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Gov. JB Pritzker and 16 Illinois Democrats wrote to Russell Vaught, Director of the Management and Budget, on Tuesday, demanding that the Trump administration release $1.888 billion in federal funding to Illinois. Illinois Republican Chairman Kathy Salvi dismissed it as Pretzker playing politics.
Pritzker, Senators Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth and Congressional Democrats said if Illinois “does not have a detained impact on vulnerable people, local economies, statewide “they need to suspend operations, cancel projects, cancel staff, or fire staff.”
Illinois Republicans have pushed back the Democratic claims, saying the letter is “basically unfounded.”
“Governor Pretzker is epic in his 2028 run for the President in 2028, rather than focusing on the turmoil that remains with us in Illinois. He was the governor and is now the seventh budget address, so he raised $16 billion from the $55 billion budget initially.”
The Illinois governor says Trump administrators are withheld $1.88 billion in approved taxpayer money.
Illinois Gov. Pritzker wrote to OMB Director Russell Vert on Tuesday, demanding that the Trump administration release $1.888 billion in federal funds. (Getty)
Fox News Digital reached out to OMB about the letter but did not provide any comments before the deadline for this article.
“On behalf of our members, we seek full transparency and accountability for any funds suspended or suspended. If the Trump administration is unable to follow the law and maintain the end of the deal, the people in our nation deserve to know,” Democrats said.
“It’s officially borrowed from us”: Governor Blue says $2.1 billion in federal funds restored after suing Trump administrators
“He’s been against the law from day one,” Salvi retorted. “This is a sanctuary condition. He caused the high crime rate we have. He caused educational confusion we have here in Chicago City. He’s not helping with the solution here.
Pretzker also met with Washington, D.C. House Minority Leader Highcombe Jeffries this week to promote the release of the Federal Fund for Illinois.
“His trip to Washington is a distraction of the chaos he led here in Illinois,” Salvi said.
Salvi said Pritzker wanted a “blank check” without “finding where the money goes.”
“Pritzker’s budget plan faces a $3 billion budget deficit. He has been given a blank check for the past four years. Now he is being held to explain. Taxpayers, citizens and families need consequences,” Salvi said.
Russell Votus Speak, Director of Management and Budget (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) at Capitol Hill, Washington, Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
A federal judge granted an interim injunction Tuesday extending the block on the White House management and budget federal funding freeze. Federal judges had previously issued temporary restraining orders to block funding freezes.
Illinois was one of the first 22 states and Washington, DC on January 28th to sued President Donald Trump’s administration to freeze federal funds. OMB directed on January 27th to suspend federal funds in accordance with Trump’s executive order.
D-Penn. Gov. Josh Shapiro sued the Trump administration on February 13 in another lawsuit to freeze federal funds. Shapiro said $2.1 billion in federal funds have been announced and were restored to Pennsylvania on Monday. Shapiro said legal action was needed to remove federal funds from the state, but he added that his “direct involvement” with the Trump administration led to a recovery of those funds.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Monday, August 19, 2024.
The Pretzker letter urged the Trump administration to “put good on the government’s promise to return taxpayer dollars that are following the law and to the Illinois economy, labor and communities.”
The letter alleges that many Illinois agencies were forced to “suspend operations, cancel projects, or cut staff,” and reported “inaccessible to funds” since the OMB funding freeze memo. “The letter has been extensively reporting of a system outage and lockout that prevented grantees from accessing eligible funding since January 27th.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will speak during the security briefing at the 2024 US Secret Service Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, Illinois on July 25, 2024. Pretzker is one of a small group of Democratic politicians reportedly thought to join Vice President Kamala Harris on a Democrat ticket for the upcoming election. (Vincent Alban/Getty Images)
“Attempts to contact government contacts were often ignored, and public statements from the White House were inconsistent with the experiences of our grantees,” the letter states.
Illinois Democrats claim that “14 state agencies, boards and committees have “a total of $1.888 billion in federal funds” that “have a total of $1.888 billion in federal funds” that provide technical assistance to small businesses, affordable solar energy to low-income residents, and more.
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“These funds are contractually agreed, allocated and planned by recipients, including childcare providers, educational institutions, small businesses, community and economic development organizations, etc. Needless to say, these funding restrictions have a modest impact on vulnerable people, the local economy, and the statewide.
The letter concludes by asking the Trump administration to answer five questions about federal fund payments by March 4, 2025.
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