WCPT 820 Interview: Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL)

Patti is joined by Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), who discussed the challenges of the current political climate and the importance of opposing the Trump administration's destructive actions.

"The first barrier of restraint there has been the courts," Quigley told WCPT, "and there have been some real victories. I think the real test is still to come, because we are in a constitutional crisis, but the crux of that will be when the president decides to disregard the courts. So that's going to be the fundamental issue there, but the courts have stood up in that vein, and that's a big deal."

Quigley also pointed to public opposition as a reason for optimism. "People's voices do matter," he said. "When you look at even Republican polling from the end of the year to now, our newly minted oligarch [Elon Musk], who the president seems to have anointed with extraordinary powers, has dropped in polling 50 percent. So it disturbs me that we have somebody in this position doing these horrible things, but I do see people's voices matter, and it's starting to have an effect on how Republicans act and how they're speaking out about potential cuts to Medicaid."

Quigley talked about his effort to counter Republican lies by doing "outreach into typically more conservative media outlets, because you can't leave those fields alone," and his intention to keep doing constituent town halls. "You go everywhere to hear people because, boy, they sure want a voice right now," Quigley said. 

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