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Floor Speech

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Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, before we leave town for the week, I wanted to comment, share some really good news for the great State of Indiana. You might have seen the news late last week, but last Friday, June 5, the Chicago Bears board announced that they voted to officially advance the process of building a new stadium not in downtown Chicago but rather in Hammond, IN. I am a lifelong Indianapolis Colts fan, but today I want to talk about the Chicago Bears.

The No. 1 question that I have received over the last week is, Will the Chicago bears change their name to the Indiana Bears? And I have been assured that that will not be the case. They will remain the Chicago Bears, but their board, as I mentioned, voted to start this process to build their stadium in Hammond, IN.

Hammond is a part of, in Indiana, what we call ``The Region''-- Northwest Indiana, Lake County. Communities like Gary, East Chicago, and Hammond are blue-collar, working-class communities, rich from those steel-producing jobs that have been in that part of my State for generations, that have employed so many Hoosiers.

This is big news for Indiana. It is a shot in the arm for a part of my State that can really use it. And a lot of people are going to benefit from the development that will occur around this new site that is just 18 miles to the east of where the Chicago Bears are currently located, Soldier Field in downtown Chicago. It is only about a half-an- hour drive from the current site to where this new site will be in the community in Hammond.

And the reason I want to come and talk about this today is this isn't just about sports. This is about the tale of two cities, the tale of two States--a State with leadership, vision; a State that is open for business; and a State that is bankrupt, literally a State that has gone bankrupt with failed leadership, with blue-State policies that we have seen around the country, in other States like California. But Illinois, they take the cake in Illinois for liberal, leftwing policies.

And there is a lot--a lot--to unpack here about why the Chicago Bears--this iconic, over 100-year iconic football team and their ownership--made this decision to come to my State and abandon the policies of Illinois and the city, the once-great big city, great city of Chicago, that they are fleeing from.

I just want to suggest to you today that when it comes to States like Illinois--a liberal State, a high-tax State, an anti-family State, an anti-business State--it is a State that is destroying itself inside out. And then talk about a Republican, low-tax, pro-family, pro- business State like my State is thriving, and this great news just goes to prove it.

Now, I wanted to point out a few statistics that I have recently become aware of. According to CNBC data from last year, Indiana is the second-best State in the country when it comes to cost of living; Illinois, 34.

Indiana is ranked, according to CNBC--the same data--the best State in the country when it comes to the cost of doing business. We are open for business in Indiana. Illinois ranks among the worst States in the country for doing business.

Indiana, the ninth best State in the country for businesses--period-- and that number keeps getting better for our State because we passed right-to-work laws. We have reduced our property taxes, income taxes, the tax burden in our State.

And by the way, in Indiana, we actually pass balanced budgets at our State legislature every 2 years. Illinois is a bankrupt State. They have so much debt in their State that the taxpayers are holding the bag for it.

So when it comes to cost of living and the cost of doing business, Indiana is a far better environment for families and businesses than Illinois.

But you also have to look at crime statistics because this tells a big part of the story too. According to FBI data, Illinois has one of the highest statewide homicide and robbery rates in the entire country. In fact, the robbery rate in Illinois is 152 percent worse than it is in the State of Indiana.

And I submit to you that is because Chicago and Illinois are truly on the frontlines of the ``defund the police'' mantra of the Democratic Party today. The soft-on-crime policies of blue States and leadership coming out of Illinois and Chicago tells a far different story than my State, Indiana, where we are focused on law and order. We support our police officers. We back the blue in Indiana. There is a big difference when it comes to crime statistics coming out of both States too.

I also want to talk about job statistics because I think this is important as well. It helps tell the story about why the Chicago Bears made this historic announcement last week.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indiana's unemployment rate right now is 3.2 percent. Illinois? Over 5 percent, 5.1 percent unemployment rate. That is nearly 60 percent higher unemployment in Illinois than it is in Indiana.

Then you talk about--you talk about tax rates, as I mentioned a little bit ago. The property tax rates in Illinois are nearly twice as high as they are in Indiana. Individual income tax rates--this is the same deal--almost twice as high in Illinois as what they are in Indiana.

And you are starting to see a bigger picture here. Why did the Chicago Bears make this incredible announcement to come to Indiana? Lower taxes, better for families, lower crime statistics, just 30 minutes to the east than what they deal with in Chicago.

The Presiding Officer and I know that people vote with their feet. In this case, an entire football team is voting with their cleats. The whole program is just moving 18 miles away into a State that works with better leadership in Indiana.

According to the Illinois Policy Institute, 40,000 residents left Illinois for other States in 2025. Meanwhile, more people have moved to Indiana than have left Indiana. That is another huge difference.

And also, according to the same organization, the Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois ranked No. 2 in the country for the most business losses of any State in the country.

I mean, this is a massive, giant, big sucking sound coming out of Illinois and Chicago--businesses that are taking their jobs, folding up their tents and their businesses, and moving to States like Indiana that are open to business, while Illinois pushes them out the door.

Illinois has lost at least 218 businesses--big and small--to other States since 2023. I mean, this is another testament to what the difference is between our States.

But then the last issue I want to talk about is what Illinois has done to make themselves--not just Chicago but the whole State of Illinois--the whole State of Illinois has designated itself as a statewide sanctuary jurisdiction, not a sanctuary city but the whole State of Illinois is a sanctuary State for illegal immigrants.

And just since January 20 of this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security, 1,768 criminal illegal aliens have been released in the State of Illinois--just over the last several months since January 20.

Compare that with my State, where my Governor, one of his very first acts as Governor last year, was to sign an executive order. And he told the Indiana State Police that in Indiana, the State police and all State agencies will assist President Trump and the Federal efforts for mass deportation to get violent illegal criminals out of Indiana, get them off of our streets. That is the type of leadership that America is looking to and the opposite of the type of failed leadership that you see coming out of Illinois.

I wanted to read just a couple of statements from leaders in my State about this historic announcement because it is such a big deal for us, the Chicago Bears moving to Indiana. Gov. Mike Braun said:

Hoosiers, help me welcome the Chicago Bears to our great State!

We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the `85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our State and the Bears organization for decades to come. An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven't seen before.

Governor Braun went on to say:

Thank you to Speaker Huston, the legislature, and Mayor McDermott for their partnership. I also want to thank the entire Bears organization for their partnership in making this move a reality. Welcome to Indiana!

The speaker of the house in Indiana, my friend Todd Huston, who represents a State house district on the north side of Indianapolis and Hamilton County--Speaker Todd Huston was pivotal in the efforts at the State legislature to round up the incentive package to lure the Chicago Bears during the last session. He deserves a lot of credit for making this happen through his leadership.

Speaker Todd Huston said:

I am thrilled the Bears ownership voted to develop a world- class stadium facility in Hammond. This will be a transformative project for Northwest Indiana, benefitting the entire state. The Bears have been transparent and terrific partners throughout the process.

Local elected leadership in Northwest Indiana and their constituents have been tremendous partners in making this happen. This is a fantastic win for Indiana, and I thank Governor Brawn and his leadership team. The Bears join a long line of companies and residents choosing Indiana to invest, grow, and pursue opportunity, and I look forward to many more making that choice.

Mayor Tom McDermott is actually a Democrat--a Democrat mayor of Hammond, IN. That shows the bipartisan nature of the leadership in my State that made this historic announcement possible.

Mayor Tom McDermott, the mayor of Hammond, said:

The Chicago Bears chose Hammond, IN, because they see what I have said for years: Hammond is a successful city of opportunity and possibility, an excellent choice for such a significant investment.

The city of Hammond and the entirety of Northwest Indiana will benefit from this transformative investment.

I am proud to have partnered with our state leaders to secure this win; I'm grateful to Gov. Mike Braun, Speaker Todd Huston, Sen Ryan Mishler and our local legislators who pushed this deal over the goal line!

I want to compare this a little bit. I mean, you heard from the Republican Governor, the Republican speaker of the house, the Democrat. Those are quotes from the Democrat mayor of Hammond and the other two.

By the way, the Illinois Legislature, before they left their State capitol last week, completely fumbled an opportunity to provide some kind of package to keep the Chicago Bears in Chicago. Their pattern of failed leadership was on full display as they left their statehouse last week. And it was after that that the Chicago Bears organization, leadership, ownership made this historic investment.

As you can imagine, a lot of embarrassment for the leaders in Illinois with this big announcement. In fact, Gov. JB Pritzker, this is what his office had to say--the opposite of what the Indiana leader had to say. This is what Governor Pritzker and his office had to say last week after this announcement was made.

According to Governor Pritzker's office:

The Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois for over 100 years but have spent the last 6 years, and especially the last few months, shifting their position on a stadium location. That has hindered their progress.

He is blaming the Chicago Bears for his own lack of leadership. I mean, this is embarrassing for a guy who fancies himself as a potential Presidential candidate in 2028, and his biggest legacy--for JB Pritzker--is that he lost the Chicago Bears to Indiana. I mean, how embarrassing for a politician to have to live up to that?

Meanwhile, though, this is what Governor Pritzker had to say about illegal immigration. Get this. Governor Pritzker said:

I am going to do everything that I can to protect our undocumented immigrants.

So you see what is going on here. Governor Pritzker is far more focused on protecting illegal immigrants in his State than he ever was on providing any type of leadership whatsoever to keep the Chicago Bears in Chicago or in Illinois. I mean, you see the type of failed leadership in Illinois that the successful leadership of Indiana has seized upon.

Then you hear from the socialist mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson. He had this to say. He said:

Over the last several years, the Bears have stated their intentions in multiple jurisdictions, today's announcement is not surprising.

Again, the mayor of Chicago is blaming others for his own lack of leadership.

Yet the mayor of Chicago also had this to say:

Law enforcement is a sickness. This is a man who just doesn't have his priorities straight. He is anti-police. He is one of the ``defund the police'' Democrats from a city that has high violent crime rates, and he is mad that the Chicago Bears are saying: We are leaving Chicago and Illinois because there is a better deal to be had in the great State of Indiana, 30 minutes away from where we are currently located.

You see the type of failed leadership in Illinois and the type of successful leadership in my State of Indiana.

I want to just finish my thoughts with this because I think this sums it up. Another great Hoosier, Pat McAfee, sums this up quite well as we talk about what Indiana means and the type of leadership that we have in Indiana and how we have seized upon this incredible, historic opportunity and why the Chicago Bears have said ``enough is enough'' of the failed leadership and the high-tax, anti-family, anti-police, ``defund the police,'' leftwing policies of Illinois. Pat McAfee sums this up quite well.

He said:

Indiana has always been open for business. . . . They pieced this Bears' deal together so fast.

That is the type of great leadership that all of America is looking to.

For the first time in my life, I say: Go Bears!

I can't wait to drive an hour and a half up U.S. 30, from where I live, to go cheer on the Chicago Bears when this stadium is built in a few years in Hammond, IN. I think there are going to be a lot more Chicago Bears fans out there when this stadium is built. There are going to be a lot of Hoosiers who are going to go to this new stadium and a lot of people from Illinois who are going to be coming over the State line and seeing even more of the very best of what Indiana has to offer.

So this is good news for Indiana and bad news for Chicago and Illinois, but when you hear statistics like that, you cannot blame the Chicago Bears organization for making the decision they did.

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