle the corrupt Cabinet and hold the acting agencies accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

I will demand maximum criminal penalties for any federal agent and leaders who have violated constitutional rights. They must be permanently banned from law enforcement.

Do not wait for Congress to save us. Force their hand. Call the Capitol Switchboard right now at 202-224-3121. Tell your current representative: "Support a Motion to Vacate Speaker Johnson, and immediately impeach the President and Vice President for Bribery and Treason. Defend the Constitution, or resign today."

The H.E.A.L. Act tackles the root causes of the housing crisis first by creating a living wage, eliminating out-of-pocket healthcare and education costs, and legally breaking up the Wall Street monopolies that drive up rents when a handful of corporations own too many homes. This will give families breathing room and a fair shot at homeownership. Once we pass the H.E.A.L. Act, we will enact rent stabilization and limit speculative corporate ownership of single-family homes.

But as an HR professional, I know that a long-term systemic rollout doesn't keep a roof over your head tonight. We cannot wait for Congress to fix the housing crisis; we have to use every existing administrative weapon at our disposal right now.

Wall Street private equity firms pay armies of lawyers to find legal loopholes to buy up single-family homes and hike up your rent. I am going to use my 13 years of HR compliance experience to use federal loopholes to take that housing back for District 7. Here is what I am doing for our community right now:

1. The McKinney-Vento Title V Loophole (Federal Surplus Property) Did you know that under Title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the federal government is legally required to offer unutilized, excess federal properties to local organizations to assist unhoused and low-income populations for free? If elected, I will hire a Grant Director and Coordinator to train District 7 nonprofits to scan the weekly Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and General Services Administration (GSA) suitability lists. We are going to aggressively claim empty federal land and buildings in Illinois for affordable housing before corporate developers can buy them at auction.

2. The Section 108 Funding Multiplier (Total Funding Warfare) Most politicians just cross their fingers and hope to win standard, highly competitive federal grants. We are bypassing that. If elected I would train local municipalities in our district on how to leverage the HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program. This obscure administrative rule allows local governments to borrow up to five times their annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation to fund massive affordable housing projects immediately. We don't need a new law to do this; we just need a Representative who actually reads the federal manual.

3. Auditing the Chicago Housing Authority (Operational Dominance) If you are a corporate Private Property Management (PPM) firm collecting our federal tax dollars while leaving District 7 residents in unsafe, neglected public housing, your free ride is over. If elected, I would empower local tenant unions with the exact templates needed to file formal, data-driven complaints directly to the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Office of the Inspector General. We will use administrative law to force the termination of their government contracts and hand those properties over to accountable, community-led organizations.

We can’t get to deep, permanent reform until we fix the system. The H.E.A.L. Act is the roadmap, but I am fighting for your housing today.

The H.E.A.L. Act is my long-term legislative blueprint to permanently fix the system. It establishes a living wage tied to regional costs of living ($25–$30/hour in cities like ours) and provides tax credits to help local small businesses adapt. It will also create millions of jobs because we’ll need workers to support its new infrastructure: healthcare staff for the expanded public option, educators for tuition-free programs, and construction crews to build these facilities. Just like FDR’s New Deal, when we invest in people, we invest in work for those people.

But I am not waiting for an act of Congress to protect your paycheck. Corporate lobbyists love to preach about the "free market" until it's time to actually pay market rates for labor. Then, suddenly, they want tax breaks, cheap permits, and the right to underpay their workers. As an HR professional, I know how to use compliance and administrative lawfare to fight back right now. Here is how I am weaponizing both local and federal law for District 7 today:

LOCAL ENFORCEMENT

1. Aldermanic Accountability & Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) In Chicago, local Aldermen have immense power over zoning and building permits. I am organizing our community to demand that our local officials withhold approvals from massive corporate developers unless they sign a legally binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) guaranteeing a $25/hour minimum wage, local hiring quotas, and union neutrality. No living wage, no permit. Period.

2. The Illinois WARN Act Ambush Under the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, companies with 75 or more full-time employees must give 60 days' notice for mass layoffs. If they fail to do so, I am arming workers with the state templates to file claims with the Illinois Department of Labor, legally forcing those corporations to pay 60 days of back pay and healthcare benefits.

FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT

3. Weaponizing Prevailing Wage Laws (Davis-Bacon Audits) If elected, I will use my 13 years of HR payroll experience to launch localized audits of federal contractors operating in our district. Under the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act, contractors receiving federal money are legally required to pay "prevailing wages." If a contractor in District 7 tries to misclassify workers or skim off the top to save a buck, I am providing workers with the exact documentation needed to file direct complaints with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD). We will freeze their federal contracts and legally force them to issue back pay.

4. The IRS "Nuclear Audit" (Form SS-8) Corporations constantly misclassify workers as "1099 Independent Contractors" to avoid paying minimum wage, overtime, and Medicare taxes. If elected, I would train misclassified workers in District 7 to file IRS Form SS-8 (Determination of Worker Status). This legally forces the IRS to investigate the company's payroll practices. We will force the company to reclassify you as a W-2 employee and pay what they owe in back taxes and wages.

5. The False Claims Act "Qui Tam" Bounty When massive federal contractors falsify payroll records to pocket the difference, they are defrauding the United States. Under the False Claims Act, I will help workers file "Qui Tam" lawsuits on behalf of the government. The penalty for the corporation is triple damages, and the worker who blows the whistle gets to keep 15% to 30% of the total settlement. We are turning exploited workers into federal bounty hunters.

6. ERISA Section 510 (Protecting Benefits & Pensions) Corporations routinely fire older workers right before their pensions vest, or fire employees right after a costly medical diagnosis, just to save money on the books. This is illegal under Section 510 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). If a corporation conducts "strategic layoffs" to avoid paying benefits, we will use ERISA to launch a federal investigation and secure massive financial restitution.

I am fighting for your wages right now. The H.E.A.L. Act is the future, but HR compliance is how we survive today.

Let me be completely honest with you: The gun lobby has purchased our Congress. Until we completely eliminate PACs, ban lobbyists, and move to publicly funded elections, waiting for politicians to pass universal background checks is a death sentence for our communities.

The H.E.A.L. Act is my long-term structural solution to remove corporate money from politics so we can finally pass the gun reforms that the vast majority of Americans support. But I am not waiting for a broken Congress to fix itself while District 7 bleeds.

As an HR professional, I know that if you want to stop a corrupt corporation, you don't ask for their permission, you audit their compliance, exploit their legal loopholes, and attack their bottom line. Here is how I am bypassing Congress to fight the gun industry right now:

1. Weaponizing the PLCAA "Predicate Exception" (Suing the Gun Industry) The gun lobby loves to brag about the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a federal law that generally shields gun manufacturers and dealers from being sued when their weapons are used in crimes. But they don't want you to know about the "Predicate Exception." Under this federal loophole, if a gun manufacturer or dealer knowingly violates any state or federal statute regulating the sale or marketing of firearms, they instantly lose their immunity. I will use my office to partner with state attorneys and community legal clinics to identify the rogue dealers flooding Chicago with weapons, and we will use the Predicate Exception to sue them into bankruptcy.

2. ATF Administrative Warfare (Shutting Down Corrupt Dealers) Data shows that just 5% of corrupt gun dealers supply the vast majority of crime guns. We don't need a new law to stop them; we just need a Representative who will force the government to enforce the laws on the books. Under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 923), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has the administrative authority to revoke a Federal Firearms License (FFL) for a single willful violation, such as falsifying a background check or looking the other way on a straw purchase.

If the current administration's ATF refuses to revoke the licenses of these bad-apple dealers, I will launch formal Inspector General complaints against the agency itself for administrative failure, legally forcing them to shut these dealers down.

3. Total Funding Warfare (Community Violence Intervention) We are going to treat gun violence like the systemic HR and public health crisis it is. I will aggressively target existing federal funding, such as the billions allocated under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and use administrative maneuvering to divert those dollars directly into District 7. We will bypass traditional policing bloat and fully fund Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs, which are proven, data-driven strategies that de-escalate conflicts before a trigger is ever pulled.

Addressing the Root Causes of Gun Violence

After every tragedy, corporate-backed politicians rush to the cameras to blame mental illness. As an HR professional who relies on data, I have to call this exactly what it is: a coordinated lie to protect gun industry profits. Peer-reviewed research from Columbia University and the NIH proves that 95% of homicidal gun violence is not committed by people with mental illnesses.

To stop the daily community violence actually ravaging districts like ours in Chicago, we must look at the real root causes identified by researchers, and we must use every existing administrative loophole to attack them right now.

1. Structural Disinvestment & Poverty

• The Root Cause: Gun violence is hyper-concentrated in historically redlined, economically abandoned neighborhoods. Where social mobility drops, violence spikes.

• The Action (The "Bank Merger" Loophole): It sounds complicated, but think of it like an HR background check for banks. Under a federal law called the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), banks are legally required to lend money fairly in the exact same neighborhoods where they take deposits. If a Wall Street bank is operating in District 7, taking our paychecks but only giving mortgages and small business loans to wealthy suburbs, that is illegal redlining. Here is the loophole: When these massive banks want to merge with other banks to get richer, they cannot just do it; they have to ask the federal government for permission. When a bank that has historically ignored District 7 tries to merge, we will file a formal, legal grievance (a "CRA Protest") with regulators. By law, our public complaint hits the "pause" button on their multi-billion dollar merger. To get their merger un-paused, the banks must come to the negotiating table with us and sign a legally binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). This is a strict contract where the bank pledges to invest millions of their own private money directly into our local violence prevention programs, affordable housing, and small minority-owned businesses. We aren't asking Congress for tax dollars; we are legally forcing Wall Street to pay what they owe our community.

• Medicare Section 115 Waiver: When most politicians want to fund Violence Interruption programs, where trained professionals de-escalate gang conflicts and stop retaliatory shootings, they beg Congress for a grant. But standard federal grants can be slashed at any time by politicians who don't care about Chicago. I am an HR professional; I don't rely on grants. I rely on mandatory healthcare entitlements. We are going to use Medicaid to pay for violence prevention. Here is the "loophole": Under federal law, states can ask the federal government for special permission, called a Section 1115 Waiver, to redefine what counts as "healthcare." In July 2024, Illinois successfully secured a massive Healthcare Transformation 1115 Waiver from the federal government. This waiver officially recognized that gun violence is a public health crisis. Because of this waiver, Illinois is now legally allowed to classify our street outreach workers and violence interrupters as healthcare professionals (specifically, Violence Prevention Community Support Teams). Why does this matter? Because Medicaid is a matching program. For every dollar Illinois spends on these violence interrupters, the federal government is legally mandated to match it (returning about 51 cents on the dollar back to the state). By treating violence interrupters like nurses and doctors, we legally force the federal government to pay their salaries through healthcare funds, completely bypassing the gridlocked politicians in Washington. I will ensure every local nonprofit in District 7 knows exactly how to bill Medicaid to keep their peacekeepers fully funded.

2. Weak Police Legitimacy

• The Root Cause: When marginalized communities do not trust the police (due to histories of brutality or unsolved murders), they stop using the justice system and resort to "informal justice" (retaliation) to settle disputes.

• The Action (Title VI Civil Rights Audits): In 2019, Chicago was placed under a Federal Consent Decree for police brutality, but the federal government is ignoring the crisis of police neglect. Currently, murders in Chicago's predominantly white neighborhoods are solved at drastically higher rates than in Black and Brown neighborhoods. You cannot have safety without equal protection. I will help District 7 file targeted Title VI Civil Rights complaints specifically regarding these abysmal homicide clearance rates. Any agency receiving federal Byrne JAG funds is legally prohibited from discriminatory practices. If they fail to provide equal protection, meaning they fail to solve murders in our neighborhoods at the same rate, we will use administrative law to freeze their federal funding until they agree to prioritize solving violent crimes in District 7.

3. Access to Firearms

• The Root Cause: The U.S. does not have higher rates of mental illness than Europe or Canada. We just have 393 million guns. An angry, lonely, or desperate person in the UK throws a punch; in America, they pull a trigger.

• The Action (FTC Deceptive Marketing Enforcement): Since the current Department of Justice is protecting corrupt gun dealers, we will bypass them entirely. If elected, I would partner with consumer protection advocates to file formal petitions with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The gun industry deliberately markets weapons of war to young, radicalized men using militarized, deceptive advertising. We don't need a new gun control bill to stop this; we will use existing federal consumer protection laws to launch devastating investigations into their marketing practices, fining them millions and forcing them to pull their ads.

Note to Voters: If you try to look up the ATF's official policy on revoking corrupt dealers, you will find the pages have been deleted. In January 2026, the current administration actively scrubbed the federal website to hide the revocation guidelines and protect the gun lobby. They can delete the web pages, but they cannot delete the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 923). When I am in office, I will use that code to force them to do their jobs.

The Long-Term Vision: The H.E.A.L. Act The H.E.A.L. Act takes on polluters directly by banning corporate money in politics and breaking up the fossil fuel monopolies that profit from dirty energy. This lowers household energy costs and opens the way for clean, affordable options.

The H.E.A.L. Act will also create jobs, not take them away. Expanding renewable energy, modernizing infrastructure, and cleaning up polluted communities requires millions of workers. From building wind turbines and solar panels to maintaining a smarter electrical grid, these jobs can’t be outsourced overseas. And unlike many fossil fuel jobs, they’re often safer, healthier, and longer-term.

Once we reclaim our government from fossil fuel lobbyists, we can go even further: a massive green jobs program, stronger protections for workers and the environment, and international climate leadership. Other countries have already shown it works, Germany and Denmark created thriving clean-energy sectors, and the U.S. can too. The difference is, with the H.E.A.L. Act, we’ll make sure workers and communities come first.

The Short-Term Strategy: Administrative Warfare But I am not waiting for a gridlocked Congress to protect the air our children breathe in District 7 today. The current federal administration is actively trying to gut environmental protections and freeze clean energy grants. As an HR professional, I know how to bypass hostile politicians by using administrative compliance, state law, and tax loopholes. Here is how we are fighting for District 7 right now:

1. Total Funding Warfare: The current administration is trying to freeze competitive federal climate grants, so we are bypassing the grant process entirely. If elected, I would train our local municipalities, public schools, and tax-exempt nonprofits to use the Inflation Reduction Act’s "Elective Pay" (Direct Pay) provision. Historically, tax-exempt organizations couldn't use clean energy tax credits. But under this statutory loophole, if a District 7 public school or nonprofit builds solar panels, the IRS is legally required to issue them a direct cash payment for up to 70% of the project's cost. We are forcing the IRS to fund our local clean energy transition directly.

2. Suing for Federal Formula Grants: The Impoundment Control Act Congress has already set aside billions of dollars in "formula grants" (like the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant) meant for our cities. Unlike competitive grants, this money isn't a contest, by law, based on our population, that money already belongs to Chicago. If the current administration attempts to illegally freeze or withhold Chicago's share of these funds, I will immediately file formal complaints with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) invoking the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. This federal law makes it illegal for the President to withhold money that Congress has already approved. We will use it to legally force the U.S. Treasury to release District 7's money so we can modernize our buildings and lower our utility costs.

3. State-Level Firewalls: Weaponizing CEJA for Jobs & Grants Because the federal government is hostile, we are pivoting aggressively to state funds that Washington cannot touch. Illinois recently passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). I am acting as an HR auditor on the state to extract two vital things:

• Workforce Audits: If elected, I would organize District 7 to aggressively secure CEJA "Returning Resident" and "Climate Works" grants, ensuring marginalized residents are first in line for $40/hour union apprenticeships.

• Equitable Energy Future (EEF) Grants: We are helping local minority-owned businesses secure up to $1,000,000 in upfront CEJA capital to build local solar projects, bypassing federal gridlock entirely.

4. The Pass-Through Audit: Thriving Communities Subgrants Before the current administration took over, the EPA legally obligated hundreds of millions to regional "Grantmakers." The federal government cannot easily rescind money already obligated to a contract. I will help District 7 nonprofits aggressively audit these regional Grantmakers and extract our share of the Subgrant funding ($150,000 to $350,000) for local pollution reduction projects before politicians attempt to claw it back.

5. Environmental Lawfare: Title VI Civil Rights Enforcement District 7 has historically been a dumping ground for corporate polluters, a textbook case of environmental racism. If the State EPA attempts to issue a permit for another polluting logistics hub or chemical plant in our neighborhoods, we will file a formal Title VI Civil Rights Act complaint against the state agency itself. Any state agency receiving federal funds is legally prohibited from issuing permits with a disparate racial impact. We will use administrative law to freeze the state EPA's federal funding until they deny the permit and protect our community.

The H.E.A.L. Act is the future, but HR compliance and legal warfare are how we protect our environment today.

I am unequivocally fighting for LGBTQ+ rights because no one should face discrimination, termination, or medical denial simply for existing. In Human Resources, we call this a gross violation of workplace safety and basic civil rights.

Politicians who claim to love "small government" and "personal freedom" sure spend a terrifying amount of time obsessing over what adults do in their own bedrooms and doctors' offices. If you want small government, get it out of my constituents' medical charts and private lives. Until then, I am going to use the HR manual to force compliance.

The current federal administration has actively dismantled LGBTQ+ protections. They have rescinded non-discrimination rules for federal contractors, gutted healthcare protections under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, and ordered federal agencies to ignore gender identity. But as an HR auditor, I know that executive orders cannot delete statutory law. Here is my operational battle plan to bypass the hostile administration and protect the LGBTQ+ community in District 7 right now:

1. Eradicating Hate at the Root (Funding Intergroup Contact) Lawsuits punish discrimination after it happens, but my goal as an HR professional is to stop the hate before it ever starts. The federal government currently operates the DOJ’s Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes grant program, but too often, that money just goes to more policing. I will aggressively extract those federal funds and reroute them directly into District 7’s LGBTQ+ community centers. We will use these grants to fund programs rooted in Intergroup Contact Theory, bringing marginalized and non-marginalized neighbors together for shared community projects. We will use proven, data-driven sociology to dismantle prejudice, reduce online radicalization, and build genuine unity in our neighborhoods.

2. Hardening Safe Spaces (Federal Security Grants) While we work to change hearts and minds, we must protect our physical spaces from right-wing extremists. I will not let hate groups terrorize District 7. I am deploying my campaign team to help every LGBTQ+ center, gender-affirming clinic, and welcoming church in our district secure DHS Nonprofit Security Grants and state-level protective funding. We will use federal money to pay for professional security personnel, reinforced doors, and advanced alarm systems. Our community is going to gather, organize, and celebrate, and we are going to use the government's money to ensure they can do it without fear.

3. Shielding Our Community Health Centers (FQHC Protection) The federal administration is actively trying to cut off Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care to bankrupt our clinics. But in Chicago, nonprofits like Howard Brown Health and Chicago House are the frontline of defense for low-income LGBTQ+ patients. As your Representative, I will fight to aggressively expand unrestricted federal Section 330 block grants for our Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). If the executive branch tries to dictate what care a doctor can provide using Medicaid, I will ensure our community clinics have the unrestricted, direct federal funding they need to absorb the costs and keep offering care on a sliding-fee scale. No one in District 7 will be priced out of their own bodily autonomy.

4. Title VII Lawfare (The Bostock Private Right of Action) The current administration's EEOC may refuse to investigate anti-LGBTQ+ harassment, but they cannot erase the Supreme Court's 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. That landmark ruling explicitly states that firing someone for being gay or transgender is illegal sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. I am turning my campaign office into a compliance hub. If a corporation in District 7 fires or demotes an LGBTQ+ worker, we will bypass the hostile federal agencies entirely and help workers file private, federal Title VII lawsuits against their employers, suing them for maximum financial damages.

5. The ERISA Healthcare Squeeze (Protecting Gender-Affirming Care) With the federal government rescinding ACA Section 1557 protections for gender-affirming care, we are pivoting to corporate America. Massive corporations operate self-funded health plans governed by a federal law called ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act), which supersedes state law. I will launch localized compliance audits on massive federal contractors operating in Illinois. If they quietly drop gender-affirming care (GAC) from their employee benefit plans to appease the new administration, we will hit them with Title VII sex discrimination lawsuits (citing federal precedents like Lange v. Houston County, which held health insurance providers liable for denying GAC). We will legally force corporate America to fund the healthcare the government abandoned.

6. HUD Fair Housing Audits (Protecting LGBTQ+ Youth) LGBTQ+ youth face vastly disproportionate rates of homelessness. If a federally funded homeless shelter or housing developer in District 7 turns away a transgender youth or same-sex couple, I will not wait for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to act. We will file immediate complaints under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), which prohibits sex-based discrimination. We will use administrative lawfare to legally freeze their federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) until they open their doors to everyone.

No. The H.E.A.L. Act isn’t one narrow bill; it’s a comprehensive, long-term vision built on four pillars: Health Care, Education, Access to Government & Fair Markets, and a Living Wage with credits for small businesses. These aren’t fringe issues; they’re the root causes of the structural failures our communities face every day.

The Hypocrisy Audit: Girl, I Guess Voter Guide

Recently, the Girl, I Guess voter guide linked to this page, stating I was "laboring under the delusion that Congress still passes laws that help people." Let’s do a quick H.R. compliance audit on that statement, because the hypocrisy is glaring.

• The Legislative Delusion: The guide claims I am delusional for believing Congress can pass domestic laws to help Americans. Yet, their mandatory litmus test for an endorsement requires candidates to pledge to secure a ceasefire and halt foreign military aid. Securing a ceasefire isn't a magical vibe check; it requires Congress to pass highly complex legislation, such as invoking the Arms Export Control Act or amending the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). If Congress is too broken to pass laws that help people here at home, demanding a candidate pass laws to stop the global military-industrial complex is operating under the exact same delusion. You cannot have it both ways.

• The Failed Compliance Check: If you read my stance on Israel on my FAQs page, you will see that I explicitly meet every single criteria of 'Girl, I Guess' progressive litmus test, including ending the occupation, dismantling the apartheid wall, and enforcing the Palestinian Right of Return. I passed their test flawlessly. Yet, the authors endorsed a PAC-funded candidate anyway.

• The Ego Factor: In H.R., we call this a "Failure of the Feedback Loop" driven by ego. They built a purity test, I passed it, and they still chose the machine-politics status quo. I am the only candidate who actively walks into hostile, conservative, or staunchly pro-establishment spaces and calls what is happening in Gaza a genocide. I don't code-switch. I don't soften the blow. I speak the truth based on facts and data even if it means losing votes or losing endorsements, because I will not lose my integrity or lie to win this election.

The Root Cause Of Our Government's Failures:

The truth is, Congress has been bought by PACs, Lobbyists, and the top 1%. A landmark study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities analyzed two decades of data and confirmed what families in District 7 feel every day: the bottom 90% of income earners have a "near-zero" impact on the laws passed in D.C. Meanwhile, the top 10% and special interest groups have a massive, independent impact. That is why we have not seen systemic reform on gun violence, the prison-industrial complex, or endless wars. Our government is consistently choosing their donors' profits over their people.

This data was gathered before the Supreme Court opened the floodgates with Citizens United. If the system was an oligarchy then, it’s a full-blown corporate takeover now. When the top 10% finances a candidate’s entire career, that Representative isn't answerable to the voters, they’re answerable to the donors. To fix this, we don't just need new faces; we need a new system. I am the only candidate actively fighting to ban the PACs and paid lobbyists that fund their preferred politicians. 

The Myth of the "Good PAC"

Many politicians will try to justify their funding by claiming they only take money from "good" PACs. Let me put on my H.R. hat: There is no such thing as a good PAC or Paid Lobbyist. If any organization, no matter how noble their stated cause, has more financial access and influence over our government than the average working voter, they are actively participating in and sustaining the oligarchy. Furthermore, if we accept a system where "good PACs" fight "bad PACs" with checkbooks, the "bad PACs" will always win because corporate billionaires will always have more money.

I am the only candidate in this race actively calling to ban the PACs and paid lobbyists that create the oligarchy we currently live in. It is no surprise I didn't get an endorsement from a Girl, I Guess voter guide which ultimately endorsed the very PAC-funded, machine-politics status quo that caused this mess.

The Antidote to Apathy

I understand why voters and writers like Girl, I Guess’ Stephanie Skora and Raeghn Draper have given up on our government. I understand why they look at a broken system and conclude that something as comprehensive as the H.E.A.L. Act is a "delusion." But let’s be historically accurate: the establishment said the exact same thing about the Women’s Right to Vote. They said the exact same thing about the Civil Rights Act. Systemic overhaul is always called a delusion by those who have lost the will to fight for it.

Here is the hard truth: apathy is exactly what the 1% wants. When we stop believing in what we deserve, and when we refuse to demand structural change, we are doing the oligarchy's job for them. By surrendering to the idea that Congress will never work for us again, we become the obstacle to our own liberation.

I empathize with the exhaustion, but we are in a fight for the survival of our democracy. If you have become so apathetic that you are no longer willing to believe in or fight for what working families actually deserve, then I respectfully ask that you take a step back. Make room for those of us who are prepared to get in the trenches, find the loopholes, weaponize the rules, and keep fighting alongside the voters who cannot afford to give up.

I know the authors of the Girl, I Guess guide, Stephanie and Raeghn, likely will not change their minds after reading this. Human nature, and my 13 years in H.R., tells me that people rarely enjoy admitting when their processes are flawed, and they hate being publicly called out on a compliance failure. Dropping an endorsement guide that admittedly changes its own rules mid-cycle, and then hiding from the resulting feedback, is operating in a vacuum. It doesn't help the community; it creates an echo chamber that actively contributes to voter disenfranchisement.

But I will continue to call out hypocritical organizations, whether it is Girl, I Guess, PACs, paid lobbyists, or the corrupt political machine. I am not scared of anyone, no matter who they are, what platform they run, how much influence they hold, or how much money they have. I am fighting to save our Country. If your actions, your apathy, or your endorsements are actively disenfranchising voters and damaging our democracy, I am going to look you in the eye and call it out.

MY SHORT-TERM STRATEGY: 

I recognize that the H.E.A.L. Act is a long-term strategy that doesn't pay your rent today. That's why I have developed my short-term strategy to weaponize every House Rule, Loophole, and Law against this bought Congress and administration. The comprehensive list of my short-term strategy along with my stance on every major issue from Funding to Foreign Affairs can be found on my FAQ page, however, my strategy and FAQ page will evolve based on your feedback. I am here to listen, to audit the system, and to ensure that District 7 is no longer a "pass-through" for federal dollars, but a destination for them. If this is how hard I work as your candidate, imagine the absolute administrative hell I will unleash on corrupt politicians as your Congresswoman.

Below is one example of an FAQ question I have received, along with my strategic response:

How Will You Bring Federal Tax Dollars Back to District 7?

1. Community Project Funding (CPF) Formerly known as "earmarks," these are specific line items in the federal budget that a Member of Congress requests for their district. Unlike general grants, this money is legally "fenced in" it cannot be used anywhere else.

• The Goal: Secure $15M – $20M annually for District 7.

• The Investment: Lead pipe replacement in homes and schools, funding for mental health first responders, and direct capital for nonprofits (e.g., expanding cold storage for food banks).

2. Federal Surplus Property Millions of dollars in federal equipment and thousands of square feet of federal land sit idle, while our community faces shortages in housing, healthcare, and educational tools. I will secure a 0% to 100% discount on federal assets to outfit our schools, stock our clinics, and house our neighbors.

• Invoke the McKinney-Vento Act (42 U.S.C. § 11411): I will ensure District 7 nonprofits get the "Right of First Refusal" to turn vacant federal buildings into supportive housing for free.

• Secure Public Benefit Conveyances (40 U.S.C. § 550): Claim federal land for neighborhood health clinics, job training centers, or parks at a 100% discount.

• Open the Equipment Pipeline (40 U.S.C. § 549): My office will utilize our Congressional oversight to monitor GSAXcess daily to "tag" high-value assets for our district laptops for schools, defibrillators for clinics, and heavy machinery for neighborhood revitalization, before they are sent elsewhere.

3. The "H.R. Audit": Unbundling Federal Contracts The government often gives one massive $500M contract to a "1%" corporation. They outsource the work, but none of the money stays in our neighborhood. I will bring $50M+ in contract value back to local District 7 entrepreneurs and laborers.

• Invoke FAR Part 19: Use the Federal Acquisition Regulation to demand the "unbundling" of large contracts into smaller, manageable "lots."

• The "Rule of Two": I will identify at least two local District 7 businesses for every federal project. Under the law, if two capable small businesses exist, the contract must be set aside for them.

• Enforce Section 3 (HUD Act of 1968): This mandates that 30% of new hires for federal housing projects must be low-income residents. I will audit every contractor to ensure they aren't just taking the money and hiring from the suburbs.

4. Creating the "District 7 Grant Engine" Most nonprofits miss out on the $1 Trillion annual federal grant pool because they don't have a 20-person legal team. I will hire a Federal Grant Director using my office budget to bring $50M - $100M in federal grants to our district.

• Grant Bootcamps: We will teach local food banks, clinics, and churches how to apply and keep them on a "Rapid Alert" list for grants like the HRSA-26-007 (Health Center Program) and USDA HFFI (Healthy Food Financing Initiative) to eradicate medical and food deserts.

5. Fighting "Formula Bias" & Property Tax Discrimination Federal formulas often distribute money based on total population rather than "Poverty Density" or "Infrastructure Age," hurting Chicago. Furthermore, our local property tax system is broken. A recent Cook County Treasurer’s study revealed the appeals system shifted nearly $2 billion in tax burdens onto homeowners, with white homeowners appealing at 35.5% while Black and Latino homeowners appealed at just 10.85% and 14.06% respectively. The resulting tax hikes disproportionately hammer low-income communities.

• Lawfare (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act - 42 U.S.C. § 2000d): This law prohibits any program receiving federal funds from discriminating. Because our local tax offices receive federal support, they are subject to this law. I will demand a federal audit of our local assessment algorithms. If the math is biased, the money stops. We will ensure that a bungalow in Austin isn't paying a higher effective rate than a penthouse in the Gold Coast.

6. Wiping Out Medical Debt (The Cook County Model)

• The Plan: Partner with organizations like Undue Medical Debt.

• How it Works: We will leverage federal Social Services Block Grants to buy "bundles" of old medical debt for pennies on the dollar. A $1M federal investment can wipe out $100M in medical debt for District 7 residents, immediately boosting local credit scores and household spending power.

7. Accessibility: The Mobile Office Congress’s budget is tight, but I won’t let that be an excuse for being "out of touch." You shouldn't have to take two buses and a train to see your representative. We come to you.

• Downtown, West Side, South Side Offices: For high-volume constituent services.

• The "D7 Mobile Unit": A repurposed van that functions as a satellite office. Every Tuesday, we are in Englewood; every Wednesday, we are in the West Loop; every Thursday, we are in Austin.

What makes me different from the other candidates in this race is that I’m not a career politician; I never planned on running for public office. But after the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed, and experts estimated that around 50,000 Americans would die each year from preventable diseases because they couldn’t afford healthcare, I couldn’t just stand by. It felt unethical and immoral to do nothing.

At first, I planned to support another candidate. And to be clear, this isn’t meant to criticize anyone; I have deep respect for anyone willing to serve in public office. But when I reviewed the campaigns in the race, I found the same familiar buzzwords, "Medicare for All,” “tax the rich,” without clear plans showing how to get from vision to reality. The strategy and change management were missing, and those are critical to earning national buy-in and turning policy ideas into actual law.

That’s what led me to create the H.E.A.L. Act, a comprehensive, bipartisan plan to deliver universal, free, high-quality healthcare and education (including childcare, college, and trade schools), true access to government, fair markets, and a living wage. My 13+ years in Human Resources and benefits design taught me how to build complex systems, gain leadership support, and roll out change that sticks. On my website, I publish every source, cost estimate, and implementation timeline, all funded by fair corporate and wealth taxation similar to what America had under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

But a plan is only as good as the system it enters, and we have to talk about the root cause of why Washington is broken. No other candidate is calling out the systemic corruption of the 'Committee Tax.' Right now, both the Democratic and Republican parties demand millions of dollars in 'party dues' from Members of Congress just to secure influential committee assignments (where we actually write the laws). This forces representatives to spend hours every day dialing for dollars from PACs, lobbyists, and the ultra-wealthy instead of legislating for us.

This isn't just my opinion; a landmark Princeton University study by Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page proved statistically that average citizens have 'near-zero' independent influence on U.S. policy, while economic elites and corporate lobbies dictate the laws. And here is the truly terrifying part: the data from that study was collected before the disastrous 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates for dark money. We can only assume it has gotten exponentially worse since. Until we eradicate this legalized bribery, we will never have real reform. Read more on how our government is bought here.

As your Representative, I will bring an HR auditor's ruthlessness to bringing federal funding back to District 7. I won't just ask for standard grants. I will aggressively target federal administrative waste, audit bloated prime contracts to enforce subcontracting quotas for District 7 small businesses, and exploit federal surplus property channels. If there is a dollar meant for our communities hiding in administrative bloat, my team will find it and claw it back. See my exact funding strategy here.

Finally, I am taking care of my community now. I am not waiting for your vote, for an elected seat, or for anyone’s permission to do the work. When recent legislation threatened to strip SNAP benefits from vulnerable populations, I immediately mobilized. I audited the law and provided step-by-step guides on how to use remaining administrative exemptions (like medical hardship or tribal exemptions) to save your benefits. I’ve also built comprehensive guides connecting families to free, high-quality healthcare via nonprofit clinics right now.

I am working for you today. If this is how hard I work as your candidate, imagine what I can do as your Representative.

• Resource: How Can I Save My SNAP Benefits Right Now?

• Resource: Do I Qualify for Free High-Quality Health Care?

For me, the most important qualities are transparency, communication, and partnership. Voters deserve quarterly updates on what their representatives are doing, the progress being made, and how they can get involved. Education is also key, people should know their rights and how to advocate for themselves so they can help shape the government they want. At the end of the day, elected officials must work in true partnership with both their colleagues and their constituents.

Every member of Congress has a team of lawyers, economists, and policy experts to help guide them through government systems. That means prior government experience can be helpful, but it isn’t required to succeed. Even career politicians moving from local to federal office need time to adjust, like any new job, it typically takes 6–12 months to get fully acclimated.

Limiting leadership to only career politicians reduces diversity and fresh ideas. Leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, Abraham Lincoln and more came from outside traditional government paths and changed the conversation in Congress.

I bring real-world experience negotiating with major healthcare companies, building global benefit, compensation, retirement, leave plans, and compliance policies, skills Congress needs to create policies that work for everyday Americans.

I draw inspiration from leaders like Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Thomas Massie representatives who put the American people ahead of the wealthy few. I also learn from leaders I may not align with. They remind me of what I don’t stand for and challenge me to respond with facts, transparency, and solutions that keep people at the center.

No. I only accept donations from individual people. I believe political action committees (PACs) and lobbyists have too much power in Washington. Their money often blocks common-sense laws, like raising the minimum wage and passing gun-safety reforms, that most Americans support. I want to serve the people, not special interests.

No, I do not support continued U.S. military aid for offensive weapons, because the United States government is using tax dollars to fund a genocide in Gaza. I support aid only for defensive systems that save lives, while demanding an immediate halt to the funding of offensive operations.

1. Enforcing U.S. Law & Human Rights: I call for the immediate suspension of all offensive military aid. This is not a preference; it is the law. Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act prohibits arming any country that restricts American humanitarian aid, and the Leahy Laws forbid funding units implicated in gross human rights violations. When the United Nations and colleagues like Senator Bernie Sanders have explicitly identified the situation in Gaza as genocide, I have a fiduciary duty to look at the facts. We cannot subsidize these atrocities.

2. Defeating Hamas & Dismantling Terror: We must be clear: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed horrific atrocities on October 7th, and they must be stopped. However, we must ask the hard question: Is the current strategy working? Military history proves you cannot bomb an ideology. The indiscriminate destruction of Gaza has not defeated Hamas; it has only radicalized a new generation of recruits. True security requires dismantling the despair and occupation that allow groups like Hamas to thrive. We stop Hamas by cutting off their recruitment narrative, not by validating it.

3. The 'Equity of Defense' (The Iron Dome): I support continued funding for the Iron Dome because I will never vote to let civilians die when we have the technology to save them. However, we must confront the inequality of this conflict. There is no "Iron Dome" that can protect a Palestinian refugee camp from a 2,000-pound American bomb. The only "Defense System" for Gaza is a political one: an immediate, permanent Ceasefire. I will vote to intercept rockets, but I will not vote to send the bombs that make those rockets inevitable.

4. The Reconstruction Mandate (Reparations): The destruction of Gaza, the flattening of homes, schools, and hospitals, was largely accomplished with American-made weapons paid for by American tax dollars. We are not just bystanders; we are co-signers to this destruction. Therefore, I propose diverting the billions we send in offensive military aid into a Gaza Reconstruction Fund. We have a moral debt to the Palestinian people to rebuild what our own weapons helped destroy.

5. A Just Two-State Solution & International Law: I support the global consensus for a Two-State Solution based on the 1967 Borders. This means formally recognizing the State of Palestine (comprising the West Bank and Gaza) with East Jerusalem as its capital, and ensuring the sovereignty and safety of Israel with West Jerusalem as its capital. True peace requires strict compliance with international law: an immediate end to the illegal military occupation of all colonized Arab lands, the dismantling of the West Bank apartheid wall, a halt to all settlement expansion, and upholding the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to self-determination.

Furthermore, in accordance with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I explicitly support the Palestinian Right of Return for refugees in the diaspora, alongside international financial reparations for lost property. Upholding the full human and civil rights of all Palestinians is non-negotiable. Finally, I recognize that as an American Representative, my duty is not to dictate every border from a comfortable office in Washington, but to enforce U.S. and international law. I will prioritize the voices of the Israeli and Palestinian peace-builders on the ground who are doing the hard work of coexistence, rather than politicians and weapons manufacturers who profit from the conflict.

My approach to this issue is rooted in the belief that the United States must return to a strategy of diplomacy and strict legal compliance, rather than funding endless wars.

1. Enforcing U.S. Law & Human Rights: I call for the immediate suspension of offensive military aid to Israel, not as a matter of preference, but as a matter of law. Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act explicitly prohibits the U.S. from arming any country that restricts American humanitarian aid, which the data shows is occurring in Gaza. Furthermore, we must enforce the Leahy Laws to stop funding units implicated in gross human rights violations. When the UN and colleagues like Senator Bernie Sanders have identified the situation as genocide, I have a duty to look at the facts and ensure U.S. tax dollars are not subsidizing these atrocities.

2. Targeted Divestment (Not Broad Boycotts): I support targeted divestment from companies that supply weapons or profit directly from the construction of illegal settlements. We must stop the flow of capital to the machinery of war. However, I explicitly oppose broad boycotts of Israeli cultural, academic, or civilian institutions. Isolating the people of Israel, many of whom are protesting their own government, cuts off the very dialogue we need to build a future solution. As a proponent of Intergroup Contact Theory, I believe we must keep channels open with the people while holding the government and corporations accountable.

3. Defense & Diplomacy: Finally, I distinguish between offensive bombardment and defensive protection. I support continued funding for the Iron Dome, a purely defensive system, to protect civilians. But we must be clear: our goal is safety, not unchecked aggression. The U.S. must use its leverage to force a ceasefire and lead the diplomatic effort toward a lasting peace, rather than writing blank checks for a war with no end.

Yes. I support a Two-State solution because it is the only path to mutual survival. The State of Israel must exist safely and securely alongside an independent, demilitarized Palestinian state that is free from Hamas. However, my support is rooted in democracy, not religious supremacy.

1. A Secular Democracy, Not an Ethnostate: I support the existence of the State of Israel, but I believe it must function as a secular, democratic state. Just as I vehemently oppose Christian Nationalism here in the United States, I do not believe any government should enforce a religious identity over its citizens. A true democracy guarantees absolute equal rights and protections for everyone, whether they are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or secular. Statehood should be based on shared humanity and equal protection under the law, not forced religious demographics.

2. The "Representation Gap" (People vs. Power): We must distinguish between the 'Extremism of Leaders' and the 'Exhaustion of the People.' The data is clear: the average family in Gaza and the average family in Tel Aviv want the same things, security, the return of their loved ones, and an end to the violence. In Gaza: Polling shows that war fatigue is real; the majority of Gazans want a political solution, not endless war. They are victims of Hamas’s authoritarianism just as they are victims of the blockade. In Israel: A majority of citizens support ending the war to save the hostages, yet their government continues to pursue a military-only strategy. My Stance: The United States must stop enabling the "forever war" fantasies of the leadership on both sides and start empowering the moderate majorities who are desperate for peace.

3. Statehood as the Antidote to Terror: You cannot defeat an ideology like Hamas with bombs alone; you defeat it by making it obsolete. Extremism thrives on despair. By helping build a viable, independent Palestinian state, we drain the swamp of resentment that groups like Hamas use to recruit. I support a Palestinian state that is fully sovereign but demilitarized, ensuring it can never be used as a launchpad for terror against Israel.

4. The Physical Obstacle (Settlements): However, we must be honest about the map. A Two-State solution is being physically dismantled by the expansion of illegal settlements. You cannot have an independent state if there is no land left to build it on. To support the people of Israel and Palestine, we must pressure the government of Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately, preserving the possibility of a future border.

5. A Just Two-State Solution & International Law: I support the global consensus for a Two-State Solution based on the 1967 Borders. This means formally recognizing the State of Palestine (comprising the West Bank and Gaza) with East Jerusalem as its capital, and ensuring the sovereignty and safety of Israel with West Jerusalem as its capital. True peace requires strict compliance with international law: an immediate end to the illegal military occupation of all colonized Arab lands, the dismantling of the West Bank apartheid wall, a halt to all settlement expansion, and upholding the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to self-determination.

Furthermore, in accordance with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I explicitly support the Palestinian Right of Return for refugees in the diaspora, alongside international financial reparations for lost property. Upholding the full human and civil rights of all Palestinians is non-negotiable. Finally, I recognize that as an American Representative, my duty is not to dictate every border from a comfortable office in Washington, but to enforce U.S. and international law. I will prioritize the voices of the Israeli and Palestinian peace-builders on the ground who are doing the hard work of coexistence, rather than politicians and weapons manufacturers who profit from the conflict.

My view is that Congress must stop functioning as a rubber stamp for foreign aid and return to its constitutional role as the Board of Directors for the American taxpayer. We do not dictate the internal politics of other nations, but we have an absolute right to control how our own resources are utilized.

1. The Power of the Purse (Fiduciary Duty): Congress holds the 'Power of the Purse.' My role is not to tell Israel—or any nation—how to govern itself. They are a sovereign nation. However, my duty is to ensure that American tax dollars are not subsidizing actions that violate American laws or values. If a recipient of U.S. aid violates international human rights standards or blocks humanitarian assistance, Congress has a fiduciary obligation to turn off the tap. We don't control their choices, but we control our checkbook.

2. Oversight & Accountability: For too long, Congress has written blank checks without asking to see the receipts. I view the U.S.-Israel relationship through the lens of strict oversight. We must end the practice of 'unconditional aid.' Every dollar we send abroad must be subject to the same rigorous compliance standards we apply to domestic funding. If the funding is fueling conflict rather than securing peace, it is our duty to redirect it.

3. Domestic Strength as Foreign Policy: Finally, I believe that a strong foreign policy begins with a strong domestic foundation. We cannot project stability abroad if we are crumbling at home. As the Representative for District 7, I must weigh every foreign commitment against the urgent needs of my constituents healthcare, housing, and infrastructure. We cannot afford to fund endless wars overseas while our own communities are fighting for survival.

No, I have not been to Israel.

1. A Spiritual Connection (The Faith Aspect): As a Roman Catholic, visiting the Holy Land is a pilgrimage I have always hoped to make. To walk the path of my faith and experience the history of the region would be a profound honor. However, my hope is to make that journey when the region is at peace, so that I can experience the holiness of the land rather than the tragedy of war.

2. District 7 First (The Priority): At this current moment, I have no plans to visit. We are operating in a time of crisis here at home—from economic instability to the erosion of our own civil rights. I believe a Representative's place is with their constituents. I cannot justify an overseas trip when the families in my district are struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. My focus, time, and resources belong here, working to solve the problems facing the people who elected me.

My approach to combating antisemitism is rooted in the conviction that hate is often a byproduct of isolation. When communities lack understanding of a neighbor’s culture or faith, they become susceptible to stereotypes and unconscious bias. Therefore, we must move beyond reactive condemnation and focus on proactive, systemic integration.

1. Proactive Education (The Foundation): I propose implementing a robust 'comparative religion' curriculum in public schools. This is not religious instruction—which is unconstitutional—but the academic study of world faiths, including Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. The goal is to produce religiously literate citizens who are immunized against propaganda because they understand the history and values of their neighbors.

2. Structural Integration (The Investment): We must build physical environments that force us out of our silos. Extensive research, including the Pettigrew & Tropp meta-analysis, confirms that the most effective way to dismantle prejudice is through Intergroup Contact Theory, which necessitates structured interaction in shared environments. To operationalize this, I will partner directly with local stakeholders to aggressively leverage the approximately $760 million in FY2026 federal appropriations specifically designated for social cohesion. Our strategy focuses on securing grants to build the necessary infrastructure for connection, including multi-use community centers and interfaith councils. This utilizes federal resources to construct the 'institutional support' systems that data proves are essential for bridging the gap in our district.

3. Radical Engagement (The Human Approach): We must recognize that hate is often a 'secondary emotion' masking deeper fears. We see the power of engagement in the work of journalist Deeyah Khan, a Muslim woman who dismantled the views of white supremacists simply by listening to them rather than fighting them. While I will always hold bad actors accountable and strengthen legal protections, I will not ignore the human element. We must facilitate the difficult conversations that de-radicalize our neighbors rather than just isolating them further.

4. Civic Empowerment (The Policy): Finally, the most effective protection for any community is a permanent seat at the table. I will actively recruit members of the Jewish community and other marginalized groups to serve on local task forces and federal advisory boards. We will move beyond "discussing solutions" to co-authoring policy, ensuring that those most targeted by hate are the ones drafting the blueprints for our safety.

Antisemitism is not a partisan issue; it is a human issue that infects both the left and the right. My strategy to address this is based on dismantling the ideological echo chambers that allow hate to fester against any minority group.

1. Immunization Through Education (The Long Game): Hate on both ends of the spectrum relies on ignorance. The right often relies on stereotypes, while the left often conflates faith with geopolitics. To combat this, I support a robust 'comparative religion' curriculum in our schools, not as religious instruction, but as civic preparation. When we produce religiously literate citizens who understand the history and values of the Jewish community, as well as Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu neighbors, we immunize the next generation against the propaganda used by political extremists to divide us.

2. Radical Engagement & Socratic Inquiry: We must stop shouting and start dismantling. Whether dealing with the left or the right, I plan to utilize Socratic Inquiry—a method of questioning that forces individuals to examine the contradictions in their own beliefs. We have seen this work with journalist Deeyah Khan, a Muslim woman who de-radicalized white supremacists not by fighting them, but by engaging them until their hate collapsed under the weight of her humanity. I will bring this same energy to Congress: asking the deep, uncomfortable questions that force my colleagues to confront their own biases.

3. The 'Common Ingroup' Mandate: Political polarization thrives on the "Us vs. Them" mentality, a tactic used to target Jewish people, Black and Brown communities, and LGBTQ+ individuals alike. I will counter this using the 'Common Ingroup Identity' model, reminding leaders that the people they are marginalizing are, first and foremost, American citizens. I will facilitate direct, face-to-face dialogues between Jewish groups and other minority leaders with politicians from both parties. It is easy to hate an abstract demographic on Twitter; it is much harder to maintain that hate when you are forced to look a constituent in the eye.

4. Civic Empowerment as Defense: Finally, the most effective way to protect any community is ensuring they have a seat at the table. I will actively encourage members of the Jewish community, along with leaders from all religious and racial minorities, to run for office and will ensure they are included in every relevant policy discussion. When marginalized communities are directly represented in the halls of power, they are no longer abstract targets for political theater, but active architects of our shared future.

The Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program provides government funding to help high-risk community organizations, like places of worship, schools, and charities, pay for security upgrades. The money can be used for things like security  cameras, reinforced doors, alarm systems, staff training, and security guards to help keep our community safe.

I support maintaining funding, but I believe simply increasing the budget for physical security is insufficient without broader reform. We cannot just build higher walls; we must also lower the temperature.

1. Equity in Access: Currently, the grant process favors large institutions with professional grant writers, while leaving smaller, under-resourced groups (like small churches and LGBTQ+ centers) behind. My research shows nearly 50% of applicants are rejected. If elected I would hire a Grant Director and Grant Coordinator to provide Grant writing training and resources to the community which will l ensure equity and inclusion for the entire district.

2. Addressing the Root Cause: Physical security (cameras and fences) is a reactive measure, it prepares for an attack. True safety requires prevention. We must simultaneously invest in programs that identify and address the root causes of radicalization, such as online extremism, social isolation, and lack of education. We need to stop the radicalization process at the source so that security fences become less necessary in the future.

3. Alternative Federal Grants: Extensive research, including the Pettigrew & Tropp meta-analysis, confirms that the most effective way to dismantle prejudice is through Intergroup Contact Theory, which necessitates structured interaction in shared environments. To operationalize this, I will partner directly with local stakeholders to aggressively leverage the approximately $760 million in FY2026 federal appropriations specifically designated for social cohesion and community development. Our strategy focuses on securing grants to build the necessary physical infrastructure for connection,  including multiuse community centers, youth engagement programs, and interfaith councils. This approach moves us beyond rhetoric, utilizing federal resources to construct the 'institutional support' systems that data proves are essential for bridging the gap in our segregated district.

Yes. I strongly support increasing funding for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) because segregation is not a healthcare strategy.

1. Enforcing Civil Rights (The Olmstead Mandate): We must stop treating home care as 'optional charity' and start treating it as a Civil Rights obligation. In the landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the unjustified segregation of people with disabilities constitutes discrimination. Yet, states continue to maintain years-long waiting lists for home care while guaranteeing immediate placement in nursing homes. I will fight to eliminate this 'Institutional Bias' by mandating that Medicaid dollars follow the person, not the facility.

2. The Fiscal Efficiency Audit: From a purely administrative perspective, institutionalization is fiscal malpractice. The average cost of a private room in a nursing home can exceed $100,000 annually, whereas supporting that same individual in their own home often costs significantly less. By expanding HCBS, we are not just saving dignity; we are saving taxpayer dollars by utilizing the most cost-effective care model available.

3. The Workforce Infrastructure (The 'HR' Fix): Finally, we cannot talk about services without talking about the staff. We are facing a crisis with Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), who are often paid poverty wages to do essential, skilled work. You cannot build a home care system if the workers can't afford to pay their own rent. I support increased funding specifically earmarked to raise DSP wages, ensuring we have a stable, professional workforce to care for our most vulnerable neighbors.

Yes. I will absolutely co-sponsor and vote for the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. The current policy is not just outdated; it is an administrative failure that traps Americans in state-enforced poverty.

1. Correcting the 'Inflation Error' (HR Logic): The current asset limit of $2,000 hasn't been updated since 1989. In my career in HR and Payroll, if we failed to update a compensation band for 35 years, we would lose our workforce. By failing to index this limit to inflation, the government is effectively punishing disabled and elderly Americans for responsible financial behavior. Raising the limit to $10,000 isn't a 'raise'; it is a long-overdue cost-of-living adjustment.

2. Ending the 'Marriage Penalty': The current system also penalizes love and family. Two individuals can save $4,000 total, but if they get married, their limit drops to $3,000. This is a nonsensical 'tax' on marriage. I support this bill because it raises the couple’s limit to $20,000, finally treating married disabled couples with the dignity they deserve.

3. The Universal Healthcare Solution: Finally, this issue exposes the deeper flaw in our safety net: the 'Benefit Cliff.' Currently, many people remain in poverty solely to keep their Medicaid coverage. While this bill fixes the asset limit, the ultimate solution is Universal Healthcare. By guaranteeing healthcare as a human right, separate from income, we remove the fear that saving a rainy-day fund will cost a person their life-saving medical care. We must pass this bill to fix the savings gap, and then pass Universal Healthcare to permanently break the poverty trap.

My approach is two-fold: We must aggressively defend the current safety net using federal compliance levers, while simultaneously building the only fiscally responsible long-term solution: Universal Free High-Quality Healthcare.

1. The 'Stop-Loss' Strategy (Protecting Medicaid): I will firmly oppose any measures in H.R. 1 that tighten eligibility or lower provider reimbursements. These are not 'savings'; they are deferred costs that will bankrupt our emergency rooms later. To prevent these cuts, I will fight to maximize Illinois’ Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) and utilize Section 1115 Waivers to allow the state to test new delivery models that save money without cutting care for children, seniors, or the disabled.

2. The 'Charity Care' Compliance Audit: You mentioned the role of nonprofit hospitals, and this is where we find the missing money. Nonprofit hospitals receive billions in tax exemptions in exchange for providing "Charity Care" to low-income families. However, compliance is often loose. I will demand a strict IRS audit of Section 501(r) compliance for all tax-exempt hospitals in District 7. If the state cuts Medicaid, these institutions must step up. We will ensure that if they want to keep their tax-free status, they must strictly adhere to their obligation to provide free or discounted care to those falling through the cracks.

3. The Efficiency Mandate (Universal Free Hight-Quality Healthcare): Ultimately, constantly defending a fragile system is not a strategy; it is a retreat. The United States is the wealthiest nation in history, yet we treat healthcare like a luxury item. I advocate for Universal Free High-Quality Healthcare not just as a moral imperative, but as an administrative efficiency. By eliminating the overhead of private insurance and consolidating coverage, we stop the cycle of funding crises and ensure that no citizen loses their life simply because the political winds shifted in Washington.

No. I vehemently oppose this determination because it transforms our refugee program from a humanitarian shield into a tool of racial engineering.

1. The 'Disparate Treatment' Audit: As a Human Resources professional, I look at selection criteria. This policy cuts the total intake by 94% (from 125,000 to 7,500) and then effectively restricts the remaining slots to a single demographic group. In any other sector, this would be a clear violation of nondiscrimination laws. The U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 mandates that we admit people based on 'persecution,' not racial preference. We must audit this determination for what it is: state-sponsored discrimination that violates both domestic law and international treaties.

2. Need-Based, Not Race-Based: I believe that any human being fleeing persecution deserves a fair hearing—whether they are a White Afrikaner, a Haitian dissident, or a Sudanese mother. But to prioritize one group over others solely based on race, while slashing the overall numbers, is a betrayal of the Statue of Liberty. We must prioritize admission based on the severity of the threat, not the color of the applicant's skin.

3. The Economic Loss for District 7: Finally, this cut hurts us. Data consistently shows that refugees are engines of economic revitalization. They open small businesses at higher rates than native-born citizens and fill critical labor shortages in healthcare and manufacturing. By slashing these numbers, the Administration is starving communities like District 7 of the vitality and workforce we need to grow. I support restoring the cap to 125,000 to ensure we are doing our part globally and growing our economy locally.

The core responsibility of a Representative is to uphold our Constitution and democracy while ensuring government works for the American people, not just the wealthy few. Just like any job, it also means doing what voters hired you to do, fulfilling your campaign promises, and staying accountable to the people you represent.

Yes, feedback is a gift, and I will listen and compromise when it makes a policy better. But I will never compromise on protecting people. I won’t support any bill that harms Americans’ wellbeing or freedoms.

I do support term limits in some areas of government, especially where power is held for life. I do not believe anyone should have a lifetime seat. Under my H.E.A.L. Act, lifetime Supreme Court appointments would be replaced with 10-year public elections so the Court stays accountable to the people.

When it comes to Congress, though, I do not support term limits and here’s why.

Just like any new job, it takes 6–12 months for a member of Congress to fully learn the role. Forcing constant turnover would slow down progress on bills, erase important institutional knowledge, and make Congress less effective.

Term limits would also shift power away from elected officials and into the hands of unelected insiders like long-term lobbyists, agency staff, and career operators who stay in Washington for decades and are not accountable to voters. That makes Congress weaker and lobbyists stronger.

The real concerns people have about unfair elections, incumbency advantage, and the influence of special-interest money are absolutely valid. But those problems require structural reform, not term limits.

That’s why the H.E.A.L. Act focuses on reforms that give voters real power, including:

• Ranked-choice voting, which makes elections fairer and reduces incumbency advantage

• Banning PAC and lobbyist money, so Congress answers to voters, not donors

• Publicly funded campaigns, so challengers can compete even without wealthy backers

These reforms ensure that voters, not special interests or lifetime insiders, decide who represents them and for how long.

The government’s role should be oversight, setting guardrails to ensure Artificial intelligence (AI) is safe, factual, and cannot be misused to harm people.

AI must be regulated so it cannot be used to harm people. We’ve already seen tragic cases where AI has been misused, and we need strong safeguards to prevent self-harm, bias, or misinformation. Since people often use AI like a search engine, it should be fact-based and reliable, not just another platform that spreads unchecked opinions.

The environmental impact is also critical. AI relies on massive data centers that consume enormous amounts of water and electricity, creating risks of water scarcity and a large carbon footprint. We need solutions that allow us to leverage this technology without harming communities or the environment.

At the same time, AI is a revolutionary invention. Its knowledge base comes from people, everything we’ve put on the internet, from research to art, so credit and fair compensation should go back to the people. AI should remain free and accessible, not controlled by just a few corporations.

When used responsibly, AI has enormous potential:

• Identifying new antibiotics and accelerating medical research.
  
  
• Helping detect cancer and other diseases earlier and more accurately.
  
  
• Improving climate modeling and renewable energy systems.
  
  
• Supporting accessibility tools like speech-to-text, real-time translation, and assistive devices for people with disabilities.
  
  
• Streamlining work in fields from education to small business, freeing up time for creativity and innovation.
  
  

With the right guardrails, AI can transform lives for the better, but the government’s job is to make sure it works for people, not against them.

Our greatest challenge is that government is too often controlled by corporations, lobbyists, and PACs instead of the people. That’s why we can’t get progress on healthcare, education, wages, or gun reform. The H.E.A.L. Act changes that by ending special-interest money and restoring power to voters.

The Electoral College means a candidate can lose the popular vote but still become president. It also makes campaigns focus on a few swing states while most voters get ignored. A majority of Americans support switching to a national popular vote.

What the public thinks: In Sept 2024, 63% of Americans favored moving away from the Electoral College (Pew). Gallup found 58% favor picking the president by national popular vote. (Pew Research Center, Gallup)

Why reform: Harvard’s Ash Center explains how winner-take-all rules in 48 states sideline most voters and can produce a president who did not win the most votes nationwide. (Harvard Ash Center)

Racial impact: Because small states (which are mostly Caucasian) have more electoral votes per person than large, diverse states, the Electoral College amplifies Caucasian voters’ power while diluting the votes of people of color. For example, a Wyoming vote carries nearly four times the weight of a California vote, this means that a single vote in Wyoming is worth roughly 3.7 times more than a single vote in California. Harvard Law Review notes the system “inflates the power of Caucasian voters, particularly those in small, rural states, and diminishes the power of voters of color concentrated in large, diverse states.” (Washington Post)

How reform could work: One path is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), where states pledge their electors to the national popular vote winner once the compact reaches 270 electoral votes. (National Conference of State Legislatures, AP News)

No, in fact, I encourage it.

The H.E.A.L. Act is about transparency in government, and that transparency has to start with candidates themselves. This is my way of holding myself to the same values I want to see in Congress.

If another candidate in Illinois, or anywhere in the country, wants to run on the H.E.A.L. Act, that’s a good thing. The only way we can make it a constitutional amendment, protected for our generation and future generations, is if two-thirds/~67% of Congress supports it and then three-fourths/75% of the states ratify it. That means we need broad, nationwide support.

The H.E.A.L. Act is not “my” policy, it’s a policy for the American people. So please, share it widely. Even better, send it to your current representatives and ask them to start working on it now. We don't have to wait for any election to start working on the H.E.A.L. Act.

And I’ll be honest: the H.E.A.L. Act isn’t perfect, because I’m not perfect. This is a first draft, and like any draft, it needs feedback, questions, and improvements. So please send me your feedback!

That said, if another candidate also running for Illinois’ 7th District campaigns on the H.E.A.L. Act, well, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I’ll take it as a compliment. However, I ask that the other candidates bring their own ideas and voice to the campaign, not simply copy mine. And if you love it that much, just go ahead and vote for me.

I also want voters to know that I’ve invested over countless hours and personal resources researching, writing, and building this policy. I know how to implement it and move it forward. If this is the dedication I’ve shown as a candidate, imagine the energy, focus, and integrity I’ll bring as your representative in Congress.

Great question. And I’ll be honest: the H.E.A.L. Act isn’t perfect, because I’m not perfect. This is a first draft. Like any draft, it needs feedback, questions, and improvements. If you have thoughts, please send me your feedback!

However our Congress Representatives can confirm the true cost and impact of the H.E.A.L. Act today by submitting it to:

• The Office of Legislative Counsel which turns ideas into legal text, it’s a team of nonpartisan attorneys draft the exact wording of a bill to make sure it meets constitutional and legal standards.

• After that, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) take over. These are independent, nonpartisan offices that serve both Republicans and Democrats.

• Their job is to analyze every major bill, calculating what it would cost, how much revenue it would raise, and what effect it would have on jobs, families, and the overall economy.

• They don’t take political sides. In fact, every major law, from the Affordable Care Act to the 2017 Trump tax cuts, went through this same process.

• That’s how real legislation starts moving in Congress, because we don’t have to wait for any election to have our government start investing in us and I’m sure there will be members of congress that will oppose the H.E.A.L. Act, and those are the members of Congress we vote out.

Send the H.E.A.L. Act to your Congress Representative today! 

History shows they won’t. In the 1950s and 60s, when taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations were much higher, America still had the world’s strongest economy.

The U.S. market is too valuable to leave. Corporations make their profits here because we have the largest consumer market in the world. They can’t walk away from that.

They rely on U.S. infrastructure. Corporations make their money here because of our roads, ports, internet, legal protections, and educated workforce, all paid for by taxpayers.

Fair taxes mean better infrastructure and educated workers, which corporations need to succeed.

Citizens can’t escape taxes. U.S. citizens are taxed on their worldwide income, even if they move abroad.

If billionaires renounce citizenship, there’s an “exit tax.” Under IRS rules (§ 877A), wealthy people who give up citizenship must pay a large tax on their assets as if they sold them the day before leaving.

The H.E.A.L. Act strengthens this. We can raise the exit tax so billionaires can’t dodge their fair share by leaving.

Other countries with higher taxes (like Germany or Canada) still attract and keep major companies.

The H.E.A.L. Act protects the benefits you already have, like Medicare and Medicaid, and guarantees they won’t be taken away. In fact, it builds on them by adding what’s missing today, like dental, vision, and hearing coverage, and by ensuring more trained healthcare professionals are available when you need them.

Health care access & staffing

By eliminating tuition costs for doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers, we ensure more professionals enter the field, which directly helps older Americans who rely on healthcare the most.

A public option with no premiums or deductibles lowers out-of-pocket costs for everyone, including those on Medicare who often face gaps (dental, vision, hearing).

Lower everyday costs

Even if you’re retired, you’re still paying for groceries, utilities, and prescriptions. The H.E.A.L. Act cuts costs by breaking up monopolies (big pharma, energy, agribusiness) and reducing inflationary pressures tied to healthcare and education debt. Lower costs benefit fixed-income seniors the most.

Community safety & stability

By raising wages and reducing poverty, we reduce crime and instability. Seniors are often most vulnerable to community crime and social disruption. A safer, healthier neighborhood benefits them directly.

Care workforce

Free childcare and education aren’t just for kids, they also train the future eldercare workforce. As America ages, we’ll need more home health aides, nurses, and caregivers. The H.E.A.L. Act builds that pipeline.

Taxes and fairness

The Act is funded primarily by corporations and the ultra-wealthy, not by taxing everyday retirees on fixed incomes. In fact, the first $30,000 of personal income is tax-free under your plan, which helps seniors living on Social Security or small pensions.

Legacy & family stability

Even if someone doesn’t have kids in school, their community does. Strong schools, affordable healthcare, and safe neighborhoods raise property values, reduce local tax burdens, and create a better legacy for everyone.

That’s what lobbyists want us to believe, but it isn’t true. The reason healthcare feels “too complicated” here is because it’s been deliberately designed that way. Corporations and lobbyists profit from keeping the system fragmented, overregulated, and confusing, with Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and endless billing codes that protect profits, not patients.

Here’s the truth: every other modern country has figured this out. Canada, France, Japan, and Germany all cover everyone at about half the cost we spend in the U.S.. and they get better outcomes. That means people live longer (80–84 years vs. 76 in the U.S.), have safer births (lower infant and maternal mortality), face fewer preventable deaths from treatable conditions, and don’t go bankrupt over medical bills. Our own Medicare program already proves we can run a universal system here at home.

The H.E.A.L. Act doesn’t take away Medicare or Medicaid, it protects them and fills in the missing pieces like dental, vision, hearing, and mental health. By eliminating premiums and deductibles, it frees up money for families on fixed incomes and even makes food assistance go further, because healthcare won’t eat up people’s checks.

If other countries can do it, so can we. The only reason we haven’t is because lobbyists keep telling us it’s impossible. The H.E.A.L. Act is how we stop treating healthcare as a profit machine and finally make it a right.

Right now, if two good candidates run, they can split the vote and the person with the most money often wins.

Ranked-choice voting lets you rank candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on).

If your 1st choice doesn’t have enough support to win, your vote automatically goes to your next choice.

This means fairer elections, less negative campaigning, and more real choices.

Access to Government means we replace the Electoral College with ranked-choice voting, replacing lifetime appointments, like the Supreme Court, with 10-year public elections, and requiring members of Congress to hold quarterly town halls and publish quarterly reports so voters always know what’s happening.

Fair Markets means we stop giant corporations and monopolies from crushing small businesses. Monopolies drive up prices and cut choices. Think about the cost of internet, cable, or farm goods, a few giant companies control it.

Transparency means banning lobbyists, PACs, & corporate money, and requiring real-time disclosure of donations so voters always see who is funding politicians.

Monopolies drive up prices and cut choices. Think about the cost of internet, cable, or farm goods, a few giant companies control it.

Breaking them up means lower prices, more competition, and better options for families.

It also helps small businesses grow, creating more local jobs instead of sending profits to just a few big corporations.

We’re not adding new costs for regular people.

The H.E.A.L. Act is funded by redirecting money we already spend on Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance subsidies, about $2.36 trillion a year.

We also ask big corporations and the ultra-wealthy (people who earn over 1 million annually) to pay fair taxes again, like they did in the 1950s when America was booming.

First $30,000 of income is tax-free. Most families will pay less in taxes than today.

Everyone’s first $30,000 earned is tax-free.

Most people will pay less or the same as now.

Only the ultra-wealthy (people who earn over 1 million annually) and big corporations pay more. For example, billionaires and huge corporations often pay less in taxes than working families today, that’s not fair.

Under the H.E.A.L. Act, we go back to fair, historic tax rates like in the 1950s and 1960s, when the economy grew the fastest in U.S. history.

Important Note:

Taxes are gradual, not all at once.

You don’t jump into a new bracket for your whole income.

Only the dollars above each line get taxed at the higher rate.

Example:

If you earn $40,000 a year:

The first $30,000 is tax-free.

Only the next $10,000 is taxed at 10%.

So your total tax is just $1,000, not 10% of the full $40,000.

When we say small businesses, we mean local shops, restaurants, and family-owned companies, not big corporations.

These are the businesses that keep our neighborhoods running and provide most of the jobs in our communities.

The H.E.A.L. Act gives them credits to help pay a living wage, so they can afford to keep good workers without being squeezed out by rising costs.

Low wages cost taxpayers. When big companies underpay workers, taxpayers pick up the tab through food stamps, Medicaid, and housing aid. A living wage shifts that responsibility back to employers.

Every job has dignity. No matter the work, people deserve to make enough to cover basics like rent, food, and healthcare.

Rising wages lift everyone. When workers earn more, they spend more at local businesses, which helps the whole community grow.

Today’s fast food industry workers are often a parents, students, or seniors. Many are supporting families, not just teenagers in after-school jobs.

That’s one of the most common economic beliefs, and it mostly comes from older “free-market” theory, not real-world data.

Economists like Thomas Sowell, in his bestselling book Basic Economics (6th Edition, 2020), argue that any regulation, such as minimum or living-wage laws will distort markets and hurts small businesses. Sowell’s book is clear and popular for explaining classical “laissez-faire” ideas: that if government simply stays out, the market will naturally balance prices and jobs.

But newer, data-driven research tells a different story. In Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage (Princeton University Press), economists David Card and Alan Krueger tested these theories using real-world data instead of assumptions. They studied what actually happened when one state (New Jersey) raised its minimum wage and a neighboring state (Pennsylvania) did not.

Their finding: raising wages did not reduce employment and often improved business performance through lower turnover, better productivity, and stronger consumer spending. That research was so influential that David Card received the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics for transforming how we study labor markets.

Since then, dozens of follow-up studies from universities, the Federal Reserve, and the Economic Policy Institute have confirmed the same: modest, phased-in wage increases lift pay without causing broad job loss and often help small businesses by boosting local demand.

That’s exactly why the H.E.A.L. Act combines a regional living wage with transition credits for small businesses making sure local employers have time and support to adjust. It’s not top-down control; it’s evidence-based policy that builds an economy from the middle out.

I encourage you to read both authors:

For the classic free-market view: Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell (2020).

For the modern, data-driven evidence: Myth and Measurement by David Card & Alan Krueger (Princeton Press; Card won the 2021 Nobel Prize for this work).

The bottom line here is that markets aren’t fragile, they’re adaptive. When workers earn enough to live, they spend more at local stores, stay longer in their jobs, and build stronger communities. A fair market with a living wage doesn’t hurt small businesses, it helps them thrive.

A Value-Added Tax, or VAT, is a fairer, modern version of the sales tax.

Right now, the U.S. mostly uses sales tax, which is charged only when you buy something at the store. A VAT, instead, collects small taxes at each step of making and selling a product, but only on the new value added. That ensures corporations pay their fair share in taxes, while essentials like groceries, medicine, public transit, and home energy stay tax-free under the H.E.A.L. Act.

Here’s an example: imagine your morning cup of coffee.

1. A farmer sells beans to a roaster for $1, they pay VAT on that $1 of value.
   
   
2. The roaster sells roasted beans to a cafe for $3, they pay VAT only on the extra $2 of value they added.
   
   
3. The cafe sells a cup to you for $5, they pay VAT only on their added $2 of value.

Each step adds a little more value, and each pays a small share of tax fairly.
By the time you buy your $5 coffee, the total VAT might be about the same as a normal sales tax, but it’s been shared fairly across every business that profited along the way.

Almost every major country, like Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Japan, and Norway, uses a VAT to fund public healthcare, childcare, and education.

The H.E.A.L. Act replaces today’s patchwork state sales taxes with a national VAT, ensuring every state keeps its share while ensuring corporation pay their fair share of taxes.

The Value-Added Tax (VAT) is constitutional and fully legal under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the power to “lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises" in order to provide for the general Welfare of the United States.

A VAT is considered an “excise tax” (a tax on goods and services), just like the federal gasoline tax or tobacco tax we already have.

The confusion comes from people thinking it would replace state taxes or violate state rights, but the H.E.A.L. Act is built to prevent that.
Under the plan, the federal VAT replaces current state sales taxes, but states automatically receive their fair share of that revenue through a constitutionally protected formula:

50% based on population,

30% based on consumption, and

20% based on prior sales-tax revenue,
so no state loses money and no state power is removed.

That means Illinois, for example, still gets its fair share of every dollar collected, without having to run a separate, redundant tax system.

Every other advanced democracy that uses a national VAT (including Canada, Germany, France, and Japan) distributes portions of VAT revenue to provinces or municipalities based on similar formulas, usually population and consumption share.

Congress would pass the VAT just like any other excise tax law. States would not need to amend their constitutions or surrender authority, they’d simply receive their revenue directly (just as they already do from federal highway funds or education grants).