June 27, 2023

Congressman Mike Quigley – U.S. House of Representatives, IL-5

City Club event description:

Congressman Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley has proudly represented Illinois’ 5th District for more than 13 years. Since being elected to Congress in 2009, Mike has been devoted to fighting for our environment, small businesses, the LGBTQ community, healthcare access, and ending gun violence.

His passion for public service can be traced back more than four decades. From 1998 to 2009, he served as a Cook County Commissioner where he worked to increase transparency within the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

He currently serves as the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. Mike has utilized his position on the Committee to bring investment back to his district. Most recently, he secured over $15 million for projects within the community that will do everything from enhancing public health opportunities to improving our city’s infrastructure.

Mike also served on the influential House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) for 8 years. His role on the Select Committee placed him at the center of the years-long Russia investigation and the first impeachment of President Donald Trump. This role provided Mike with a unique understanding of the national security threats we face as a nation and has informed his role as co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.

Following the invasion of Russia by Ukraine, Mike has been an important voice in the effort to protect Ukraine and its democracy from destruction. He has tirelessly advocated to his colleagues and the world on appropriate steps the West must take in this fight.

Ensuring Americans know how their government is working for them is one of Mike’s highest priorities. He founded the bipartisan Congressional Transparency Caucus to bring members of Congress together in this effort and has introduced landmark legislation to significantly strengthen oversight of all branches of the federal government. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed his transparency legislation, the Congressional Budget Justification Act, into law.

Mike has established himself as a leader on many of our nation’s most challenging and significant issues. He continues to fight for full LGBT equality as Vice-Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, a woman’s right to choose, and commonsense gun law reforms that will make our communities safer.

Safety and public health are key priorities for Mike—and that includes his work to help end ALS. In 2020, Mike introduced ACT for ALS to create a new pathway to deliver treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. This bill received overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Biden in December 2021. Mike is hopeful this legislation will provide those suffering from this and other neurodegenerative diseases with the hope that a cure can be found.

City Club video

Mike grew up in Carol Stream, IL, and worked his way through college – first Roosevelt University, then the University of Chicago, and Loyola University Chicago. In his free time, Mike teaches a course on intelligence and national security at the University of Chicago and lives in Chicago with his wife, Barb, and their two dogs, Maisy and Finneas.