Speaker Welch Hears from Illinois Valley Residents as Part of Statewide Listening Tour
NORTH UTICA, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch joined first-term Rep. Amy ‘Murri’ Briel for a town hall meeting in her Illinois River Valley community this week, giving residents the opportunity to share their thoughts on the cost of living, energy, and the effects of Washington’s service cuts and high tariffs. The town hall meeting was one of the first stops in a tour visiting colleagues’ districts and hearing from people across the state ahead of the fall legislative session.
“Now more than ever, people need to know they are being heard, so while my title may be Speaker of the House, I think it’s even more important to be Listener of the House,” Welch said. “Families and seniors in big cities, suburbs, and small towns alike are feeling the burden of rising costs and lost opportunities—and we see Washington politicians are creating more problems than they’re solving. But we can still move forward as a state when we work together, when we listen to one another, and when we prioritize common sense and the common good.”
Welch joined Briel, who represents rural communities along the Illinois River Valley as well as the city of DeKalb, for a wide-ranging discussion with residents about the issues that matter most to them. The legislators talked to residents concerned with the cost of living, high home energy expenses, and an increasingly out-of-touch agenda from Washington—including tariff taxes that exacerbate the rising cost of everyday expenses, and healthcare cuts that jeopardize patient care in rural communities and cities alike.
“Speaker Welch and I had the opportunity to hear diverse perspectives and address multiple concerns that our residents alike share,” Briel said. “There is so much unknown at the federal level that these folks just want someone who will be honest and fight for them. That is what I’ll continue to do, which is guided by the voices like those tonight. I have to thank Speaker Welch for his collaboration and the residents across Northern Illinois who made the time to join us yesterday evening.”
