20111102-OSEC-LSC-0473 - Flickr - USDAgov

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (left) talks with Illinois Department of Transportation’s Sal Madonia (center) and John Sestak (right) during a visit of a recently completed transportation project that extended the existing MacArthur Boulevard and new interchange with Interstate 72, this brought new businesses and 500 new jobs to Springfield, IL on November 2, 2011. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed the Administration's strategy to strengthen the U.S. economy and to highlight what passage of the American Jobs Act will mean for Illinois. "The American Jobs Act provides common-sense steps we can take right now to put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans, without adding a dime to the deficit," said Secretary Vilsack. "In Illinois, this Act will provide a tax cut for over 260,000 businesses, support the jobs of 14,500 teachers and first responders and immediately provide a job for over 20,700 construction workers through infrastructure improvements. A typical household in Illinois will receive a tax cut of around $1,640." USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.