U.S. Congresswoman Cheri Bustos represents the 17th District of Illinois, which includes Rockford, Freeport, the Quad-Cities, Peoria, and hundreds of communities in between. Currently serving her fifth term in office, Bustos is a member of House Democratic leadership with appointments to the House Appropriations Committee, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Prior to joining Congress, she spent nearly two decades as an investigative journalist with the Quad-City Times listening to and writing about the struggles and the amazing accomplishments of everyday people across her community. She later began working in health care for one of the nation’s largest non-denominational, non-profit healthcare systems where before, during, and after the passage of the Affordable Care Act she helped families access affordable coverage and worked to improve the quality of health care available in the community. Her time in the health care field has guided her work in Congress, where she has fought to ensure every American has access to affordable, high-quality health care and to address the social determinants that drive disparities in research, treatment, care, and health outcomes nationwide. She was elected to her first term in Congress in 2012.