Sean Casten

I recently honored my latest Constituent Spotlight, Officer Silvia Rupcich from the Willowbrook Police Department. Officer Rupcich started Willowbrook’s Shop with a Cop Program, which spreads holiday cheer and supports children and families in our community. Know someone who makes IL-06 a brighter place? Nominate them on my website. https://t.co/ZQp717HfA3

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the contributions and rich culture of America’s Hispanic communities. I visited Toro Construction in Orland Park and JP Architects in Oak Lawn to learn about Hispanic-owned and operated businesses in IL-06. https://t.co/aXtyvxUHXP

ICYMI: I was proud to secure $950,000 in federal funding for Elmhurst University’s Health Sciences Department. The funding will be used to install state of the art technology and research equipment, which will provide hands-on opportunities for future healthcare leaders. https://t.co/E8P0hctZgI

Donald Trump's tariffs are driving inflation and making life more expensive. This is exactly why I have voted multiple times to put an end to these unconstitutional, costly policies. https://t.co/TwaKmeBcXj

This morning, I hosted a roundtable discussion on rising housing costs with DuPage Pads, CEDA, Bridge Communities, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity, BEDS Plus, Illinois Realtors, and representatives from local townships. I learned how the increasing cost of living is affecting housing in IL-06, and how organizations continue to navigate changes at the federal level to meet the high demand for affordable housing.

Applications are now open for congressional nominations to the U.S. Military Service Academies! Visit my website for more information about the application and the appointment process. https://t.co/8jfvyKQaKQ

NEWS: Sean has been endorsed by the Chicago Tribune! "Casten is one of our favorite Democrats in Congress, not least because he marries the needs of his district with an intellectual curiosity of unusual distinction." Read more: https://t.co/8M47GJ7sdr

Applications for the 2026 Congressional App Challenge are now open! The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District. For rules and more information, visit my website. https://t.co/gnMwYUBRJG https://t.co/J8RpeALkNv

I recently introduced legislation to make electricity more affordable, reliable, resilient, and clean by helping to make best use of key local transmission facilities in the expansion of regional and interregional transmission capacity. Well-planned transmission broadens the pool of electricity generation resources available to customers, increasing access to less expensive electricity — which tends to be the cleanest energy. Learn more

Members of Congress have the unique privilege of nominating eligible candidates to the U.S. Military Service Academies. Learn more about the nomination process, eligibility requirements, and application on my website: https://t.co/8jfvyKQaKQ

Last week, I met with the team from We Are Creed in Burr Ridge and delivered books from the Library of Congress Surplus Books Program, which donates books to educational institutions, public agencies, and nonprofit tax-exempt agencies with the purpose of building library collections. Check out my website to learn more about the Library of Congress Surplus Books Program. https://t.co/auFu9Bubk5

A constituent in Glen Ellyn was receiving reduced Social Security disability benefits because the Social Security Administration (SSA) had not updated its records to reflect the closure of their Workers’ Compensation case. My team helped gather the necessary documentation and worked with the agency to review the case. Following our outreach, the SSA updated the constituent’s record and increased their benefits. Are you having trouble with a federal agency? Reach out to my office and let us help. https://t.co/kxRIHlgDgg

NEWS: Yesterday, the Senate passed two pilot mental health bills I introduced in the House. Together, they would make it easier for pilots and air traffic controllers to seek mental health care. Since the legislation was amended by the Senate, we'll need to pass both bills in the House before they can become law. But we're one step closer to meaningful change. Read why these issues are important: https://t.co/5lsnq8wnPg

Applications are now open for congressional nominations to the U.S. Military Service Academies! Visit my website for more information about the application and the appointment process. https://t.co/8jfvyKQaKQ https://t.co/KBobPITZV0

Exciting news: The Illinois AFL-CIO has endorsed Sean in his general election campaign! Sean remains committed to fighting for working people and will use his voice in Congress to advocate for higher wages, safer working conditions, and workers’ freedom to organize. https://t.co/6crShyntjU

This National Literacy Month, I’m grateful to the libraries in IL-06 that help foster a love of reading. From Wheaton to Prairie Trails, each of these institutions plays a critical part in expanding access to books, supporting lifelong learning, and strengthening our communities. https://t.co/PjuXOCT6pc

I joined Senators Whitehouse and Merkley to introduce the Environmental Health Restoration Act to restore the EPA’s mission and reinstate protections for our health and environment. I’ll keep fighting to protect our clean air, water, and communities. Read more about the bill here: https://t.co/iNzOZ6f2Xs

I had the pleasure of honoring my latest Constituent Spotlight, Cindy Crosby, for her decades of volunteer service at The Morton Arboretum. As a dragonfly monitoring group leader, prairie restoration volunteer, educator, and author of more than 20 books, she inspires people to protect and appreciate our local biodiversity. Thank you, Cindy, for your decades of service and dedication to cultivating the next generation of environmental stewards!

https://t.co/HDUBEJZUmt I was proud to join Garden Center Services in celebrating the grand opening of the Garden Apartments in Worth, providing adults with disabilities the opportunity to live independently in safe, affordable housing. This is an important step toward building more inclusive communities, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.

The 2026 Congressional App Challenge application is now open! The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District. Check out my website to learn more. https://t.co/gnMwYUBRJG https://t.co/pbJsVGE1xi

When a former federal employee in Westmont experienced delays in receiving retirement benefits, they turned to my office for help. My team reached out to the Social Security Administration to advocate on their behalf, and the constituent began receiving their monthly benefits of $2,400. Are you having trouble with a federal agency? Reach out to my office and let us help. https://t.co/kxRIHlgDgg

I'm proud to have helped secure $500,000 in federal funding for the Lake Michigan Regional Water Supply Initiative, which will help strengthen our local water infrastructure and ensure communities in DuPage County have access to safe, reliable water for generations to come.

I visited Mariano's in Lombard to meet with store employees and the Kroger Health team. Their team shared how they partner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and non-profits in the Chicagoland area to give back to the community. We also discussed how their pharmacy staff works with the retail team to provide personalized experiences for customers.

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced the Integrated Local, Regional, and Interregional Transmission Planning Act, legislation that will make electricity more affordable, reliable, resilient, and clean by helping to make best use of key local transmission facilities in the expansion of regional and interregional transmission capacity. Well-planned transmission broadens the pool of electricity generation resources available to customers, increasing access to less expensive electricity – which tends as well to be the cleanest energy. “Ensuring that local transmission facilities are considered in regional and interregional transmission planning is vital in creating lower-cost new transmission capabilities,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “The current transmission planning process can be inefficiently narrow in scope. At a time when our electric grid is under tremendous stress, the Integrated Local, Regional, and Interregional Transmission Planning Act offers a fix that can make our grid more efficient, reliable, and resilient, while expanding access to affordable clean energy.” Claire Wayner and Chaz Teplin of RMI, authors of the landmark 2024 report, “Mind the Regulatory Gap,” said, “We applaud the introduction of the Integrated Local, Regional, and Interregional Transmission Planning Act. The Act will help close the regulatory gap by incorporating local transmission projects into regional and interregional transmission planning. This will maximize benefits for ratepayers by reducing overall system costs and maximizing planning and market efficiencies.” Talia Calnek-Sugin, Senior Energy Policy Advocate at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), said, “Right now, transmission planning is done in a disjointed way that produces a less robust grid at a higher cost for Americans. The Integrated Local, Regional, and Interregional Transmission Planning Act would harmonize these fragmented and incomplete planning processes and deliver consumers lower electric bills, clean and affordable energy, and a more reliable power grid.” Under the Integrated Local, Regional, and Interregional Transmission Planning Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will require transmission planning regions to integrate and improve their planning processes for interregional, regional, and certain local transmission facilities, the latter being those which could be useful, if replaced, for regional or interregional transmission. The legislation focuses on local transmission facilities for two reasons. First, some existing local transmission lines can be upsized to provide lower-cost regional and interregional transmission, avoiding the need to build new transmission lines. Second, local transmission projects often inhabit a "regulatory gap” – state overseers are prohibited from objecting to the projects on economic grounds even as they are given a weighty presumption of prudence at the federal level. When transmitting utilities address just their local needs without considering possible regional and interregional benefits, these local transmission investments may foreclose better regional and interregional projects. Specifically, the Integrated Local, Regional, and Interregional Transmission Planning Act builds on FERC Order 1920 by requiring FERC to issue a regulation that would require transmission planning regions (excluding the Electric Reliability Council of Texas) to: Integrate interregional, regional, and covered local transmission planning processes; Advance transmission solutions that are more efficient or cost-effective in the long term to replace the need for less efficient short-term solutions; Use scenarios of 20 years or more that include a range of factors, including State-approved integrated resource plans; Federal, Tribal, state and local requirements and policy goals; and trends in the costs of fuels, generation and electric storage; Account for transmission outages due to extreme weather events; Optimize the existing transmission system, including through grid-enhancing technologies; Establish cost allocation methodologies applicable to projects selected in their transmission plans, while allowing customers to be charged only for those facilities from which they benefit; and Develop joint plans with any neighboring Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) and Independent System Operators (ISO). The original cosponsors of the bill are U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor (FL-14), Mike Levin (CA-49), George Latimer (NY-16), and James McGovern (MA-02). A summary of the legislation can be found here. Text of the legislation can be found here. ###

At a time when the Trump Administration is ignoring the climate crisis and undermining Americans’ ability to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and enjoy the outdoors, it's more important than ever to restore a commitment to science-based environmental protection at the EPA. Yesterday, alongside Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, I introduced the Environmental Health Restoration Act to do just that. Read more: https://t.co/iNzOZ6f2Xs