Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the opportunity of a White House meeting on infrastructure Wednesday to talk to President Joe Biden about rising gun violence in Chicago and other cities, and work the Illinois State Police is doing with federal authorities and local law enforcement to address the issue.
“I also raised the subject that this is not just a Chicago challenge,” Pritzker said in an interview after the White House meeting. “It’s obviously a national problem, but we see it in places like Rockford and other cities in Illinois, so I wanted to make sure that he was aware that we need assistance across the state wherever we might ask for it.”
The discussion on violence came during a 30-minute private conversation with Pritzker, the president and Susan Rice, Biden’s top domestic adviser, the governor said. Pritzker and the president also briefly discussed the violence problem during Biden’s visit to Illinois a week ago.
Pritzker was one of three governors and five mayors who met with Biden and other White House officials for a bipartisan meeting on a proposed $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package.
Pritzker was joined in the Roosevelt Room by four fellow Democrats — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Mayors Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, Kate Gallego of Phoenix and Michael Hancock of Denver; and three Republicans — Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Mobile, Alabama, Mayor Sandy Stimpson.
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The gathering came as Biden continues to rally support for the bipartisan infrastructure package, even as questions remain about how to pay for the massive spending bill.
In brief remarks at the opening of the meeting, Biden alluded to the fact that a large infrastructure package has been discussed for years, but has yet to come to fruition.
“Mayors and governors, we’re going to get this done,” Biden said. “It’s time to stop talking about it and get time to get you the resources.”
Later Wednesday, Pritzker called it “an excellent bipartisan meeting and real discussion about things that we share in common across all of the leaders that were in the room.”
“There is a massive infrastructure deficit across the nation,” Pritzker said. “Each one had a different angle on what they need in this infrastructure bill. For Illinois, I talked not only about the roads and bridges and water ports and how important those are for our industry, as the crossroads of America run through Illinois, but also about building out our early childhood education centers as well as our child care centers. We need real investment in those.”
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Biden emphasized common ground found in the $1.2 trillion deal agreed upon by a bipartisan group of senators. Proponents say the plan would stimulate the economy by pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into the construction of roads, bridges and highways, while also expanding transit and providing high-speed internet access in rural areas.
President Joe Biden speaks July 14, 2021, during a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors, mayors and Cabinet officials in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Biden is joined by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, from left, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Susan Walsh / AP)
For Illinois’ billionaire governor, the trip offered an opportunity to demonstrate strong ties to the Democratic White House ahead of an expected 2022 reelection bid, as well as to reference the six-year, $45 billion “Rebuild Illinois” program to repair and upgrade roads, bridges, university buildings, state facilities and other infrastructure.
Pritzker has said the program, passed by legislators in 2019 and funded largely by an increase in the state gas tax, means Illinois will immediately have the money available to match federal funds made available through Biden’s infrastructure plan.
While there wasn’t an opportunity to pitch specific projects, Pritzker said he made sure that Biden knew “Illinois is shovel-ready for those federal dollars and the matching dollars that we’ll need at the state level.”
“The important point I was trying to make to him was that since one of the major purposes of the infrastructure bill is not just to rebuild all of those assets but also to put people to work, that we’re ready to do that in Illinois,” Pritzker said.
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The chances of the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package passing the 50-50 U.S. Senate could rest largely on how the massive program is funded. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said that he might support the bipartisan deal but that the funding mechanism cannot add to the national debt.
Wednesday’s meeting came after Biden met with senators on Capitol Hill about the plan Wednesday and as his administration has embarked on a public-relations campaign of sorts in support of the plan. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is expected to visit Chicago on Friday to highlight what the program could mean for the region.
Biden’s push for a massive infrastructure initiative has Illinois officials dusting off old transportation studies and writing wish lists of long-sought projects, including a $2.3 billion extension of Chicago’s Red Line south to 130th Street, more than 600,000 new water lines across Illinois and a $3 billion total remake of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive among scores of other projects.
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BillRuthhart
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