At a Gary Chamber of Commerce meeting Monday, former Sen. Joe Donnelly said the future is bright for the city.

“We have so much going on here, but the biggest thing we have is our people,” Donnelly said. “People who love this community, people who are willing to work together and to build a future for our kids and for our grandkids. That’s what is going to power Gary and Lake County for years to come.”

Donnelly was the speaker at the Gary Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting Monday. In addition to his work as senator from 2013 to 2019, Donnelly has also served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013, and he was the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See from 2022 to 2024 under former President Joe Biden.

In his talk Monday, Donnelly highlighted the deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel and President Donald Trump’s recently signed megabill that targets Medicaid, among other areas.

Donnelly said he’s worked with steelworkers and Nippon Steel representatives to help get a deal that works best for Gary as a whole.

“I think (the deal) is going to be great for steelworkers,” he added. “I think it’s going to be great for the steel companies, and I think they’re going to invest an incredible amount into our area right here. Those are the things we see every day.”

In June, U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel announced they had finalized their “historic partnership,” which gives the federal government a say in some company matters.“Together, Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will be a world-leading steelmaker, with best-in-class technologies and manufacturing capabilities,” the two companies previously said in a joint statement.

Through the deal, the Gary Works facility should receive $1 billion as part of the deal, a Nippon executive said in late 2024. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton has vocalized his support since about August 2024, when it was first announced that Gary would receive about $300 million if the deal is approved.

“This deal is going to happen,” Donnelly said. “I am hopeful that we will continue to grow American steelmaking year after year after year. I think what you’ll see is that we have a really solid foundation here now.”

Donnelly also addressed the recently passed and signed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which focused on tax breaks and spending cuts.

The package’s priority is $4.5 trillion in tax breaks enacted in 2017 during Trump’s first term that would expire if Congress failed to act, along with new ones, according to Post-Tribune archives. That includes allowing workers to deduct tips and overtime pay, and a $6,000 deduction for most older adults earning less than $75,000 a year.

To help offset the lost tax revenue, the package includes $1.2 trillion in cutbacks to Medicaid health care and food stamps, largely by imposing new work requirements, including for some parents and older people, and a major rollback of green energy tax credits.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the package will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the decade, and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage.

Donnelly believes more legislators nationwide needed to go against the bill and stand up for constituents, he said Monday.

“Some of our legislators, I think, have forgotten over the recent years who they work for,” Donnelly said. “We needed some of our representatives and senators to tell the president, ‘I know, Mr. President, you think this is good, but this isn’t good for the United States.”

Donnelly remembered when he worked with former President Barack Obama when the Affordable Care Act was first introduced, saying he brought forth concerns he had for constituents.

Donnelly worked with Obama to address concerns and come to a conclusion he felt was best for American citizens.

“I told him, ‘You are the president of the United States, and I will work with you every single day, but I do not work for you,’” Donnelly said. “I work for the people of Indiana and for the people of the United States.”

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com