Top 125 Quotes & Sayings by Jan Schakowsky

As a Jew I cannot sit idle while genocidal atrocities continue to unfold in Darfur, Sudan.

Well, I was a very strong opponent of the war, in fact, one of those who went door to door to my colleagues and thus achieved 60 percent of the Democrats voting no against this war.

Rather than proposing a forward-looking energy initiative, House Republicans continue to push Big Oil's tired old ideas, ideas that will do absolutely nothing to lower gas prices for the American consumer.

I was proud to witness American Jewish organizations found the Save Darfur Coalition in June 2004 to mobilize a coordinated interfaith response to the ongoing humanitarian disaster.

My family reached the United States before the Holocaust. Both of my parents emigrated from Russia as young children. My grandparents were fleeing religious persecution and came to America seeking a better life for their family.

There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.

Each and every day health centers provide high-quality primary and preventive care to our constituents.

It is truly appalling for Senator Mark Kirk to equate the Obama Administration's diplomacy with Nazi appeasement. As a Jewish-American, I am offended.

President Trump ran on protecting U.S. jobs and renegotiating unfair trade policies - those policies strengthen labor laws around the world.

Preventing gender-based violence is critical to establishing safe, productive, and healthy workplaces for all.

And we've also had now the speaker of the Parliament in Iraq using blatantly anti-Semitic remarks, saying the Jews and sons of Jews are the problem of all the violence that's in Iraq.

Few things give me more pride and hope for our future than when I see women, of all ages and backgrounds, in leadership roles. We need even more women in elected office, running businesses, and guiding organizations.

You might not want to go without essential health benefits or lose consumer protections if an insurance company many states away denies your claim or goes belly-up.

Engaging in diplomacy with Iran and putting an end to their nuclear weapons program was the right thing to do.

Americans need access to affordable, reliable health insurance. They want President Trump to take responsibility and work to ensure their continued access to their insurance - creating certainty and affordability, not confusion and chaos.

From its onset, the labor movement has been at the forefront of the fight to improve working conditions and workplace safety. At the local level, knowing their union has their back gives workers the confidence and support they need to stand up and report harassment, poor working conditions, or workplace safety violations.

There is no better way to improve wages and working conditions in our country than to support the right to unionize. Throughout our history, unions have improved the lives of millions of American families, grown the middle class, and pushed our economy forward.

Ivanka Trump's declared mission to 'empower women who work' is a welcome element in the Trump administration. As a woman with a desk in the White House and the founder of an international corporation, she is certainly in a position to improve the wages, safety, and quality of life of working women around the world.

Immigrants are integral to the strength of our nation. They deserve comprehensive reform that will provide a pathway to citizenship and ensure that families aren't torn apart.

Through educational programming, Jewish American History Month will help raise the awareness of a people, their history and contributions. It will help combat anti-Semitism, a phenomenon that is on the rise and that unfortunately still exists in our Nation.

Because the Bush Administration will set no timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, both chambers of Congress acted to make sure our troops will not be left in Iraq indefinitely.

In Illinois, we've seen job losses from agreements like CAFTA and NAFTA. Those agreements didn't help American workers - and they haven't brought improvements to the lives of workers in other countries, either.

Food service workers, home care workers, farm workers, and other low-wage workers log long hours. They come home tired after providing services and producing goods that make our country stronger. They deserve fair treatment from their employers, and they deserve a voice in collective bargaining.

We should not wait any longer to ensure that women get the pay they deserve. I will keep fighting for this until we achieve equality. I am very thankful for all those who are already advocating for equal pay, and I hope others will join me in this fight.

The House Republican leadership has simply run out of ideas.

In 1973, the Roe v. Wade decision concluded that women have a constitutionally protected right to safe and legal abortions. That landmark decision wasn't the beginning of women having abortions; it was the end of women dying from abortions.

As grateful as we are for all the work the community health centers do, it is also important that we recognize that they cannot solve the health care crisis facing our Nation by themselves.

President Obama's executive actions on immigration are designed to temporarily address major flaws in our broken immigration system.

As a member of the Democratic Women's Working Group and Co-Chair of the Congressional Seniors Task Force, I will keep fighting for women's rights until they are completely secured. My daughters and granddaughters and millions of women and girls nationwide deserve our tireless efforts until we become a country where there is truly equality for all.

Memorial Day is all about celebrating the lives of the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. The United States is made great because of their heroism. Their lives are remembered, honored, and celebrated by all of us, including the friends, family, and fellow service members who knew them best.

Simply raising fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks to 33 miles per gallon would eliminate our oil imports from the Persian Gulf.

We need a vibrant Medicaid program and strategies to expand affordable access to health care for all, especially for the specialty care services that community health centers do not provide.

Ensuring that our children have more and better opportunities is the essence of the American dream.

Like other important immigrant communities, the Jewish experience in the United States represents the ideal of freedom and the promise and opportunity of America.

Three years into the war, tens of thousands of American troops remain targets of a growing Iraqi insurgency.

There is greater income inequality in the United States than in any other industrialized country. Yes, the debt is a problem that must be dealt with. To me, however, the disappearing middle class is even worse - bad for our economy and really bad for our democracy.

As a first generation Jewish American, I have witnessed firsthand Jewish immigrants who have come to this Nation in order to create a better life for themselves, their families, and future generations.

Americans firmly rejected Republican legislative efforts to repeal the ACA - only 17 percent supported it.

President Trump proclaimed 'America First' from the inauguration stage. As an American Jew and daughter of immigrants, that slogan makes me shiver.

When my office asked the regional HHS office to participate in an enrollment event - something they routinely have done for previous ACA and Medicare Part D enrollment - they said no. They were prohibited from doing so - under orders from the Trump Administration.

Hatred, bigotry, and discrimination have no place in our country. We must work hard to make sure that America remains an inclusive and respectful country.

Fast track is about pushing through the TPP, TTIP and future trade agreements that would massively increase the power of big international corporations and affect the daily lives of Americans.

There are big winners in Paul Ryan's 'Roadmap,' and you can guess who they are. He would cut taxes for the wealthy, completely eliminate the corporate income tax, and create a value added tax.

Community health centers do a great deal with limited resources. They provide critical medical care services to many who would otherwise have no other place to go or would end up in an emergency room.

Since the Affordable Care Act allows individuals to buy affordable health care coverage on their own, women no longer have to remain in a job just for the health insurance - they can feel free to start their own business or care for a child or elderly parent.

Americans have a right to the security of their personal information, and the entities that hold personal information have a responsibility to protect it.

In Illinois, community, migrant, homeless and public housing health centers operate 268 primary care sites and serve close to 1 million patients every year.

I've fought to close the gender and racial pay gap for a very long time. One piece of advice I like to give whenever I'm speaking on the subject: if you want equal pay, join a union! I've never seen a union contract that pays women 79 cents to a man's dollar.

As American Jews and descendants of immigrants, we never forget where our families came from or what members of our community experienced. Because we remember, we look out for those who are freeing persecution, oppression, and danger.

A woman should not have to fear retribution from her employer, and the District of Columbia should be able to pass laws to protect against that retribution.

We understand what President Trump means when he talks about taking the country back. He does not see America as a country of people from diverse backgrounds united around values of freedom and respect. In his 'American carnage' version of our country, immigrants and refugees are a threat.

Your health benefits are not a gift - you work hard for them every day.

Handcuffing the ability of states and localities to develop clean fuels in the cheapest possible way, using local resources, is not sound or sensible policy.

Since the birth of our Nation, no other right has been more important than having the ability to vote. Unfortunately, as history has shown, the denial of this right to minorities is a scar on our system of democracy.

The effects of climate change are real and only getting worse. I would like to build on the promises of the Paris Climate Agreement and make our country a global leader on the fight against climate change.

Without health insurance, getting sick or injured could mean going bankrupt, going without needed care, or even dying needlessly.

Plan Colombia was supposed to reduce Colombia's cultivation and distribution of drugs by 50 percent, but 6 years and $4.7 billion later, the drug control results are meager at best.

Every American must be guaranteed dignity and independence in their retirement.

As a first generation American myself, I know that comprehensive immigration reform is good for our country. I know it will reduce our deficit, grow our economy, reaffirm our values, advance our ideals, and honor our history as a nation of immigrants.

Democrats stand ready and willing to work with President Trump to improve upon the ACA - but we will not sit by and watch him sabotage the health care of millions of Americans.