The Rock Island Arsenal's future is a little clearer.
Uncertainty has hung over the country's military facilities for months now.
After a congressional super committee failed to agree on how to cut one trillion dollars of federal spending.
Triggering billions of dollars in cuts to the defense budget scheduled to take place in January.
But in an interview the President said he thinks the Arsenal is safe.
"Illinois is my home state, I spent a lot of time at the Arsenal and I'm very familiar with the incredible dedication of folks who work there," says President Barack Obama.
Local leaders believe his statement about the Arsenal shows their efforts are paying off.
The Rock Island Arsenal is the area's largest employer.
More than eight thousand people work on the island.
And the Arsenal itself has been around for 150 years.
So local leaders are thrilled to hear the President speak candidly about its future.
"It's really, really good that we have the President making those kinds of comments," says Moline Mayor Don Welvaert.
He believes Obama's comments reflect well on the work that's been done to protect the Rock Island Arsenal.
"The Quad Cities area has done a lot in recent years to keep the Arsenal a viable employer in the Quad Cities and bring jobs to the Quad Cities."
Efforts that can be tied to the Rock Island Arsenal Development Group. A group that's worked hard to bring in private tenants to reduce the Arsenal's costs. Its chairman Jim Bohnsack says their efforts have been successful so far.
"It offsets the cost of the manufacturing that's there, so all of what it costs to run that island we get about 850 thousand dollars a year from the rent that goes into offset that manufacturing cost," says Bohnsack.
He says making the Arsenal cheaper for the military to run helps insulate it from lawmakers. Who are trying to slim down the federal budget.
"When you hear the President, President Obama say it's going to stay here, it's not going to be a threat, I think that's true."
And Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher says their efforts show in the amount of time each mayor spends on the island. Leading a parade on the 150th anniversary. And attending numerous change of command ceremonies. All to personalize the Arsenal's impact on the Quad Cities.
"We have built relationships with the commanders on the Arsenal, welcomed their families here to Bettendorf and the Quad Cities," says Gallagher.
The President believes Congress will figure out a way to cut spending without triggering those automatic cuts scheduled to take place in January.
He says the process will probably be stressful, but he doesn't believe anyone connected to the Arsenal has any reason to fear for their jobs.
