When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt people.

There is such a thing as commonsense middle-ground gun reform, and most gun owners support it.

I don't buy that there's nothing we can do to stop criminals and the mentally ill from killing if they want to.

As a husband and a father of two daughters, I want young women around the globe to have the same rights and opportunities as my daughters.

Empowering women by allowing them to choose when and how many children to have is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.

Before being elected to Congress, I oversaw the Cook County Hospital System as a Cook County Commissioner for 10 years.

Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we must no longer pretend that a large nuclear stockpile will protect us from the most immediate security threats the United States faces.

We can be just as safe with a smaller, more efficient nuclear arsenal at less cost.

I spent 10 years fighting for reform in Cook County, and I didn't change my DNA when I got to Washington.

Economic inequality is not about food stamps and homeless shelters. It is about being a devotee of social justice and equality.

Because of restrictions on abortion access in their own state, many women in neighboring states are forced to travel hundreds of miles and cross state lines to seek an abortion. However, their rights should not have to depend on their zip code.

For decades, allies have counted on the U.S. to step up to the plate to work with them to protect the shared values we hold dear. As we face numerous international challenges, both old and new, we need to put more faith and investment in our international and diplomatic institutions, not weaken them.

Denial of contraception to women without the financial means to afford it could cause substantial economic burdens, and even greater burdens if the lack of contraception results in an unintended pregnancy.

It should not take award-winning investigators to find out how this government operates.

There is no doubt that blood must be screened in order to keep Americans safe and healthy and I am committed to working with the FDA to ensure a safe, secure blood supply, across the board. However, public policy must always be rooted in the facts, not fear.

Honest to goodness, Brian Campbell, he was holding the Cup, and there was no one around for a minute. He says, 'Hold this for a second.' So he hands it to me - one of the best moments of my life.

I'm a longtime believer in the old adage that sunlight is the best disinfectant, particularly in politics.

What I would like to do... once I take care of all my kids' student loans, is buy a red 1965 Mustang and fully restore it.

In Chicago, we have a century-old transit system that desperately needs updates to keep up with increased capacity.

My outspoken positions haven't always been popular in the halls of Congress, but they have been rooted in what I believed was right and necessary.

The people of Chicago have made it very clear that they favor sensible restrictions on gun ownership.

Since 2001, I've done what every elected official should be doing in government right now. My staff and I took a look at the books, thought outside the box and proposed reforms.

While the FAST Act is a significant bipartisan accomplishment that provides much-needed funding certainty, this modest increase in funding is hardly the bold, forward-thinking plan our country needs to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and create a 21st-century transportation system.

In many cases, here we are, putting out reports that we're spending $100 million a year on, and we're telling the public, 'Oh, you don't have access to them.'