Representative Darin LaHood

Manufacturing helps drive our economy in Illinois' 18th District and Morton Industries LLC has been a leading manufacturer and fabricator of tubular products for over 70 years. To celebrate National Manufacturing Day, I toured their facilities and met with workers to discuss the importance of USMCA and ways Congress can continue to bolster apprenticeship programs. Thanks for having me

The Congressional App Challenge is an exciting opportunity for central and west-central Illinois high school students to showcase their talent in the innovative technology field. Computer science and STEM education are critical to our nation’s long-term success, and this competition highlights the great work so many students are doing in these areas. I look forward to seeing the impressive work students in Illinois’ 18th District can create.

I applaud President Trump for delivering a win for Midwest agriculture by securing this important trade agreement with Japan. Japan represents an important and growing market for Illinois farmers, and this agreement will level the playing field by reducing tariff barriers on an additional $7 billion of food and agriculture products. As Co-chair of the Digital Trade Caucus, I am also pleased to see an agreement reached that meets the gold standard on digital trade rules that were set by USMCA. The recent signing is an important first step and I look forward to continuing work on a more comprehensive agreement between the United States and Japan.

Illinois is an ethanol leader, and the recent expansion of oil refinery waivers hit agriculture and ethanol producers hard. Washington shouldn’t sabotage Midwest ethanol by undercutting billions of gallons of ethanol through unwarranted SREs.