Underdog to Advocate: Raja Krishnamoorthi Has a Plan to Help Illinois Families Struggling to Make It

A product of food stamps and public housing, Raja will lower costs and increase opportunity so that all families can achieve their American Dream
Raja assists Chicago residents buying groceries at Go Green Community Fresh Market in Englewood
Raja assists Chicago residents buying groceries at Go Green Community Fresh Market in Englewood

Underdog to Advocate: Raja Krishnamoorthi Has a Plan to Help Illinois Families Struggling to Make It

A product of food stamps and public housing, Raja will lower costs and increase opportunity so that all families can achieve their American Dream

SCHAUMBURG, IL — As we head into the holiday season and approach the heart of winter, families across Illinois are feeling the strain of rising grocery prices, higher utility bills, and the seasonal pressure to stretch already tight budgets. For U.S. Senate candidate Raja Krishnamoorthi, those challenges aren’t abstract; they echo his own childhood — which is why he has a plan to support struggling Illinoisans.


Raja an his wife, Priya, alongside their three children and their dong, Lincoln


Raja was just three months old when his family immigrated to the United States from India, eventually settling in Peoria, Illinois. When his father lost his income, food stamps and public housing became the lifelines that kept the family afloat. Those programs helped his family get back on their feet until the family found their way into the middle class in, of all places, Peoria, Illinois. Public schools gave him a world-class education, and loans and grants helped get him through college and law school.

“Every night at the dinner table, my father would say, ‘Think of the greatness of this country,’” Raja recalls. “‘Whatever you do, make sure this country is there for the next families who need it.’ That became the North Star of my personal compass, my ‘why’ — making sure no one goes hungry or lacks the basics they need to reach their full potential.”


Raja and his parents at Raja's college graduation ceremony at Princeton University in 1995


Those early experiences sharpened his lifelong resolve to help working families facing financial hardship. Earlier this year, when the government shutdown left those who depend on federal food assistance without support, Raja partnered with community leaders to distribute groceries across the Chicagoland area, making sure families had enough for the week — and enough for the holidays. He also introduced the Bringing Back Benefits Act, legislation that would repeal the cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Trump’s budget.


Raja assists Chicago residents buying groceries at Go Green Community Fresh Market in Englewood


Earlier this month, Raja unveiled his Plan to Restore the American Dream and Make Life More Affordable, a sweeping 24-point economic agenda that charts a path to lower costs, expand opportunity, and ensure that every Illinoisan can achieve their American Dream.

“We must address the economic insecurity that far too many Illinois families are feeling – and that’s why I am laser-focused on ensuring that every Illinois family can realize the American Dream, enter the middle class, and find themselves on the pathway to success,” writes Raja in the plan. “The following pages detail my prescription to do just that – whether it’s supporting young children just starting out or delivering for seniors on the path to retirement. The cost of living is just too darn high, which is why I am putting forth a menu of policy proposals to drive down the cost of living, make it possible for everyday folks to buy a home, send their children to quality public schools, start a business, continue their post-secondary education, afford their life-saving prescription drugs, and more. This policy plan is both ambitious and nonexhaustive – we must continually strive to make life more affordable for working people, and that’s exactly what I’ll do as Illinois’s next U.S. Senator.”

Raja’s comprehensive affordability plan lays out a roadmap to lower everyday costs and increase opportunity, including: ● Creating a nationwide free lunch program to ensure our children are never left hungry when they’re meant to be learning ● Increasing funding for job training programs for the 60% of Americans without a four-year college degree ● Establishing a tax credit to help first-time buyers buy their first home ● Lowering the cost of life-saving prescription drugs ● Eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits to help seniors struggling to get by ● Supporting small businesses in every neighborhood, and more!

“My story is proof of the power of the American Dream – a dream that is slipping away from far too many Illinoisans,” said Raja. “It is a story of a legal immigration system that welcomed my family to this country with open arms. A story of food stamps and public housing that got my family back on our feet when we got knocked down. A story of the power of public education that gave me the tools to not just survive, but thrive. I am fighting to protect the American Dream because I have lived it.”

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