March 30, 2017

Duckworth Meets with CTA President & Chicago Department of Transportation Leadership

 

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with CTA President Dorval Carter and Chicago Department of Transportation leadership to discuss their efforts to support transit and transportation infrastructure projects as well as support and create jobs in the Chicagoland area. Duckworth also discussed her recent bill - which passed the Senate just 64 days after she was sworn in - to cut red tape and reduce delays on construction projects in Illinois. The bill would save taxpayers $86 million annually and protect good-paying Illinois jobs. A photo of today's meeting is available here.

"Improving Chicago's infrastructure is one of the most important things we can do for our local economy, which is one reason I am so troubled by the President's extreme budget proposal seeking to eliminate all future federal funding for transit capital investment projects," said Senator Duckworth. "The President's cuts would threaten phases 2 and 3 of CTA's Red and Purple Modernization Program and harm the critical Red Line Extension Project. Slashing transportation investments will kill Illinois jobs and undermine the strength of our state and our nation as a whole. I'll push back against these harmful cuts and continue my work to improve our state's transportation infrastructure."

As a member of two Senate committees with jurisdiction over our nation's transportation systems and infrastructure projects, Duckworth has been a vocal advocate for infrastructure investments and for upgrading our public transit system, which creates good-paying jobs in Illinois. Duckworth recently attended the groundbreaking of a new rail car facility in Chicago that has committed to hiring 170 workers to assemble 400 new rail cars by 2020 for the Chicago Transit Authority. In February, Duckworth hosted a roundtable with a number of elected officials, local leaders and officials representing local and regional transportation agencies around Chicagoland to discuss her efforts to ensure Illinois receives adequate funding from the federal government to rebuild and modernize state infrastructure and transportation systems.