U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin acknowledged there were President Donald Trump supporters in attendance Saturday morning during a labor summit at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Ottawa.
"I get it, I understand, I'm not naive about it," he said.
Electing a new president was the primary focus of the Democratic Illinois senator's speech to hundreds of union members in attendance Saturday at the event hosted by the Illinois Valley Federation of Labor and the Illinois Valley Building Trades.
"I want to talk to you about the nuts and bolts of where we are today politically and why I hope I can convince you to take a hard look, and if you voted for him last time, you take a hard look before you vote again," said Durbin, who has been the Senate Democratic Whip since 2005, which is the second-highest position for the Democratic party in the U.S. Senate.
The senator recalled Trump said if he was elected he would put together an infrastructure program for the U.S.
"That's what he promised," Durbin said.
Durbin said he disagrees with Trump on many items, but he would have worked with him toward an infrastructure bill.
"I voted for every infrastructure bill that's come along, and it's long overdue, it's been years since the federal government really pitched in and did this," Durbin said.
Durbin said he was at a meeting with Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, from N.Y., in the White House around February or March of last year.
"It was the darndest thing I've ever seen," Durbin said.
Schumer proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure investment program to open negotiations and Pelosi reminded them the Trump administration pledged $1.5 trillion in investment, Durbin recalled.
"Mr. President says, 'you're both wrong, it's $2 trillion we're going to spend on infrastructure,' " said Durbin recollecting the meeting.
Durbin said Trump initially proposed the infrastructure program upside down, that he said it was 80% local and 20% federal funding. It was pointed out local governments can't come up with 80% for these projects. So Trump agreed to 80% federal funding.
Trump also said he'd agree to roads and bridges construction as well as government buildings.
"What a meeting," Durbin said. "We just won the three things we came in to ask for. That doesn't happen much in a negotiation."
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Massachusetts, also chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, brought up the issue of how the federal government will pay for the infrastructure plans.
Durbin said the president said to stop at that point, that he would not get into that conversation at all.
" 'You can't have everything we're going to talk about without talking about how we're going to pay for it,' 'No way, you're not going to trick me into that,' " Durbin said quoting Neal, then Trump. "Neal said: 'We're not trying to trick you, we're going to agree with you, and we're going to walk out arm and arms.' 'No way,' he says."
Durbin said the meeting broke up and the group met again weeks later around April.
"(Trump) walks into the room, he opens the door, he says 'as long as you're investigating me, there's no infrastructure agreement.' He turns around and walks out. End of story. That's the last conversation on infrastructure."
Durbin said he witnessed the "whole darned thing."
"We as a nation are paying a price for this," Durbin said. "Make no mistake, there's an infrastructure program going on in China today, a big one, they are building that nation to compete with the United States and take our jobs that we're not building here. I want to make sure we turn that around and we're not going to turn that around until we come up with a new president."
On the White House page, Trump outlined six goals to "Building a Stronger America." Those goals are to build America's infrastructure, invest in employees' training, streamline permitting, eliminate regulatory barriers, increase state and local authorities and invest in rural America. Earlier this month, Trump announced a plan to speed up approval of infrastructure projects by speeding up environmental assessments regarding such things as mines, motorways, water pipes and gas lines.
Durbin noted the presidential race will be important for union rights for another reason, because the president will appoint the next Supreme Court justice.
Durbin told the story of trucker Alphonse Madden, whose truck broke down overnight in sub-zero temperatures. Madden left the trailer after a few hours of waiting for a mechanic once he got too cold, went to town to fill up his tractor with gas, then returned to meet the mechanic. Madden was not supposed to leave the trailer, he disobeyed the order, so the business fired him.
Madden said seven federal judges considered Madden's case, but one ruled against him.
"The man's name was Neil Gorsuch, that may ring a bell with you," Durbin said. "It should. When there was a vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, that's the man President Trump picked for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court."
Durbin said Gorsuch also ruled against public unions in Janus v. AFSCME, a case regarding labor unions' ability to collect fees from non-union members.
"If we start filling these Supreme Court vacancies with people like Gorsuch that end up voting against organized labor, the things we fear, losing prevailing wage, losing Davis-Bacon, it's all on the table my friend," Durbin said.
At the beginning of his comments Saturday, Durbin spoke of his family history and political connection to unions.
"Is this election important?" Durbin asked. "I think it's the most important of our lives. Period."
