Ford For Congress

AUSTIN P.O.W.E.R. 5K PARTICIPANTS

Tomorrow is the big day!

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How do you become an experienced worker if you never get the chance to gain experience?

That is one of the big questions emerging as AI changes the workplace.

Stanford researchers studied payroll data covering millions of U.S. workers. They found that among workers ages 22–25, employment in jobs highly exposed to AI was about 19% below where it would have been if it had kept pace with young workers in less-exposed occupations. The difference appears to be coming mainly from less hiring, not more firing.

Why does that matter? Because the first job is where many people learn their profession. It is where they gain experience, develop skills, find mentors and begin building a career.

One answer is paid apprenticeships. Instead of expecting a 23-year-old to already have three years of experience for an entry-level job, we can create more partnerships between employers, community colleges and apprenticeship programs where young people are paid while they learn. They get real work experience, learn how to use AI in their field, and leave with skills employers actually need.

AI may change what the first job looks like, but we should make sure that first step into a career still exists.

We must win in November
Please register to vote: https://ova.elections.il.gov/

AI is moving quickly, and young people are paying attention.

For the first time, a majority of Americans ages 18–29, 55%, say they are more concerned than excited about AI. That is up from 39% in 2024. And 73% believe AI will lead to fewer U.S. jobs over the next 20 years, up from 61% two years ago.

That does not mean 73% of jobs are expected to disappear. It tells us something different: young people's uncertainty about AI and the future of work is growing.

Congress has a responsibility to pay attention. I don't believe the answer is to stop innovation, and I want America to lead in AI, but leadership also means making sure reasonable safeguards are in place.

AI literacy cannot become another opportunity available only to people who can afford it. As AI changes the jobs our young people will compete for, students in our communities need access to the same technology, training, and skills as anyone else. Otherwise, we risk allowing AI to widen inequalities that already exist.

We must win in November.
Please register to vote: https://ova.elections.il.gov/

Young people are working toward the same things generations before them wanted: a good job, a place of their own, an education that opens doors, and the ability to build a stable future.

But getting there has become harder.

Three out of four Americans ages 18–29 say finding a job is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents’ generation. Across all ages, 87% say buying a home is harder, 82% say paying for college is harder, and 82% say saving for the future is harder.

The Federal Reserve reports that 49% of adults under 30 lived with a parent in 2025, up from 37% in 2019. Nearly half of 18–29-year-olds received financial help from someone outside their household for at least one expense during the year.

These numbers help explain something we hear from young people: stability can feel increasingly difficult to reach.

Jobs. Housing. Education. The cost of everyday life. And now rapid changes in technology and AI are adding another layer of uncertainty about what the workplace will look like.

These are different challenges, and each deserves serious attention. But they connect to one basic question: Can young people still build an independent and secure future?

I will bring this fight to Congress because young people deserve a fair shot.

Make sure your voice is heard. Check your registration and register to vote. https://ova.elections.il.gov/

Today’s Washington Watch follows three federal developments involving the Trump administration, federal agencies, and the courts.

A federal judge struck down a 2025 Trump administration directive that led the Department of Education to cancel more than $600 million in teacher-training grants. The judge ruled that the department acted arbitrarily and failed to follow federal law. The decision does not automatically restore the funding.

The Federal Aviation Administration also granted Boeing a waiver allowing the sale of 35 additional 777F cargo planes after stricter federal emissions standards take effect in 2028. The exemption applies only to those aircraft and does not repeal the broader emissions rule.

The NAACP and other civil-rights organizations filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over statements concerning the possible presence of federal personnel at polling sites. DHS and ICE deny having plans to station immigration agents at polling places. The lawsuit contains allegations that have not been established by a court.

These were actions involving the executive branch, federal agencies, and the courts. They were not actions taken by Congressman Danny K. Davis or by Congress today.

The House remains in a district work period. The Senate held a pro forma session, conducted no legislative business, and scheduled no committee hearings.

Our families are getting squeezed, and the numbers show just how serious the pressure has become.

In the Chicago area, rent is up 5% from a year ago. Energy costs are up 11%. Gasoline is up 21.5%. These are not optional expenses. They are the bills families have to pay to keep a roof over their heads, keep the lights on and get to work.

The consequences are showing up at the dinner table. A new Greater Chicago Food Depository and NORC survey found that 36% of Chicago households, about 417,000 households, do not have consistent access to enough food. Among households with children, that rises to 47%.

These numbers are important, but they are not just numbers. They represent people making difficult choices between groceries, rent, utilities, medicine and transportation.

Affordability has to remain at the center of the conversation in Washington. Families need an economy where working hard is enough to pay the bills, put food on the table and have something left at the end of the month.

We must stop and reverse Trump and Republicans' policies that continue to make life harder for everyday Americans, and for that, we must flip the House and the Senate. Your vote has never been more important.

Register to vote: https://ova.elections.il.gov/

Today’s Washington Watch examines three federal developments involving energy costs, congressional accountability, and nuclear oversight.

The House passed the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act by a vote of 417–3. The bill would require state utility regulators to consider protections intended to prevent data centers from shifting the cost of new power generation and grid infrastructure onto existing customers. The Senate has not passed the legislation.

The House also held billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with subpoenas connected to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. The matter has been referred to the Department of Justice, which will decide whether to pursue prosecution. Congressional contempt is not a criminal conviction.

Four House Democrats also introduced a resolution seeking to block the administration’s proposed 30-year civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. Congress has 90 days to review the agreement, but the House began its district work period without voting on the resolution.

These stories affect who pays for rising energy demand, how Congress enforces its subpoenas, and how lawmakers exercise oversight of international nuclear agreements.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate.

I am proud to accept the endorsement of the Sierra Club, and today that endorsement carries special meaning for me.

At a time when federal protections for our air, water, public lands and climate are being rolled back, we need people in Congress who understand that protecting our environment is also about protecting our health, our communities and the future we leave our children.

I have spent my years in public service believing that government has a responsibility to protect people, especially communities that too often carry the greatest burden of pollution and environmental neglect.

I will bring that same commitment to Congress. I will stand up for clean air and water, responsible clean-energy investment, strong environmental protections, and federal agencies that have the people and resources they need to do their jobs.

Thank you to the Sierra Club National Political Team and Illinois Chapter for your confidence and your endorsement. There is a lot of work ahead, and I am ready to do it.

Interest rates went up today, and that could make life more expensive for many families.

The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate by a quarter point because prices are still rising faster than it wants. The Fed has also signaled that another increase could come later this year.

What does that mean for you? Credit-card debt could cost more. Car loans could become more expensive. Buying a home could get harder. And if you already have debt with a changing interest rate, more of your payment may go toward interest.

My concern is simple: families are already paying too much for groceries, housing, utilities, health care and transportation. Now borrowing money could cost more too. We need to bring prices down without putting even more pressure on families who are already struggling to make ends meet.

President Trump has called for lower interest rates. Instead, the independent Federal Reserve voted unanimously today to raise them as it works to bring inflation down.

I know Congress does not set interest rates, but It can do something about the costs families struggle with every day. In Springfield, I have worked on housing, property taxes, access to credit, and support for small businesses. I will take that same fight to Congress. I will work to lower the cost of housing and health care, help families become homeowners, protect consumers from unfair lending practices, and make sure small businesses have access to affordable capital. We cannot ask working families to simply absorb one higher cost after another.

We must win in November. VOTE!

The House is leaving Washington early, and a pending impeachment resolution will have to wait.

Speaker Mike Johnson canceled Thursday’s scheduled House votes and began the recess early. That delays consideration of a privileged resolution introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie seeking to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Massie’s resolution contains eight articles of impeachment, including allegations involving congressional war powers and the war in Iran. These are allegations contained in Massie’s resolution, not findings by the House.

Johnson has said it was time for members to return to their districts. The schedule change means the House will not immediately consider Massie’s resolution.

The American people send members of Congress to Washington to represent them, especially when the issues are difficult. We should not accept a Republican majority that simply leaves when serious matters are still waiting for action.