Congress Monitor Build Handoff

Area: Full Workup (one official, all sections) (eo_full_workup) Filed: 2026-04-27T02:39:41.407Z Source: External LLM via /handoff/congress (attempt #56232) Resolved official: Bill Foster (entity #11183) Ingest result: 40 facts · 39 sources · 3 contradictions · 10 voting_records · 3 skipped

Briefing Sent

Single super-prompt covering every per-official research area in one LLM call: donor mapping, silences, contradictions, telling votes, and constituency baseline. The LLM returns ONE JSON object; the ingest pipeline dispatches each section to its typed table independently, so a malformed or no-data section never blocks the rest.

Result

{ "target_official": { "name": "Bill Foster", "bioguide_id": "F000454" }, "donor_mapping": { "facts": [ { "fact_text": "Bill Foster's campaign committee raised $28,579,429 across his career (2007-2024), with $3,736,200 cash on hand as of June 30, 2024.", "date_occurred": "2024-06-30", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/bill-foster/summary?cid=N00029139&cycle=Career" }, { "fact_text": "The Education industry was the top contributing sector at $3,433,172, nearly entirely from individuals ($3,430,172).", "date_occurred": "2024-06-30", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/bill-foster/summary?cid=N00029139&cycle=Career" }, { "fact_text": "The Securities & Investment industry contributed $2,014,102, with $932,000 from PACs — reflecting Foster's seat on the House Financial Services Committee.", "date_occurred": "2024-06-30", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/bill-foster/summary?cid=N00029139&cycle=Career" }, { "fact_text": "Lawyers and law firms contributed $1,733,669, with $185,247 from PACs.", "date_occurred": "2024-06-30", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/bill-foster/summary?cid=N00029139&cycle=Career" }, { "fact_text": "JStreetPAC contributed $274,427 to Foster's campaign, with $262,927 from individuals and $11,500 from its PAC, making it one of his top organizational contributors.", "date_occurred": "2024-06-30", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/bill-foster/summary?cid=N00029139&cycle=Career" }, { "fact_text": "The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers PAC contributed $95,000 to Foster's campaign. Foster serves on the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees the insurance industry.", "date_occurred": "2026-03-01", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://congressmachine.com/member/F000454/rep-foster-bill-d-il-11" }, { "fact_text": "Foster's net worth was estimated at $7.2 million to $21 million in 2018, ranking 26th in Congress. By February 2026, net worth was estimated at $20.1 million.", "date_occurred": "2026-02-01", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.quiverquant.com/congressmember/Bill-Foster-F000454" }, { "fact_text": "Democratic challenger Qasim Rashid criticized Foster in 2024 for 'his acceptance of money from corporate PACs, fossil fuel companies, and the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.' Foster then cancelled two of three scheduled debates.", "date_occurred": "2024-01-27", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://theintercept.com/2024/01/27/illinois-bill-foster-qasim-rashid-israel-gaza/" }, { "fact_text": "Fostering Progress PAC, Foster's leadership PAC, raised $23,860 in the 2023-2024 cycle and contributed to Democratic candidates.", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/fostering-progress-pac/C00782250/summary/2024" }, { "fact_text": "In the 2024 cycle, PAC contributions to Foster's principal campaign committee included JPMorgan Chase & Co ($10,000), Ernst & Young ($10,000), National Multifamily Housing Council ($10,000), AFSCME ($10,000), and the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers ($10,000).", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?vendor=Bill+Foster+For+Congress+Cmte" } ], "connections": [ { "donor_entity_name": "JSTREETPAC", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "2024 cycle: $11,500 via Bill Foster for Congress; $274,427 total including $262,927 individual", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/bill-foster/summary?cid=N00029139&cycle=Career" }, { "donor_entity_name": "AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION PAC", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "2024 cycle: $40,000+ via Bill Foster for Congress; Financial Services Committee member", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://congressmachine.com/member/F000454/rep-foster-bill-d-il-11" }, { "donor_entity_name": "AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES AFL-CIO", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "2024 cycle: $10,000 via Bill Foster for Congress (C00559450)", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?vendor=Bill+Foster+For+Congress+Cmte" } ] }, "silences": { "no_data": true, "reason": "Unable to identify a specific topic where Bill Foster was conspicuously silent while demonstrably active on adjacent issues within a defined window, supported by primary-source evidence of that adjacent activity." }, "contradictions": { "claims": [ { "claim_text": "Foster voted for H.R. 1, the For the People Act, stating he was 'proud to vote for this historic legislation' that would 'finally end the era of special interest money in our politics' and 'crack down on corruption.'", "claim_date": "2021-03-03", "claim_type": "vote", "source_url": "https://foster.house.gov/media/press-releases/foster-statement-on-house-passage-of-hr-1-the-for-the-people-act" }, { "claim_text": "As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Foster accepted $932,000 in PAC contributions from the Securities & Investment industry alone, plus $95,000 from the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers PAC, $80,000 from Prudential Financial PAC, $80,000 from BlackRock PAC, and $80,000 from Fifth Third Bancorp PAC — all entities his committee oversees.", "claim_date": "2026-03-01", "claim_type": "disclosure", "source_url": "https://congressmachine.com/member/F000454/rep-foster-bill-d-il-11" }, { "claim_text": "In the 2024 primary, Foster was criticized for taking 'tens of thousands of dollars from Exelon and companies that invest in fossil fuel projects.' Foster's campaign website calls him a 'long-time advocate' on climate change.", "claim_date": "2024-03-15", "claim_type": "platform", "source_url": "https://www.shawlocal.com/opinion/letters/2024/03/15/letter-comparing-foster-rashid-in-race-for-congress/" }, { "claim_text": "Foster stated on Israel-Gaza: 'I have expressed deep concerns with how the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu has conducted the war in Gaza.' When pressed by constituents at a 2025 town hall, he confirmed voting for 'defensive weapons for Israel' while declining to call for an unconditional ceasefire.", "claim_date": "2025-07-29", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://us.cnn.com/2025/07/30/politics/democratic-lawmakers-town-hall-gaza-interrupted/index.html" }, { "claim_text": "Foster cancelled two debates against primary challenger Qasim Rashid after Rashid made Gaza ceasefire advocacy central to his campaign. Foster's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the cancellations.", "claim_date": "2024-01-27", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://theintercept.com/2024/01/27/illinois-bill-foster-qasim-rashid-israel-gaza/" } ], "contradictions": [ { "claim_a_idx": 0, "claim_b_idx": 1, "type": "statement_vs_disclosure", "severity": "high", "narrative": "Foster voted to 'end the era of special interest money in our politics,' yet serves on the Financial Services Committee while accepting nearly $1 million in PAC contributions from the securities, insurance, and banking industries his committee oversees — a direct conflict between his anti-corruption rhetoric and his fundraising practices." }, { "claim_a_idx": 2, "claim_b_idx": 1, "type": "platform_vs_vote", "severity": "medium", "narrative": "Foster campaigns as a climate advocate and is the only PhD physicist in Congress, yet has accepted tens of thousands in donations from Exelon and fossil-fuel-investing firms, drawing criticism from primary challengers that his donor base is at odds with his climate platform." }, { "claim_a_idx": 3, "claim_b_idx": 4, "type": "statement_vs_disclosure", "severity": "medium", "narrative": "Foster expressed 'deep concerns' about Netanyahu's conduct in Gaza, but refused to participate in two debates against progressive challenger Qasim Rashid, who had made Gaza ceasefire advocacy central to his campaign — avoiding a public defense of his pro-Israel donor-backed record in front of constituents." } ] }, "telling_votes": [ { "bill_id": "H.R. 1 (117th)", "title": "For the People Act of 2021", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2021-03-03", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/roll-call-votes/117th-congress/1st-session/h62", "why_it_matters": "Stated he was 'proud to vote for this historic legislation to end the era of special interest money in our politics' — a rhetorical commitment that stands in tension with his own substantial PAC donations from financial services industries he oversees.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 1319", "title": "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2021-02-27", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/roll-call-votes/117th-congress/1st-session/h72", "why_it_matters": "Supported $1.9 trillion COVID relief delivering $1,400 stimulus checks and expanded child tax credits — providing direct economic support to families in Illinois' 11th District.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 3684", "title": "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2021-11-05", "roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2021369", "why_it_matters": "Voted for $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package funding roads, bridges, and broadband — though his district's 99.7% urban composition meant rural broadband provisions had limited local impact.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 8404", "title": "Respect for Marriage Act", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2022-12-08", "roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022513", "why_it_matters": "Voted twice (July and December 2022) to codify federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages, calling it a defense against the 'Trump-packed Supreme Court' and the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 8035", "title": "Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2024-04-20", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/roll-call-votes/118th-congress/2nd-session/h151", "why_it_matters": "Supported $60.8 billion in Ukraine military and economic aid. Called Trump's Ukraine policy after 2025 Oval Office clash 'a stain it will take generations to remove' and warned of global nuclear arms race risks.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 3746", "title": "Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2023-05-31", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/roll-call-votes/118th-congress/1st-session/h283", "why_it_matters": "Joined 165 Democrats and 149 Republicans in suspending the debt ceiling to avoid catastrophic default — a bipartisan compromise vote that preserved economic stability despite progressive opposition to SNAP work requirements.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 21", "title": "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act", "vote": "nay", "vote_date": "2025-01-23", "roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202527", "why_it_matters": "Voted against legislation imposing criminal penalties on health practitioners in failed abortion scenarios. Competitor Jerry Evans criticized the vote, while Foster maintained his Planned Parenthood-endorsed pro-choice record.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 29", "title": "Laken Riley Act", "vote": "nay", "vote_date": "2025-01-07", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/29/actions", "why_it_matters": "One of 156 House Democrats to oppose mandatory ICE detention for undocumented immigrants accused of theft offenses, which passed 263-156 with 46 Democratic votes in favor.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 22", "title": "SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act)", "vote": "nay", "vote_date": "2025-04-10", "roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025136", "why_it_matters": "Opposed requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register, stating it 'imposes unnecessary barriers' and could disenfranchise 'roughly 69 million women who changed their name after marriage' — consistent with his H.R. 1 advocacy.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 1 (119th) / One Big Beautiful Bill Act", "title": "One Big Beautiful Bill Act", "vote": "nay", "vote_date": "2025-07-02", "roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025190", "why_it_matters": "Opposed Trump's signature reconciliation bill, calling it 'the largest cut to health care and food assistance in American history' that would 'rip health care away from an estimated 17 million Americans, including 535,849 in Illinois.' All Democrats opposed; bill passed 218-214.", "category": "party_defection" } ], "constituency_baseline": { "baseline": { "district_summary": "Illinois's 11th Congressional District covers the western and southwestern suburbs of Chicago, including Naperville, Aurora, Joliet, and parts of DuPage, Will, Kane, and Cook counties. It has a population of approximately 761,048 with a median household income of $105,915 — more than double the national median. The district is 99.7% urban and highly educated (45.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher) with a homeownership rate of 75.5%. Demographically, it is 63.0% White, 18.9% Hispanic, 8.4% Asian, and 6.0% Black. With a Cook PVI of D+6, it leans Democratic but is competitive. Major economic sectors include financial services, healthcare, technology, and advanced manufacturing, anchored by the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro economy.", "top_employers": [ { "name": "Walgreens Boots Alliance (Deerfield)", "employees": 253400, "source_url": "https://www.zippia.com/company/best-largest-companies-illinois/" }, { "name": "McDonald's Corporation (Oak Brook)", "employees": 210000, "source_url": "https://www.zippia.com/company/best-largest-companies-illinois/" }, { "name": "Exelon Corporation (Chicago — serves northern Illinois)", "employees": 32000, "source_url": "https://www.exeloncorp.com/about" } ], "dominant_industries": [ { "naics": "52", "share": 0.14, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-11-il" }, { "naics": "62", "share": 0.13, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-11-il" }, { "naics": "44-45", "share": 0.12, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-11-il" } ], "recent_ballot_measures": [ { "name": "Illinois Advisory Questions: Millionaire Tax (Additional 3% on income over $1M for property tax relief)", "year": 2024, "result": "passed", "margin": "majority yes (non-binding advisory)", "source_url": "https://news.wttw.com/2024/10/10/illinois-voters-consider-ballot-questions-reproductive-health-tax-reform-election" }, { "name": "Illinois Advisory Questions: Reproductive Health (IVF and similar treatments covered by insurance)", "year": 2024, "result": "passed", "margin": "majority yes (non-binding advisory)", "source_url": "https://news.wttw.com/2024/10/10/illinois-voters-consider-ballot-questions-reproductive-health-tax-reform-election" }, { "name": "Illinois Workers' Rights Amendment (Constitutional right to collective bargaining)", "year": 2022, "result": "passed", "margin": "58.7% yes to 41.3% no", "source_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/Illinois_2022_ballot_measures" } ], "demographic_anchors": [ { "label": "Median household income", "value": "$105,915", "source_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois%27s_11th_congressional_district" }, { "label": "Population (2023)", "value": "761,048", "source_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois%27s_11th_congressional_district" }, { "label": "Bachelor's degree or higher", "value": "45.7%", "source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/bill-foster-F000454/district" }, { "label": "Homeownership rate", "value": "75.5%", "source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/bill-foster-F000454/district" }, { "label": "White alone, not Hispanic", "value": "63.0%", "source_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois%27s_11th_congressional_district" } ] } } }