Those questions about liberty and markets are the essence of our Republic. Within that healthy and necessary debate, there is ample room for every article that has ever appeared on the Washington Post opinion page. And yet you clearly believe that the scope of that debate has been too broad.
Congress Member Profile|U.S. Representative|Democrat|Illinois District 6
Sean Casten
Source: Wikipedia • View full (CC BY-SA)
SoupScoreanalysis-first civic rating · view full breakdown
Loading…
Voting Record — 498
Yes41%
No57%
Present1%
Not Voting1%
Party align99%
Cross-party1%
SoupScore
District Map
Congressional District 6
U.S. Census Bureau boundary data.
Social & Web
External Resources
Sean Casten
U.S. RepresentativeDemocratIllinois District 6
SoupScore
Sean's ATmosphere Activity
20 recent posts · 44 sponsored · 150 cosponsored
Recent ATmosphere posts, sponsorships, and cosponsorships.
And so, the question of what constitutes a commitment to free markets also comes down to a question of regulation. Like liberty, a commitment to free markets has to be more than a regulation-free anarchy where whoever gets the most stuff the fastest sets all the rules.
Per Adam Smith, the invisible hand of capitalism only exists when there are no barriers to entry or exit and transparent information that allows for robust competition. But, as you know as well as anyone, no business really wants that.
But what then do you make of a regulated utility monopoly that faces no competition but keeps the lights on in exchange for prices set by a local government agency?
And what of free markets? Surely you would agree that a mobster’s protection racket is not a free market, even if money is exchanged for services.
What rights to liberty apply to non-citizens on our shores? What rights to self-determination and personal liberty should we insist on for Ukrainians, Taiwanese, Palestinians… or Cherokee?
So let’s set out to maximize the greatest liberty for the greatest number. How should we structure our society to ensure that outcome? How much should one person be allowed to reduce our collective liberty before we put them in prison to take away their personal liberty?
Surely you don’t mean the purely individual definition of personal liberty, where we are all free to do whatever we want. Our founders were more sophisticated than that, and after proclaiming our right to liberty as a self-evident truth, went on to create a representative democracy - not an anarchy.
A few people have asked, so sharing the text of the letter here:
Mr. Bezos,
In light of your recent announcement that the Washington Post opinion page will only publish articles that support personal liberty and free markets, I’d like to ask for a clarification: How do you define those terms?
Schools should be a safe haven for children. It’s more important than ever that we equip schools with the tools they need to protect students from sexual harassment and abuse.
I partnered up with Rep. Frankel and Rep. Hayes to introduce the Stop Sexual Harassment in K-12 Act. Read more:
NEWS: On Wednesday, March 19th at 7pm, I'm hosting a town hall in Downers Grove.
RSVP here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/downers-gr...
Jeff Bezos recently said the Washington Post would only publish op-eds supporting "personal liberties" & "the free market."
In response, I submitted a letter asking Mr. Bezos to define his terms.
I'm releasing the letter in light of WaPo’s refusal to respond. After all, democracy dies in darkness.
Last week, I led 107 House Democrats in a letter to Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright demanding he end the illegal firing of public servants, including those responsible for managing the United States’ nuclear weapons arsenal. Read the letter:
casten.house.gov/media/press-...
NEWS: I joined 152 House Dems in urging the Social Security Administration to halt the Trump-Musk plan to shutter field offices & reduce its workforce.
The world's richest man, who recently called Social Security a Ponzi scheme, has no business stripping Americans of their earned benefits.
Every day of the Trump Administration has brought fear, frustration and confusion to the American people. I’m using every tool available to protect democracy, our institutions, and the American people. Read my 2025 Plan: casten.house.gov/2025plan
Over the weekend, I hosted a seniors-focused community meeting in Westmont. I shared updates on how I’m working to protect necessary federal services, like Medicare and Medicaid.
By pure coincidence, of course, Russian state media was *accidentally* allowed into the Oval Office today.
www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
This is disgraceful. There was only one person in the Oval Office willing to stand up for democracy and against Putin, and it wasn’t the President or Vice President of the United States.
Last month, I spent time at the National Air Traffic Control Center in Illinois. Air traffic controllers deserve access to mental health care when they need it. I'm working on bipartisan legislation to ensure that aviators can get the help they need.
Yesterday, on the House Floor, I shared the story of a federal scientist who Donald Trump and Elon Musk fired.
By halting the work of our federal researchers, we are crippling our nation’s ability to innovate, adapt, and maintain our status as a world leader in science.
SoupScore Breakdown
Loading analysis metrics…
Voting History498 total votesExpandCollapse
Voting History
498 total votes
Recent roll calls with party-majority context so it is easier to scan how this member tends to vote.
| Date | Bill | Question | Position | Party Maj | Align? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-26 | H.R. 788 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-25 | H. Res. 161 (119th) | Approve resolution | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-25 | H. Res. 161 (119th) | End debate now | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-25 | H.R. 818 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-25 | H.R. 832 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-24 | H.R. 825 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-13 | H.R. 35 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-12 | H.R. 77 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-12 | H.R. 77 (119th) | Send back to committee | YES | YES | ✓ | Failed |
| 2025-02-11 | H. Res. 122 (119th) | Approve resolution | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-11 | H. Res. 122 (119th) | End debate now | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-10 | H.R. 736 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-10 | H.R. 692 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-07 | H.R. 26 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-07 | H.R. 26 (119th) | Send back to committee | YES | YES | ✓ | Failed |
| 2025-02-06 | H.R. 27 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-06 | H.R. 27 (119th) | Approve amendment | YES | YES | ✓ | Failed |
| 2025-02-05 | H. Res. 93 (119th) | Approve resolution | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-05 | H. Res. 93 (119th) | End debate now | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-05 | H.R. 776 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-02-04 | H.R. 43 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-23 | H.R. 21 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-23 | H.R. 21 (119th) | Send back to committee | YES | YES | ✓ | Failed |
| 2025-01-23 | H.R. 471 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-23 | H.R. 375 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-22 | S. 5 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-22 | H.R. 165 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-22 | H. Res. 53 (119th) | Approve resolution | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-22 | H. Res. 53 (119th) | End debate now | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-22 | H.R. 187 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-21 | H.R. 186 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-16 | H.R. 30 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-16 | H.R. 30 (119th) | Send back to committee | YES | YES | ✓ | Failed |
| 2025-01-15 | H.R. 33 (119th) | Final passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-15 | H.R. 144 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-15 | H.R. 164 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-14 | H.R. 28 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-14 | H.R. 28 (119th) | Send back to committee | YES | YES | ✓ | Failed |
| 2025-01-14 | H.R. 153 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-14 | H.R. 152 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-13 | H.R. 192 (119th) | Fast-track passage | YES | YES | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-09 | H.R. 23 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-07 | H.R. 29 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-03 | H. Res. 5 (119th) | Approve resolution | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-03 | H. Res. 5 (119th) | Motion to Commit with Instructions | YES | YES | ✓ | Failed |
| 2025-01-03 | H. Res. 5 (119th) | End debate now | NO | NO | ✓ | Passed |
| 2025-01-03 | — | Election of the Speaker | NOT_VOTING | — | — | Johnson (LA) |
| 2025-01-03 | — | Call by States | PRESENT | — | — | Passed |
Alignment stats consider only votes where a clear yes/no majority existed for the legislator's party. Cross-party marks divergence where the vote matched the opposite party majority. ↔ indicates cross-party divergence.
← PrevPage 10 / 10