Latest news with #Casten
Chicago Tribune
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten shouted down at town hall, Pro-Palestinian protesters removed
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten abruply ended a town hall meeting Wednesday night at La Grange Village Hall after pro-Palestinian protesters repeatedly interrupted him in an obviously coordinated tactic. Casten, a Democrat representing the 6th District, has been the target of groups protesting his support for Israel in the past year, particularly at suburban town halls in Downers Grove and Evergreen Park. The Downers Grove-based congressman had barely begun his opening remarks Wednesday when a man got up and started yelling. 'That's what happens when you support a genocide Mr. Casten,' the man yelled. 'We're going to continue protesting you at every town hall.' The protester specifically said a letter Casten signed that day along with more than 90 other House Democrats demanding an investigation into starvation reports in Gaza, was meaningless. 'The damage has already been done, the damage has already been done, and you voted to support it, day after day,' the man said. When the protester wouldn't relent, police escorted him out of the room. Casten began talking about legislation coming from Washington, zeroing in on criticisms of the Trump administration's 'big beautiful bill,' only to have a woman stand up and start shouting at him. Casten tried to continue, but with the woman shouting at him it was difficult to make out what either of them were saying, although at one point she shouted that Casten didn't care about Palestinians 'because they're not white … they're brown people halfway around the world.' After the woman was removed, Casten again criticized President Trump's bill, calling it 'the biggest tax cut' for the rich, only to have another woman begin shouting. When she was escorted out by police, another woman immediately began shouting that Casten had the 'largest Palestinian demographic in the country,' and she recalled meeting with his staff last year, telling them 'they were proudly funding the genocide, your staff laughed in our faces and kicked us out of their office. I will never forget what you did last year.' The protesters were in no mood to hear anything Casten had to say, continually interrupting him at regular intervals. 'Shame on all of you. All of you have blood on your hands,' one woman yelled. Casten, whose district stretches from west suburban Lombard southeast to Orland Park and Tinley Park, taking in Chicago's Beverly and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods, did begin to address the situation in Gaza, only to be interrupted again. One man talked about the Israelis 'dropping 10,000-pound bombs on children,' calling them weapons of mass destruction. 'You can talk all you want about what you support, but the only thing you support is sending more money to the military, so that the military can keep bombing the heck' out of the Palestinians. Casten again attempted to explain his position. 'I've spent quite a bit of time, I think probably more than most members, going to Israel and the West Bank,' he said. 'I have not gone to Gaza because of security reasons.' When Casten tried to elaborate, he was shouted down once again, one woman shouting 'over 18,000 children have died, many found buried under the rubble.' Noise from protesters outside Village Hall then grew in intensity, helped by speakers using amplification. Casten said, regarding the hunger crisis in Gaza, that people tried to step in and deny humanitarian assistance. But protesters continued to yell. 'We aren't tired, we aren't stopping while Israeli bombs are dropping,' one group of female protesters chanted, linked arm-in-arm. 'Sean Casten, we will not be moving until you agree to sign the Block the Bombs Act,' a reference to the resolution introduced by progressive U.S. House members calling for ending U.S. military aid to Israel. Casten only actually spoke for about 15 minutes of his scheduled time before finally ending the town hall. La Grange Village President Mark Kuchler advised those still in the hall to wait until police could make sure it was safe before leaving. 'I thought our Police Department did a very good job of trying to maintain order in trying to let the congressman speak,' Kuchler said after the meeting. La Grange Village Trustee Glenn Thompson said he was disappointed how the town hall turned out. 'I hate to see these things degrade into something like this,' he said. 'There's a lot of people here to ask local questions.' Outside, about 50 people continued the protest in front of the Village Hall, many banging pots and pans and chanting 'free, free Palestine,' and 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'
Chicago Tribune
10-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Reps. Foster and Casten, food bank leaders slam federal SNAP changes during Geneva event
At an event in Geneva on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, slammed the Trump administration's recently-passed federal 'Big Beautiful Bill Act.' In particular, he criticized the changes it includes for SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food assistance to low-income individuals across the country. 'This bill is evil in the Biblical sense of that word,' Casten said. On Thursday morning, Casten; U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville; Northern Illinois Food Bank and local food pantry leaders and two individuals who receive food from local pantries came together to speak about cuts and their possible effects at a discussion at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva. The elected officials gathered on Thursday decried the bill and its effect on Illinois, while food bank and food pantry leaders shared their concerns about meeting higher demand for food, particularly as their facilities also face federal funding cuts. The modifications to the SNAP program come as part of the 'Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which was passed by Congress and officially signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4. It includes $4.5 trillion in tax breaks that were enacted in 2017 during Trump's first term that would have expired if Congress failed to act, as well as new ones, the Associated Press reported. The law also changes existing programs, like SNAP. According to the AP, participants in the program already had to work until they were 55 to qualify. The new law mandates participants work until 65, with some exceptions — like parents who care for a child under the age of 14. Foster called the budget bill 'devastating,' saying Illinois is 'not exempt from the damage here.' According to the most recent available USDA data, just over 700,000 households in Illinois were receiving SNAP benefits, which amounts to 14.1% of all households in the state. The percentage in Foster's 11th Congressional District, for example, is lower, at 8.3% of households and 23,614 in total as of 2023. Julie Yurko, the Northern Illinois Food Bank's president and CEO, said on Thursday that the changes in eligibility requirements will put around 360,000 Illinoisans at risk of losing SNAP benefits. One of the effects of the increased requirements, Foster noted, is that many individuals may be discouraged by additional paperwork required to receive SNAP benefits. For example, Casten pointed to children coming out of the foster care system, people who have been homeless and members of the veterans community as some of the groups which may have additional difficulties providing the necessary paperwork to enroll in SNAP. The difficulties of enrolling some individuals for food-related benefits also extend to local assistance, said John Arient of Stone Soup in Marengo, which provides hot soup and other food to individuals on a weekly basis. He said numerous undocumented people show up to its center and fill out the required paperwork, but he worries about the effects the changes will have. 'This, I'm afraid, is going to hurt so much,' Arient said. Annette Johnson, the executive director of Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry in Aurora, said the number of students coming to pick up food at its distributions at East Aurora High School has been increasing significantly, which she thinks is in part due to undocumented families relying more on the distributions. Food pantry leaders explained that the loss of SNAP benefits for some will likely further increase demand at the pantries, which is compounded by the pantries' own federal funds being diminished. Yurko said that cuts to two federal programs that the Northern Illinois Food Bank relies on — the Local Food Purchase Assistance, or LFPA, program and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, or EFSP — are going to reduce the food bank's budget by $3 million to $4 million annually. The future of the LFPA, a COVID-19 pandemic-era program, had been uncertain before the federal tax bill, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture froze funds for the program back in March, disrupting food supply and distribution at local pantries, according to past reporting. And the SNAP and federal funding cuts are compounded by the effects of inflation, Yurko said, noting an increase in food insecurity in the area in the past few years that hasn't let up. 'We saw it (inflation) hit,' Yurko said. 'We know exactly when inflation kicked in … and we saw more folks turning to us.' Now, with the federal tax bill passed, Foster said there's still some uncertainty as to when the changes officially go into effect. In addition to fighting cuts in the courts, Foster told The Beacon-News that he and other lawmakers are going to spend the next year and a half trying to convince Republican legislators that they 'made a mistake in many of the things they just voted for, and that maybe they would be willing to support legislation that would mitigate some of the damage.' 'When they see the damage hit a lot of their predominantly rural districts, I think … there's a good chance they will end up having a little buyer's remorse on this,' Foster said. In the meantime, local leaders also pointed to these cuts as a call to action for the local community. 'I think, right now, a lot of people are showing up to help, and they don't necessarily know what to do,' said Kane County Board member Jarett Sanchez. 'It doesn't always take the form of a protest. Sometimes it really is (that) we were able to provide some extra vegetables to the local food pantry. We were able to donate some of our time to help these people feel more comfortable coming in and showing up and receiving the things that they did.'
The Hill
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
House Democrat: Trump bombing Iran ‘an unambiguous impeachable offense'
Rep. Sean Casten (D-Il.) said late Saturday that President Trump's move to bomb Iranian nuclear sites without congressional approval amounts to an 'unambiguous impeachable offense.' 'This is not about the merits of Iran's nuclear program,' Casten said in a post on the social platform X. 'No president has the authority to bomb another country that does not pose an imminent threat to the US without the approval of Congress. This is an unambiguous impeachable offense.' 'I'm not saying we have the votes to impeach,' he added. 'I'm saying that you DO NOT do this without Congressional approval and if [Speaker Mike] Johnson [(R-La.)] doesn't grow a spine and learn to be a real boy tomorrow we have a BFing problem that puts our very Republic at risk.' Casten's comments came shortly after Trump announced Saturday evening that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, saying, 'NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!' Casten noted that 'imminent threat' is a 'gray area' and that sometimes 'there is a case that Presidents need to move to protect the homeland quickly in some cases,' adding, 'This was not that.' Casten made clear that he is not disputing that Iran posed a nuclear threat, saying the Fordow facility 'had enriched significant volumes of weapons-grade material.' He continued: 'But they did not have it mounted on a weapons system that could have hit Israel between now and when Congress is back in session next week. Or before we could schedule a F-ing zoom call.' He also clarified that he is 'open to the idea that the US should attack Iran.' 'But I am not open to the idea that Congress cedes all authority to the executive branch,' he said. 'No matter how many lickspittle sycophants in the GOP argue to the contrary.' The announcement of U.S. action against Iran came two days after the White House said Trump would decide whether to get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel 'in the next two weeks' to give a window for negotiations. White House sources indicated the U.S. had given Israel a heads up before it struck the Iranian sites and that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after the strikes. The strikes marked a significant entrance by the U.S. into a conflict between Israel and Iran that had been underway for more than a week. They also indicated a shift by Trump, who said he was seeking a diplomatic solution with Iran and sent U.S. officials to make a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In Evergreen Park, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten town hall faces small group of protesters
A month after a town hall in Downers Grove was shut down due to protests over the Israel and Gaza war, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten faced several activists at a similar event Thursday in Evergreen Park. Police officers removed individual pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupted Casten's speech ahead of a scheduled question-and-answer session with about 100 attendees, largely focused on recent policy decisions made by President Donald Trump and his Republican counterparts in Congress. The Democratic congressman began his address at the Hamilton B. Maher Community Center by acknowledging the Downers Grove town hall protests, which led police to cut the event short as several activists approached and confronted Casten at the front of the stage. 'The police felt that there was going to be a safety situation where some people were disrupting, and the audience was not happy with the people that were disrupting,' Casten said. 'The people who were disrupting had completely valid concerns,' he said, but urged Evergreen Park attendees to raise any issues 'respectfully, and then sit down.' However, fewer than five minutes into Casten's address, a protester with a megaphone stood up and shouted frustrations about U.S. military assistance to Israel in its deadly attacks on Gaza residents during their war with Hamas. The protester, who was also present at Casten's event in Downers Grove, would only provide her first name, Lamees. Lamees and several protesters who followed her continued to interrupt Casten to criticize his position on the war, and were individually removed by Evergreen Park police. Some audience members, frustrated with the disruptions, began drowning them out by singing the song Bananarama song, 'Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye).' After explaining the status of pending legislation he supports and speaking out against the flurry of policy changes instituted by Trump, Casten responded to questions from attendees. To a question asking him to explain his support for legislation sending aid to Israel, Casten said much of the funding he supported was intended for defensive weapons to protect Israelis from Hamas fighters. 'There is no inconsistency with loving the Palestinian people, loving the Israeli people and criticizing the governments they represent, but trying to make sure they bring that forward,' Casten said. Casten represents the Illinois 6th District, which stretches from west suburban Lombard southeast to Tinley Park, taking in Chicago's Beverly and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods and areas near Midway. ostevens@
Chicago Tribune
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
In Evergreen Park, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten town hall faces small group of protesters
A month after a town hall in Downers Grove was shut down due to protests over the Israel and Gaza war, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten faced several activists at a similar event Thursday in Evergreen Park. Police officers removed individual pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupted Casten's speech ahead of a scheduled question-and-answer session with about 100 attendees, largely focused on recent policy decisions made by President Donald Trump and his Republican counterparts in Congress. The Democratic congressman began his address at the Hamilton B. Maher Community Center by acknowledging the Downers Grove town hall protests, which led police to cut the event short as several activists approached and confronted Casten at the front of the stage. 'The police felt that there was going to be a safety situation where some people were disrupting, and the audience was not happy with the people that were disrupting,' Casten said. 'The people who were disrupting had completely valid concerns,' he said, but urged Evergreen Park attendees to raise any issues 'respectfully, and then sit down.' However, fewer than five minutes into Casten's address, a protester with a megaphone stood up and shouted frustrations about U.S. military assistance to Israel in its deadly attacks on Gaza residents during their war with Hamas. The protester, who was also present at Casten's event in Downers Grove, would only provide her first name, Lamees. Lamees and several protesters who followed her continued to interrupt Casten to criticize his position on the war, and were individually removed by Evergreen Park police. Some audience members, frustrated with the disruptions, began drowning them out by singing the song Bananarama song, 'Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye).' After explaining the status of pending legislation he supports and speaking out against the flurry of policy changes instituted by Trump, Casten responded to questions from attendees. To a question asking him to explain his support for legislation sending aid to Israel, Casten said much of the funding he supported was intended for defensive weapons to protect Israelis from Hamas fighters. 'There is no inconsistency with loving the Palestinian people, loving the Israeli people and criticizing the governments they represent, but trying to make sure they bring that forward,' Casten said. Casten represents the Illinois 6th District, which stretches from west suburban Lombard southeast to Tinley Park, taking in Chicago's Beverly and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods and areas near Midway.
