Will County members of Congress react to Biden inauguration

Democratic members of Congress representing the Will County area praised the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday.

The representatives attended the inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C., when Biden and Harris took their oaths of office.

“This inauguration represents the end of a dark and shameful period in American history spurred by a demagogic President,” U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, said in a statement. “While our democratic system bent these past four years, today’s peaceful transfer of power shows the world that it did not break. Our democracy is resilient, and it endures.”

Foster had been a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump, especially for flouting scientific expertise before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. He argued that Biden’s understanding of science will be key to tackling the big issues facing the country.

He conceded those issues, like deploying the COVID-19 vaccines, boosting a struggling economy, addressing climate change, passing immigration reform, and more are “a daunting set of problems.”

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman, D-La Grange, lauded Biden for quickly signing several executive actions like reversing Trump’s ban on travel from several predominately Muslim countries and rejoining the Paris Climate Accord.

“While we face immense challenges ahead, the combined leadership, competency and expertise of this new administration has already proven to ensure we hit the ground running on day one,” Newman said in a statement.

She also emphasized Biden’s call for unity during his address amid deep political polarization across the country.

“President Biden has been clear that for this nation to move forward, each of us has a shared responsibility and obligation to work with one another ― especially those who we may not agree with politically,” Newman said in her statement.

Like her colleagues, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, also pointed to the history of Harris as the nation’s first female, African American and South Asian vice president.

“The Biden-Harris Administration, which reflects the diversity of our country, will work to put us on the path to recovery, healing, and progress that will make life better for all Americans,” she said in a statement.

Even U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, sent out a congratulatory tweet to Biden saying, “The peaceful transfer of power was threatened just two weeks ago. And though we continue to face deeply challenging times, our democracy is resilient.”