Expansion of Chicago O'hare International Airport

Floor Speech

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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, the city of Chicago and Chicago's airline carriers are finalizing their negotiations for an $8.5 billion expansion of Chicago O'Hare International Airport. This will provide it with a state-of-the-art global terminal. This plan will bring more tourism, more economic activity, and more jobs to the Chicago area, while making it more necessary than ever to complete the Elgin O'Hare Western Access Project.

This project has won support from every faction: Chicago and the suburbs, Republicans and Democrats, business and labor, and even Cubs and Sox fans. It is clear why. Western Access would create nearly 20,000 jobs: 7,400 in direct construction and more than 3,000 in engineering; another 6,000 indirect jobs would be created for equipment suppliers and contractors.

Once the project is completed, our region would realize 65,000 permanent jobs: 44,000 in Cook County, and nearly half that many in DuPage.

With the O'Hare of the future in development, it is time we complete Western Access and allow our region to reap the rewards.

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