[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2751-S2753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Chicago Bears
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
[[Page S2752]]
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:
[[Page S2753]]
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.
With that, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Budd). The Senator from California.