Farewell To Congress
Mr. Speaker, I rise to reflect upon a decade of service in Congress. Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, when I was first elected, I jotted down a list of goals that I hoped I would accomplish while serving the 17th Congressional District of…
Mr. Speaker, I rise to reflect upon a decade of service in Congress.
Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, when I was first elected, I jotted down a list of goals that I hoped I would accomplish while serving the 17th Congressional District of Illinois.
As I was cleaning my office recently, I ran across that list again. A window into what I was thinking before I was even first sworn into office.
On that list: to build an exceptional constituent service program; to secure generous Federal funding and support local projects; and to develop innovative and practical solutions to the real problems that people face every day.
Reading it, I realized I never lost sight of what I came to Washington to do.
Goal number one: to serve the people in central, northern, and northwestern Illinois. That is why I was so proud when my team was honored as the top Democratic office for constituent services in Congress.
Goal number two: to deliver funding to help our communities.
Well, in 2021, I was the top House Democrat in bringing home Federal community project funding.
And goal number three: to listen to the people I serve and focus on solutions, such as when I helped pass two farm bills and prepare for a third; helped pass two surface transportation packages; wrote, passed, and saw enacted groundbreaking legislation to restore the rights of sexual assault and harassment survivors; and worked across the aisle to secure the largest investment in the Mississippi River since the Great Depression.
Each of these accomplishments speaks to who I have always looked out for: our family farmers, and the nearly 10,000 family farms that I represent. They are why I served on the House Agriculture Committee every year since I have been in Congress;
Our 90,000 labor households: That is why I fought to make sure that we pass bipartisan, once-in-a-generational investment in rebuilding our infrastructure;
And our working men and women: the people I met at every supermarket Saturday who took a moment to chat in the grocery store aisles;
And during 120 Cheri on shifts, which is what we call our own version of job shadowing. During my Cheri on shifts, I was a baker, a cattle auctioneer, a tow boat operator, and I even drove a Zamboni.
Every Cheri on shift gave me a firsthand view of how hard people worked to support their families and what they need from us here in Washington.
Like when Sarah Miller in Galesburg, Illinois, reached out to me. The mother of two young children, Sarah's drinking water had lead in it, but in order for her to afford to fix it, she would have had to drop out of nursing school. So I helped the city secure $4 million in grants, and Sarah became one of several hundred families to have their solid lead water pipes replaced.
This is a picture of me working on replacing water pipes.
Listening to the stories of the people I serve has helped guide the work that I have done in Congress, but no one succeeds alone. Everything I have accomplished has been with the help and support of others, so I would like to say thanks.
Thanks to those who taught me what it means to lead. To Majority Leader Steny Hoyer who has always been a true friend; to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who proved that even while navigating treacherous waters, we never have to lose our way; and to my mentor, Senator Dick Durbin, without whom I would not be standing here today.
When I was first elected, I was told it wasn't possible to make friends in Washington, but I was lucky enough to find a group of truly best friends here. Thank you to the pink ladies: Congresswomen Lois Frankel, Grace Meng, Ann Kuster, Julia Brownley, and our whip-elect, Katherine Clark, who are truly outstanding leaders for our Nation.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of Team Bustos over the years; and to the most important part of my team, my family: My sister, Lynn; our three sons, Tony, Nick, and Joey; our daughters-in-law; and grandchildren.
Our families don't sign up for the long hours and missed birthdays, but I have had their support every step of the way.
And thank you most to my husband, Gerry. Gerry and I first met when he was a rookie police officer and I was a rookie police reporter.
Two weeks ago, he retired after almost 40 years in law enforcement as the sheriff of Rock Island County. He has stood by me all of these years.
Finally, I say thank you to the people of the 17th Congressional District of Illinois. I am humbled that for a decade you put your faith in me. Thank you.
I have been honored to be your voice here in Washington.