WASHINGTON — Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker will greet President Joe Biden when he lands Air Force One at O’Hare on Wednesday, en route to Crystal Lake, with Lightfoot set to meet with the president at the airport.
The top Illinois Democrats will welcome Biden to Illinois for his first visit to Illinois as president.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden is coming to McHenry County College to promote his domestic programs — and tout Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., who, along with Rep. Sean Casten represent Crystal Lake. Republicans are targeting Underwood, who had a narrow win in 2020, for defeat in 2022.
“Congresswoman Underwood, many of you may know, is a registered nurse, health policy expert and committed advocate for expanding access to high quality, affordable health care,” Psaki said, all elements of the Biden “Build Back Better” agenda.
All the statewide elected Democrats — and the top Democratic legislative leaders — were invited to the Crystal Lake event.
As for time with Lightfoot, “I’ll have to check and see how long that is allocated for that meeting,” Psaki said at the Tuesday briefing, when asked about it by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Biden and Lightfoot will meet after Chicago suffered its most violent weekend of 2021, with 104 shot and 19 killed over the July 4 holiday.
Last month, Biden unveiled a package of crime fighting proposals, including a crackdown on illegal guns — one of the biggest factors fueling Chicago’s violence.
Biden is “always receptive to what any elected official wants to raise and what they want to discuss.”
Psaki noted the extra resources the Biden administration is sending big cities, including Chicago, battling gun violence. As for the agenda for the face-to-face, Psaki said, “I’m sure he’ll be happy to discuss components of his budget; she may have different things on her agenda when they see each other tomorrow.”
