President Obama To Address State Lawmakers In Springfield
CHICAGO (CBS) -- President Barack Obama is on his way to the Illinois State Capitol to speak to state lawmakers Wednesday afternoon.
The White House has said the president will address the Illinois General Assembly to make a plea for unity, to discuss "what we can do, together, to build a better politics - one that reflects our better selves."
Obama was expected to land at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport around 11:20 a.m., and then speak at the statehouse at 1:30 p.m.
Things were anything but normal at the statehouse ahead of the president's arrival. For one thing, a special carport was built at the north entrance, where Obama will enter the capitol.
Simply getting inside the building on Wednesday was an ordeal for staffers, who had to wait in line in the frigid cold so they could go through screening.
"It's kind of an exciting time for us, you know, to meet the President of the United States," Senate Republican staffer Tyler Maskey said. "It's good to see him coming back and visiting where he started."
The building was closed to all workers from 7:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. as the Secret Service made final security preparations.
Joining the president on Air Force One on Wednesday were U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.
The president's speech will be broadcast live on CBS 2 and will stream live on cbschicago.com.
