250 Protesters Rally Against Roskam At GOP Fundraiser

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — More than 250 people crowded outside a GOP fundraiser in Downers Grove Thursday protest Pete Roskam (R-IL6), who was the keynote speaker at the event. Protesters held signs that read "Roskam Fails to Represent" and "I Can Smell the Greed From Here." The protest coincided with the House of Representatives passing the controversial Roskam-sponsored Tax Cuts and Job Act.

It was also as close as many constituents could get to Roskam, who has infamously refused to hold in-person town hall meetings.

Roskam made the trip from Downers Grove from Washington D.C. to speak at the Ronald Reagan Dinner held by the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization. Ahead of the fundraiser, the group Coalition for a Better Illinois 6th helped organized the protests, which was reportedly backed by the Democratic Women of DuPage County, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Indivisible DuPage, and other organizations.

Reid McCullom, a Hinsdale resident and one of the leaders of Coalition for a Better Illinois 6th called the tax plan "a turkey that roasts the Middle Class," adding that it would increase small business taxes and could lead to trickle-down economics.

After the tax bill passed in the House Thursday, Roskam issued a release that viewed the legislation through a much different lens. Roskam said, "This bill is about the businesses on Main Street and the family at the end of the block. It’s about the recent college graduate struggling under the weight of student loans and the newlyweds expecting their first child. We’re boosting the economy to create more good-paying jobs, and we’re making sure that taxpayers get to keep more of their money in every pay check."

>>Image provided to Patch by SEIU, used with permission