Biden To Pritzker: 'You’ve Done A Hell Of A Job' On COVID Vaccine

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL — President Joe Biden was in the Chicago area Thursday afternoon for a rescheduled visit after his trip to the suburbs was canceled last month. He urged employers to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees, and praised Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his handling of the pandemic, saying he's "done more than any other governor in any other state."

Biden arrived at O'Hare around 1 p.m., where he met with Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the CEO of United Airlines, one of the first major companies to mandate vaccines for all of its employees.

Most of United's nearly 70,000 employees have gotten vaccinated, and the company's number of unvaccinated employees dropped by about half after the airline said it would fire those who do not get the shot.

After speaking with United CEO Scott Kirby, Biden promised the U.S. Justice Department would address a recent spike in violence on airplanes due to passengers being upset about COVID-19 precautions, such as masking.

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After his meeting at O'Hare, Biden spoke in Elk Grove Village about vaccine mandates, congratulating Pritzker on the state's vaccination rate. According to the governor, Illinois is the most vaccinated state in the Midwest.

"You've done more than any other governor in every other state," Biden told Pritzker. " I mean it. You've done a hell of a job. You’ve been relentless in getting people vaccinated. You're leading, and it's real. It’s not hyperbole."

Watch the recording of Biden's suburban address here:

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After Biden's Sept. 29 visit was canceled, officials said the purpose of his rescheduled trip remained the same: to push businesses to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for workers. The push follows new executive orders requiring all federal workers and contractors to get vaccinated. New Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules also mandate private employers with 100 or more employees to require the vaccine or weekly COVID-19 testing.

Originally, Biden was scheduled to visit Elk Grove Village on Sept. 29 but stayed in Washington instead to work on infrastructure negotiations between the U.S. House and Senate. He was slotted to speak at the Microsoft data center campus in the Elk Grove Technology Park, where Clayco — a building company founded by millionaire Democratic donor Bob Clark — has a new center.

On Thursday, Biden stopped by a Clayco construction site as the company announced it is requiring all its workers to be vaccinated or face weekly testing for COVID-19.

Biden said vaccine mandates shouldn't be political or unpopular since the idea had been around since the existence of the polio vaccine — and that requiring COVID-19 vaccines could do more to bring people back to work as the U.S. faces an historic labor shortage.

"Folks, vaccination requirements work, and there’s nothing new about them. They’ve been around for decades," the president said, highlighting vaccine mandates for polio, measles, mumps and rubella.

Biden even pointed out Fox News, known for its conservative talk shows and perspective, required its employees be vaccinated.

"Without [vaccines], we face an endless bout of chaos in hospitals, anxiety in schools," Biden said. "I know vaccine requirements are a tough medicine — unpopular for some, politics for others — but we're in a position to leap forward in a way we haven't in a long, long time, economically."

Pritzker and Lightfoot spoke at the Clayco event, along with Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of the 8th District and Jerry Wenzel, an operations manager at Clayco.

Right after Biden spoke in Elk Grove Village, Gov. Pritzker announced a new agreement between another group of state workers that will lead to 1,300 more employees receiving a vaccine.

So far, the state has struck an agreement with the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs. The Illinois Nurses Association and the Illinois Federation of Public Employees joined that group Thursday.

"If employees do not receive the vaccine or an exemption by [Nov. 18], progressive disciplinary measures will be implemented, which may ultimately lead to discharge," Pritzker's office said in an emailed statement. "The agreement includes a process whereby employees can seek an exemption based on medical contraindications or sincerely-held religious beliefs."