Ahead of President Biden’s Address in Chicago, Duckworth Reinforces Democrats’ Commitment to Working Families
[CHICAGO, IL] – U. S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined President Joe Biden to highlight the President and Democrats’ legislative successes to bring down costs and to help support working families. Thanks to investments from legislative accomplishments that Duckworth voted for like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS and Science Act and more, Illinois and our entire nation is seeing our economy grow. Duckworth spoke ahead of President Biden today for his address on economic growth, along with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Clayco Founder Bob Clark. Photos from today’s remarks are available here.
“Every day in Washington, we Democrats in the Senate are grateful to work side-by-side with President Biden to build an economy in which all Americans—no matter their tax bracket—have to play by the same rules,” Duckworth said. “An economy in which employers who treat their workers fairly are rewarded, while companies that try to skirt the rules are held accountable. An economy that both rights the wrongs of the past and prepares us for a fast-moving future. An economy that prioritizes investments in the areas of the country that have been left behind for too long.”
Earlier this week, Duckworth helped announce over $1 billion in funding from the Biden Administration to Illinois for the largest-ever federal push to increase and support broadband access and affordability, the latest in significant federal support to help Illinois’s working families.
Duckworth’s full remarks as prepared below:
Hello everyone! I’m honored to be here with you all this morning. Thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me to join you and for visiting the great State of Illinois today.
I’ll try to keep this brief, because I know we’re all eager to hear from the President himself.
But let me just start off by saying: Finally.
Finally, after four years of instability and unpredictability… four years in which only the folks cashing the biggest paychecks were allowed to catch their breath or catch a break… finally, we have a leader who understands that the best way to build the economy is from the middle out—not the top down.
Finally, we’re able to debate… pass… sign into law bills that don’t just look after execs in corner suites—but look after the folks forced to work double-shifts, too.
Finally, we’re working to enact policies that lift up the worn-down parent driving a beat-up used car—not just the CEO who takes his private jet to work.
Every day in Washington, we Democrats in the Senate are grateful to work side-by-side with President Biden to build an economy in which all Americans—no matter their tax bracket—have to play by the same rules…
An economy in which employers who treat their workers fairly are rewarded, while companies that try to skirt the rules are held accountable.
An economy that both rights the wrongs of the past and prepares us for a fast-moving future…
An economy that prioritizes investments in the areas of the country that have been left behind for too long.
Coming from Illinois, I couldn’t be more thrilled that one key component of how the President has decided to enact that agenda is by expanding and improving America’s infrastructure system.
Because whether it’s factories or farms, billion-dollar corporations or mom-and-pop shops, America’s businesses have always depended on a strong infrastructure network to get their goods and services to market.
It’s clear that the down-payments that previous generations made have paid dividends for all of us here today…
With every bridge fortified and every telephone line hung, they made our country physically and figuratively stronger:
Supercharging our economy after World War II…
Helping small businesses by keeping the power on…
Pulling shipping costs down while pushing tourism revenue up…
And helping families stay in touch through easier travel and better broadband, too.
But by the time President Biden came into office, the once-smooth roads that connect our country had become dilapidated.
The once-cutting-edge gridlines that are supposed to power our nation had become outdated.
So it falls on us here, now, to renew those kinds of investments that past generations began.
Because the gains we’d get wouldn’t just mean a less bumpy drive down the interstate.
Further investment in our infrastructure would better connect every pocket of our country…
It would help us stay a step ahead of our global competitors in this new, ever-changing international economy…
It would allow us to lend a hand to the farmers and producers who, right now, have a hard time moving their goods to market…
And it would create better-paying jobs… growing the middle class and our economy in one fell swoop.
Those are just a few of the reasons why I’m so thrilled that President Biden is making this announcement today—and why I’m thrilled to get to work tomorrow, and all the tomorrows after that, better interconnecting our nation… better enabling America to reach her full potential by allowing her families to reach theirs.
Thank you.
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