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Judy Biggert
PI Original
by Micah Maidenberg
3:35pm
Thu Apr 14, 2011

Illinois House Republicans Largely In Love With Party's Budget Plan

Federal budget

The House GOP's official budget document leans overwhelmingly on slashing programs used by lower-income Americans, shifts Medicare to a voucher program, and cuts taxes for the country's wealthiest. Illinois' Republican Congressional delegation is on board. Mostly.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
9:11am
Thu Jun 24, 2010

Dems Slam Biggert's ShoreBank Crusade

In the past month, several financial institutions have committed to providing $150 million in assistance to Chicago's struggling ShoreBank and the Federal Reserve is considering whether to offer up additional  bailout funds.  This spurred Republicans to call for an investigation into whether the Obama administration pressured Wall Street to assist ShoreBank -- a charge they flatly deny.  In late May, Illinois GOP Rep. Judy Biggert sent a letter to the White House requesting all "e-mails, phone logs, and meeting records" pertaining to the deal. When they refused to cooperate, she wrote an amendment to the financial reform bill, currently being refined in the House-Senate conference committee, that would require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to issue a report on "the influence of political pressure" in this case.

While weakened slightly during negotiations yesterday, the amendment eventually passed by a voice vote. But that wasn't before Democrats -- including Reps. Luis Guiterrez and Mel Watt -- ripped her to shreds for politicizing the financial reform legislation when no law enforcement officials have raised questions about the ShoreBank deal. Watch some excerpts (the full video is available here):

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
2:58pm
Wed Jun 16, 2010

Harper To Biggert: Send Your BP Cash To The Gulf

Illinois' own Rep. Judy Biggert has received a PAC donation from BP -- the artist formerly known as Amoco -- every cycle she's served in Congress. According to OpenSecrets, the oil giant has contributed $9,000 to her campaign fund since 1999. (That figure includes a $1,000 donation from Amoco in 1998, which is now part of BP.) Her 13th Congressional District challenger Scott Harper is calling on her to return all of that money. From a press release:

Noting the consequences the spill is having on the Gulf region, Harper said “Congresswoman Biggert’s BP money would be better spent cleaning up a coastline or compensating a shrimper who’s out of a job than it would in her campaign account.”

Harper previously demanded Biggert give back $2,000 she took from the Goldman Sachs earlier this year while the firm was under an SEC investigation for fraud, but the Republican refused. House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) also took some flak this month for pocketing a $500 BP donation, one of just two state lawmakers nationally to receive one.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
10:10am
Fri May 28, 2010

How The Illinois Delegation Voted On "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Congress moved two major steps closer to eliminating the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy late last night. The House attached an amendment repealing the law to this year’s defense authorization bill, which passed 234-194. The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a similar measure just a few hours before that, setting the stage for a major vote in the upper chamber following the Memorial Day recess.

Illinois' own Rep. Judy Biggert deserves some credit for being one of only five Republicans to cross the aisle to vote in favor of repeal. The same can't be said for GOP U.S. Senate nominee Mark Kirk, a one-time proponent of gay rights who has all but abandoned that constituency since deciding to run statewide. On the Democratic side, Illinois Reps. Jerry Costello and Dan Lipinski voted against the bill, along with 24 other members of the party.

If you're scoring at home, Lipinski previously voted against health care reform and cast a "present" vote on the stimulus packaage. The guy is practically begging for a primary challenge in 2012.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
12:05pm
Thu May 20, 2010

Biggert Gets Tough On The Wrong Banks

Illinois' own Rep. Judy Biggert thinks something fishy is up with the rescue of ShoreBank. Yesterday, the Hinsdale Republican sent a letter to the White House requesting all "e-mails, phone logs, and meeting records," regarding the Wall Street-led bailout of Chicago's leading community development bank. Biggert seems to think that the Obama administration applied political pressure to save ShoreBank, a charge White House officials flatly denied.

Scott Harper, the Democrat running against Biggert this fall, is confused why Biggert is getting tough on one local community bank. This is, after all, a lawmaker who voted to provide Goldman Sachs with $10 billion in TARP money and now won't return contributions from their corporate PAC, even though the firm is under criminal investigation by the SEC. "It’s curious," wrote campaign manager Jonas Heineman in a statement today, "that Congresswoman Biggert is so eager to investigate a bank that has no financial stake in her campaign." Curious, indeed.