He was elected as a Democrat to the
United States House of Representatives from
Illinois and served from January 3, 1975, to January 3, 1993. From 1979 to 1992, Russo served on the
Ways and Means Committee, which from 1981 through 1994 was chaired by fellow Chicagoan
Dan Rostenkowski. During his tenure, the Committee passed the Tax Reform Act of 1986. As Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and Chairman of the Task Force on Income Security, Russo became a vocal advocate for affordable health care for all Americans. He authored the single-payer health care reform proposal, the Universal Health Care Act of 1991 (H.R. 1300), which gained broad national attention and support. == Primary loss ==