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Schneider settles into new office
Brad Schneider
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Updated: January 14, 2013 1:54PM
Democrat Brad Schneider officially became the 10th U.S. House Representative last week, promising to be an advocate for small business and saying he expected to tackle difficult economic issues in the coming weeks.
The Deerfield businessman and management consultant, who won a narrow victory last November over incumbent Republican Bob Dold of Kenilworth, took the oath of office Jan. 3 and was joined by his family for the ceremonies in Washington, D.C.
He is the first Democrat in decades to win the district, which was redrawn and shifted north after the 2010 Census. It runs from the Wisconsin border, northwest to the Round Lake communities and covers Glencoe, as well as parts of Glenview, Northbrook, Morton Grove and Park Ridge.
He will sit on two committees; small business and foreign affairs.
“It felt great (to take the oath),” Schneider said Monday. “It’s an incredible honor and also a great responsibility.”
He said he will be a voice for employers and business owners “who haven’t, for a long time, had a voice.” He said he wants to work toward simplifying tax codes for business, especially small business.
He also said he hopes Congress can deal directly with fiscal spending and tax challenges that were put off temporarily by a New Year’s Day vote on so-called “fiscal cliff” spending and tax changes.
“We have to stop kicking the can down the road,” he said, adding that American business health won’t thrive in economic uncertainty: “We need to help them be confidant enough to take risks and make investment.”
At the same time, Schneider said, the government has to protect Medicare and Social Security safety nets.
Schneider, said he was also looking forward to serving on the foreign affairs committee, in part because he wants to advocate for strong U.S.-Israel relations.
He said he had concerns about President Barack Obama’s Monday nomination of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel for defense secretary, “but I expect those concerns will be addressed in the Senate process. I also have no doubt that the U.S. will maintain its unwavering commitment to Israel and its security, and its unwavering opposition to Iran’s nuclear threat.”
GOP lawmakers have questioned Hagel’s commitment to Israel and his willingness to take a hard line with Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
Schneider said he has been assembling a team in Washington, which is now settling into his new office quarters.
“The important thing is that we know the work that we have in front of us.”~.
