Biden to arrive late Wednesday morning at O’Hare

Suburbanites likely won’t be able to catch a glimpse of President Joe Biden on Wednesday as the usual presidential motorcade might not happen and his visit to McHenry County College in Crystal Lake seems closed to the public.

Biden is set to arrive by Air Force One shortly before noon at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Though Illinois State Police and the Illinois Tollway have been bracing for lane closures and detours, drivers might be spared the inconvenience as it’s possible Biden will take a helicopter to the college judging by his public schedule.

Biden is set to tour the college first and deliver remarks around 2 p.m. to reporters from national and local media outlets.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and several Congressional Democrats, including U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and Sean Casten of Downers Grove, will be in attendance.

Biden is expected to tout the benefits of the American Families Plan, the expanded Child Tax Credit, and his $973 billion bipartisan infrastructure deal. The latter includes money to build a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, purchase thousands of electric buses, upgrade the electrical grid, spend $55 billion to improve drinking water and wastewater systems, and $47 billion to tackle climate change, The Associated Press reports.

When and if the infrastructure bill passes, Illinois will be shovel-ready with matching funds for projects, Pritzker said during a news conference Tuesday in Downers Grove where he signed legislation making Medicaid more accessible.

Krishnamoorthi noted that the president’s choice of MCC as the venue for his debut visit to Illinois since taking office will help promote community colleges and students.

“I’m proud to have authored the law that reformed our nation’s career and technical education (CTE) system for the first time in over a decade, thereby boosting our community colleges,” Krishnamoorthi said in a written statement. “The president’s programs will build on that progress through expanding the accessibility of CTE programs as they continue to bring educators and employers together to prepare students for in-demand careers.”