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Chicago Tribune
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: Man's deportation to El Salvador begs the question: Who's next?
If Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem can berate immigrants in a blatantly political TV ad paid for by American taxpayers, staged in front of a maximum-security prison, then President Donald Trump's administration can certainly utilize some of the same strongarm tactics on the El Salvador government that it used to lawlessly snatch an individual who had a legal right to be in the U.S. Who will be next? You? Members of the legitimate press? Is this morally corrupt crowd determined to ignore constitutional obligations rather than ever admit a mistake? A U.S. District judge's order demanding immediate return of the individual was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but even that process begs the question: How can any executive branch malfeasance be punished when its criminal enforcement apparatus consists of loyalists, not patriots? Didn't we get rid of loyalists in the Revolutionary War? This appears to be a fatal flaw in American democracy that is only now being exploited by a president. Two Saturdays ago, citizens and immigrants across the country gathered and marched — including tens of thousands in downtown Chicago and the suburbs. The Tribune published a news report on Page 2 of Sunday's paper ('Thousands rally, march for national 'Hands Off!' protest') — no doubt written quickly to meet a looming print deadline. And the Illinois Republican Party — true to its abdication of democratic principles — dismissed the participants as a 'tantrum' by 'paid actors' in a statement. Both would do well to note some of the heartfelt emotion emerging on 'Hands Off!' signs these people crafted individually. They were responding to overt threats by the administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency henchmen against unions, courts, the Constitution, media, public lands, wealth (decimated by thimble-brained tariffs), free speech, voting rights and federal personnel cuts that are severely handicapping responsiveness at the Social Security Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Weather Service, Internal Revenue Service, Food and Drug Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency and agencies that pay farmers for food, handle Medicaid payments and process veterans' health claims. Anyone immersed in these widespread protests with memories of 1968 felt anger, but also profound sadness that they had to be there at all in 2025, especially realizing that right now, this is not the country whose freedoms thousands of American soldiers have died for. — Bob Johnston, Chicago Right to due process The idea of the president of the United States renting space in a foreign prison known for torture and disappearing people into it without due process is appalling. He's having people scooped up and sending them out for indeterminate detention in a place that neither Congress nor U.S. courts have jurisdiction over, and neither, apparently, does he if he can't get them back. Every person in the USA, not just citizens, has a right to due process. And this ain't it! Allow a tyrant to trample on any person's rights, and you put your rights in his hands. Bring them all back and deport those who warrant deportation using the legal deportation process. — Tom Madden, Oak Park Trump's Hokey Pokey My head is spinning. I don't think I am alone. I feel like I'm at a bad wedding reception. President Donald Trump puts the tariffs in. He takes the tariffs out. He puts the tariffs in, and he shakes us all about. We do the tariff Hokey Pokey, and he turns us all around. That's what he's all about? Yes! He keeps everyone off-kilter so they won't know what's happening until it's too late. — Pam Skinner, Palatine Hefty tariffs on China President Donald Trump will be the Grinch who stole Christmas with his exorbitant tariffs on China. Many toys come from China, which people will not be able to afford, and many business, such as the one my husband works for, will be put out of business. — Gail Frank, Lakewood, Illinois Pelosi deserves scrutiny Why is the Tribune Editorial Board ('Should Trump be giving stock tips to his followers?' April 11) and U.S. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., so inimical to anyone stating the obvious about stocks? Buy low and sell high. Instead, they should direct their rancor to investigating U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is suspected of insider trading that has enriched her by millions of dollars. — David N. Simon, Chicago Control over the SEC While investors cheered the recovery of the stock market Wednesday, is it time for investigators at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to become curious? President Donald Trump instigated tremendous volatility in the markets. With insider information, Trump's allies could have enriched themselves by purchasing securities, such as put options, right before the collapse, then call options right before the rebound. The SEC has strict rules prohibiting this breach of ethics. Trump has sought to put the SEC under his direct control, according to The Associated Press. Doesn't that leave a fox to protect the henhouse? — Chris Rudolph, Libertyville Actions taken at SSA The Social Security Administration has a 90-year history of being one of the most dependable, efficiently managed programs in our government, with both overhead and fraud each at less than 1% of benefits paid. Yet President Donald Trump sent an unelected Elon Musk, under the guise of seeking fraud, to dismantle the agency to the point of dysfunction. The nonsense about 'making the federal government more efficient without compromising mission-critical operations,' being spewed daily, should not pass muster for anyone with a brain cell ('Pressure building at Social Security,' in print April 11). The public outcry has been loud and swift, but so far ineffective. In fact, the last sentence of the article (which I had to reread to believe) describes the White House's remedy for all the blowback over the real-life hardships being caused: reduce the information administrators put online that could draw attention to any problems. We are indeed in for a rough ride. — Therese Kane, Oak Park Suffering of the innocent The president has stopped most programs funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development 'for the convenience of the U.S. government,' accusing them of being wasteful and advancing liberal causes. Since when is helping the most vulnerable citizens of our world with their critical needs for water, food, medical care, shelter and education a liberal cause? I find it gut-wrenching to think of the incredible suffering and death that this will cause to totally innocent people in the coming months and years. I find it despicable. — Veronica Foss, Schaumburg Costly trips to Florida Four trips President Donald Trump took to Mar-a-Lago cost close to $14 million, according to a Government Accountability Office report. If Trump truly cared about saving the taxpayers money, he would spend most of his weekends in the Washington, D.C., area.
Chicago Tribune
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Mark Batinick: Illinois Republicans must embrace vote by mail or be left behind
Four years ago, the Illinois General Assembly passed Permanent Vote by Mail, or VBM. I cringed — not because of fears over fraud, ballot harvesting or cheating, but because I knew Republicans had been conditioned to reject voting by mail. That might not matter much in a presidential election, when most motivated voters show up, no matter what. But in lower-turnout contests — such as midterms and especially consolidated local elections — Democrats have a massive advantage because they've built a reliable VBM voter base. Last Tuesday, my worst fears came true: Republicans lost seats they've held for decades. If you hold any influence in the Illinois Republican Party, now is the time to act. We must start promoting voting by mail to our base — because if we don't, the Illinois GOP risks near extinction. I've seen this problem coming for over a decade. Back in 2012, after a rough night for Republicans, I remember someone at a watch party saying we'd need at least a 1,000-vote lead before the clerk dropped the vote-by-mail results. That stunned me. Fewer people voted by mail back then, but we had already accepted defeat in that category. I made a decision that night: I would learn the VBM rules and never be a helpless victim of the process again. In 2013, I helped organize VBM operations for two dozen candidates in consolidated elections — and we won big. Many races flipped after the late-arriving VBM ballots were counted. It can work. Republicans can win with VBM. In 2014, I applied the same strategy to my own race for state representative. In a three-way contest, I took 57% of the vote. In my 2018 general election, with no support from the statewide mail-in program, I built my own last-minute effort targeting low-propensity voters. While other suburban Republicans were getting crushed in late VBM returns 75% to 25%, I held my margin to just 54% to 46%. I won that race by just over 500 votes. Then came 2020. President Donald Trump told Republicans not to vote by mail. Combine that with high presidential-year turnout, and I scaled back my VBM strategy and hoped for good weather. Ten days out, I checked the forecast: dry and upper 50s. I thought, 'Maybe I've got a shot.' On Election Day, it was calm and sunny — a Chicagoland November miracle. If it had been a typical cold, wet November day, I might have lost. But hope is not a strategy. If you believe in personal freedom, lower taxes, safe streets and better schools, it's time to face reality. Republican voters must embrace voting by mail — not because we love the system, but because we can't change the rules unless we win elections. And we won't win enough elections unless we play by the current rules and compete in every part of the process. We don't have to like it. But we do have to win. Mark Batinick served in the Illinois General Assembly from 2015 to 2023, representing the 97th District. He was the Illinois House Republican floor leader from 2019 to 2023. He works in political consulting and polling with M3 Strategies.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illinois GOP suffered major election losses in suburbs that are critical for its rebuilding effort
Two days before Tuesday's local elections, the Illinois Republican Party sent out an email to supporters declaring it to be 'a do or die moment for us.' The email was just another in a series of fundraising solicitations. But it may have more accurately captured the importance of the election, which featured wide-ranging Democratic victories in the suburbs critical for rebuilding a state GOP already on the verge of irrelevance in Illinois politics and reflected voter angst over the early tumultuous months of Republican President Donald Trump's second presidency. 'There was a broad rejection of what Donald Trump and the Republican Party stands for, and Illinois Democrats had perhaps one of the best nights we've ever had,' Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said on an unrelated press call Wednesday from Mexico, where he is leading a state trade mission. Statewide, the Illinois Democratic Party said it backed 280 candidates in Tuesday's election and 222, or 79% of them, were victorious. The governor attributed the results in Illinois to both organization among state Democrats and broader national pushback against Trump administration policies and government cuts being spearheaded by Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk. 'The anger is felt in Illinois, as it is across the entire country, and that did play a role, there's no doubt, in turnout and in the actual results,' he said of the government-cutting actions of Trump and Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Two-term Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, a Republican, was defeated by Democrat-backed John Laesch to lead the state's second largest city. In Orland Park, two-term Mayor Keith Pekau, a supporter of far-right elements of the state GOP, was ousted by more moderate Republican Jim Dodge. Both Irvin and Pekau, building off their past municipal election successes, had previously sought higher office — Irvin as a candidate for the GOP nomination for governor and Pekau seeking a congressional seat — only to be defeated in those bids before losing Tuesday. But the real devastation came in dozens of township elections across the suburbs that saw Democrats flip power from Republicans, raising the question of whether the state GOP' has fallen so low on the political depth chart that it will prevent any short-term rise to competitiveness in Illinois in a Trump 2.0 era. Democratic victories in the eastern side of DuPage County tell much of the tale. Addison Township — which includes suburbs such as Addison, Wood Dale, Bensenville and Itasca — once had one of the most powerful vote-getting operations in the region. Home to past U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde and former Illinois Senate President James 'Pate' Philip, Addison Township was flipped from Republican to Democrat in Tuesday's elections, including the ousting of GOP Supervisor Dennis Reboletti, a former state lawmaker, according to unofficial results. In neighboring York Township, home to former one-term Illinois House speaker and longtime GOP leader Lee Daniels of Elmhurst, the GOP lost the race for township supervisor and highway commissioner as well as trustees. Further west in DuPage's Milton Township, home to the county seat and the once-conservative bastion of Wheaton, voters swapped out the Republican leadership for Democrats. 'These results mark a seismic shift in local politics. Several townships in DuPage County that had never before elected a Democrat will now be represented by Democratic leadership — a testament to the party's deepening connection with voters and its commitment to delivering for working families,' DuPage County Democrats said in a statement. The county's Democratic chair, Reid McCollum, called the voting 'a profound statement,' adding that he expects Democrats will win all 49 contested township races across the county. The GOP also faltered in local Naperville races, where five candidates for the City Council and park board backed by DuPage GOP Chairman Kevin Coyne's political action committee, Safe Suburbs USA, were headed toward defeat in unofficial returns. Instead, the council and park board candidates heading to victory were backed by Democratic U.S. Reps. Bill Foster and Lauren Underwood, both of Naperville. Two mayors also backed by Coyne's PAC, Aurora's Irvin and Lisle Mayor Christopher Pecak, also were defeated. Coyne said 'it was obviously a very disappointing night' and that Republicans faced 'a perfect storm' — trying to navigate campaigns in the era of Trump, Pritzker's spending on Democratic infrastructure and the Democrats' longtime advantage in delivering mail-in voting, which Trump has criticized and Republicans have been slow to adopt. 'We're not going to give up. We're going to continue to look at how we are doing things and work toward rebuilding,' Coyne said. 'I think nights like Tuesday night are going to be every election cycle until we narrow that gap' on mail-in voting and get more Republicans registered to permanently receive mail-in ballots. The Democratic wins weren't limited to DuPage County. In Elk Grove Township, for example, Republicans weren't challenged for supervisor, clerk or assessor, but four Democrats defeated the incumbent Republicans on the township board of supervisors. James Marter, a former Kendall County GOP chairman, was defeated for reelection to the Oswego Public Library District and also lost a bid for the local school board. Marter, who has already announced a GOP bid against Underwood for 2026, has run unsuccessfully for Congress since 2018 and lost a GOP primary for U.S. Senate in 2016. In Homer Glen in Will County, Village Board candidates backed by the Homer Township ReSet slate also were headed to victory. The ReSet slate defeated the more conservative GOP organization run by controversial Township Supervisor Steve Balich in February's primary. Aaron Del Mar, who won reelection as Palatine Township highway commissioner, said attitudes toward Trump and Musk and their efforts to dismantle government in searching for waste, were primary factors for Tuesday's Democratic victories. 'Republicans on a national level are very happy correctly or incorrectly about the state of affairs that are happening. But the Democrats are incredibly upset. The Democrats came out because they're so upset and they all came out voting,' Del Mar said. 'Republicans sat at home. They're like, 'Yeah, we're good. We're tearing the government down.' And so they didn't come out. There was no incentive.' Del Mar, who is eyeing a potential 2026 GOP bid for governor, said he was criticized by some fellow Republicans for fielding a township slate that included a Democratic trustee. He said he views the results as a 'kind of vindication' for his actions, which kept Palatine Township in Republican control. Pat Brady, a former state GOP chairman and Republican National Committee member who has opposed Trump's takeover of the party, said he still believed there was an opportunity for a Republican to win statewide in Illinois if they were in the socially moderate, fiscally conservative mode of the late Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk. 'But the Trump nonsense does not work in Illinois, certainly not statewide,' Brady said. 'The guy at the top, he's just out of control with tariffs, incorporating Greenland, everything. I think there's a lot of insecurity and fear, quite honestly, about what this president's going to do,' he said. 'And that translates to how the Republican brand has been so diminished by him. I'm not sure if it can be fixed, but it can't be by a Trumpian candidate based in Illinois.' Chicago Tribune's Dan Petrella, Jeremy Gorner and Olivia Olander, and the Naperville Sun's Tess Kenny, contributed.
Chicago Tribune
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Illinois GOP suffered major election losses in suburbs that are critical for its rebuilding effort
Two days before Tuesday's local elections, the Illinois Republican Party sent out an email to supporters declaring it to be 'a do or die moment for us.' The email was just another in a series of fundraising solicitations. But it may have more accurately captured the importance of the election, which featured wide-ranging Democratic victories in the suburbs critical for rebuilding a state GOP already on the verge of irrelevance in Illinois politics and reflected voter angst over the early tumultuous months of Republican President Donald Trump's second presidency. 'There was a broad rejection of what Donald Trump and the Republican Party stands for, and Illinois Democrats had perhaps one of the best nights we've ever had,' Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said on an unrelated press call Wednesday from Mexico, where he is leading a state trade mission. Statewide, the Illinois Democratic Party said it backed 280 candidates in Tuesday's election and 222, or 79% of them, were victorious. The governor attributed the results in Illinois to both organization among state Democrats and broader national pushback against Trump administration policies and government cuts being spearheaded by Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk. 'The anger is felt in Illinois, as it is across the entire country, and that did play a role, there's no doubt, in turnout and in the actual results,' he said of the government-cutting actions of Trump and Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Two-term Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, a Republican, was defeated by Democrat-backed John Laesch to lead the state's second largest city. In Orland Park, two-term Mayor Keith Pekau, a supporter of far-right elements of the state GOP, was ousted by more moderate Republican Jim Dodge. Both Irvin and Pekau, building off their past municipal election successes, had previously sought higher office — Irvin as a candidate for the GOP nomination for governor and Pekau seeking a congressional seat — only to be defeated in those bids before losing Tuesday. But the real devastation came in dozens of township elections across the suburbs that saw Democrats flip power from Republicans, raising the question of whether the state GOP' has fallen so low on the political depth chart that it will prevent any short-term rise to competitiveness in Illinois in a Trump 2.0 era. Democratic victories in the eastern side of DuPage County tell much of the tale. Addison Township — which includes suburbs such as Addison, Wood Dale, Bensenville and Itasca — once had one of the most powerful vote-getting operations in the region. Home to past U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde and former Illinois Senate President James 'Pate' Philip, Addison Township was flipped from Republican to Democrat in Tuesday's elections, including the ousting of GOP Supervisor Dennis Reboletti, a former state lawmaker, according to unofficial results. In neighboring York Township, home to former one-term Illinois House speaker and longtime GOP leader Lee Daniels of Elmhurst, the GOP lost the race for township supervisor and highway commissioner as well as trustees. Further west in DuPage's Milton Township, home to the county seat and the once-conservative bastion of Wheaton, voters swapped out the Republican leadership for Democrats. 'These results mark a seismic shift in local politics. Several townships in DuPage County that had never before elected a Democrat will now be represented by Democratic leadership — a testament to the party's deepening connection with voters and its commitment to delivering for working families,' DuPage County Democrats said in a statement. The county's Democratic chair, Reid McCollum, called the voting 'a profound statement,' adding that he expects Democrats will win all 49 contested township races across the county. The GOP also faltered in local Naperville races, where five candidates for the City Council and park board backed by DuPage GOP Chairman Kevin Coyne's political action committee, Safe Suburbs USA, were headed toward defeat in unofficial returns. Instead, the council and park board candidates heading to victory were backed by Democratic U.S. Reps. Bill Foster and Lauren Underwood, both of Naperville. Two mayors also backed by Coyne's PAC, Aurora's Irvin and Lisle Mayor Christopher Pecak, also were defeated. Coyne said 'it was obviously a very disappointing night' and that Republicans faced 'a perfect storm' — trying to navigate campaigns in the era of Trump, Pritzker's spending on Democratic infrastructure and the Democrats' longtime advantage in delivering mail-in voting, which Trump has criticized and Republicans have been slow to adopt. 'We're not going to give up. We're going to continue to look at how we are doing things and work toward rebuilding,' Coyne said. 'I think nights like Tuesday night are going to be every election cycle until we narrow that gap' on mail-in voting and get more Republicans registered to permanently receive mail-in ballots. The Democratic wins weren't limited to DuPage County. In Elk Grove Township, for example, Republicans weren't challenged for supervisor, clerk or assessor, but four Democrats defeated the incumbent Republicans on the township board of supervisors. James Marter, a former Kendall County GOP chairman, was defeated for reelection to the Oswego Public Library District and also lost a bid for the local school board. Marter, who has already announced a GOP bid against Underwood for 2026, has run unsuccessfully for Congress since 2018 and lost a GOP primary for U.S. Senate in 2016. In Homer Glen in Will County, Village Board candidates backed by the Homer Township ReSet slate also were headed to victory. The ReSet slate defeated the more conservative GOP organization run by controversial Township Supervisor Steve Balich in February's primary. Aaron Del Mar, who won reelection as Palatine Township highway commissioner, said attitudes toward Trump and Musk and their efforts to dismantle government in searching for waste, were primary factors for Tuesday's Democratic victories. 'Republicans on a national level are very happy correctly or incorrectly about the state of affairs that are happening. But the Democrats are incredibly upset. The Democrats came out because they're so upset and they all came out voting,' Del Mar said. 'Republicans sat at home. They're like, 'Yeah, we're good. We're tearing the government down.' And so they didn't come out. There was no incentive.' Del Mar, who is eyeing a potential 2026 GOP bid for governor, said he was criticized by some fellow Republicans for fielding a township slate that included a Democratic trustee. He said he views the results as a 'kind of vindication' for his actions, which kept Palatine Township in Republican control. Pat Brady, a former state GOP chairman and Republican National Committee member who has opposed Trump's takeover of the party, said he still believed there was an opportunity for a Republican to win statewide in Illinois if they were in the socially moderate, fiscally conservative mode of the late Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk. 'But the Trump nonsense does not work in Illinois, certainly not statewide,' Brady said. 'The guy at the top, he's just out of control with tariffs, incorporating Greenland, everything. I think there's a lot of insecurity and fear, quite honestly, about what this president's going to do,' he said. 'And that translates to how the Republican brand has been so diminished by him. I'm not sure if it can be fixed, but it can't be by a Trumpian candidate based in Illinois.'
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Blue state GOP chair unleashes on governor for 'grandstanding' with special demand of Trump admin
Gov. JB Pritzker and 16 Illinois Democrats sent a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought on Tuesday demanding the Trump administration release $1.88 billion in federal funding to Illinois. Chair of the Illinois Republican Party Kathy Salvi dismissed it as Pritzker playing politics. Pritzker, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and congressional Democrats said in the letter that Illinois is "in danger of needing to pause operations, cancel projects, or lay off staff" if their funding is not restored, leaving a "detrimental impact on vulnerable people, local economies, and the state as a whole." The Illinois Republican Party is pushing back on the Democrats' claims, saying the letter "has no basis." "Governor Pritzker is grandstanding for his 2028 run for president instead of focusing on the mess that he's left with us in Illinois. Since he's been the governor, now in his seventh budget address, he has raised our budget by $16 billion from a $39 billion budget initially to $55 billion," Salvi told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. Illinois Governor Says Trump Admin Withholding $1.88B In Approved Taxpayer Money, Amid Rift With President Fox News Digital reached out to OMB about the letter, but they did not provide a comment by the deadline of this article. Read On The Fox News App "On behalf of our constituents, we are seeking full transparency and accountability on any and all funding that has been paused or interrupted. If the Trump Administration is unable to follow the law and uphold their end of the deal, the people of our state deserve to know," the Democrats said. 'Duly Owed To Us': Blue State Governor Says $2.1B In Federal Funding Restored After Suing Trump Admin "He has defied law since day one," Salvi countered. "This is a sanctuary state. He has caused the higher crime rates we have. He has caused the educational mess that we have here in the City of Chicago. He is not helping with solutions here. He's distracting and using his weight in Washington to posture against this president and his administration's agenda in order to catapult his own campaign for president in 2028. And this must be exposed." Pritzker also met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in Washington, D.C., this week to push for the release of Illinois' federal funds. "His travel to Washington is a distraction of the mess that he's led here in Illinois," Salvi said. Salvi said Pritzker is asking for a "blank check" without "any examination of where the money goes." "Pritzker's budget plan faces a $3 billion budget deficit. He has been given a blank check for the last four years. Now, he is being held to account. So, instead of dealing with the problems that he and his administration have caused here in Illinois, which are causing people to flee our state to neighboring states, he decides instead to distract and sue the federal government. Well, I think we need to have an accounting here in Illinois. We, Illinois taxpayers and citizens and families, we require results," Salvi said. A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday extending the block on the White House Office of Management and Budget's federal funding freeze. Federal judges had previously issued a temporary restraining order to block the funding freeze. Illinois was one of the initial 22 states and Washington, D.C., that sued President Donald Trump's administration on Jan. 28 to unfreeze federal funds. OMB directed agencies to halt federal funding on Jan. 27 in compliance with Trump's executive orders. Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Penn., in a separate lawsuit, sued the Trump administration to unfreeze federal funds on Feb. 13. Shapiro said that $2.1 billion in federal funds had been released and restored to Pennsylvania on Monday. While Shapiro said legal action was necessary to unfreeze his state's federal funds, he added that his "direct engagement" with the Trump administration had led to the restoration of those funds. Pritzker's letter urged the Trump administration to "follow the law and make good on the government's promise to deliver hard-earned taxpayer dollars back into Illinois' economy, workforce and communities." The letter claims that many Illinois agencies have been forced to "pause operations, cancel projects, or cut staff" and have reported "their inability to access funds" since the OMB's funding freeze memo. The letter says there have been "widespread reports of system outages and lockouts that prevented grantees from accessing entitled funding" since Jan 27. "Attempted communications with government liaisons were often ignored and public statements from the White House were inconsistent with the experiences of our grantees," the letter says. Illinois Democrats allege that "14 state agencies, boards, and commissions have a total of $1.88 billion in impacted federal funds" that provide "technical assistance for small businesses, provide affordable solar energy for low-income residents, improve roads and bridges, and more." Click To Get The Fox News App "These funds have been contractually agreed to, allocated, and planned around by their recipients–which include childcare providers, educational institutions, small businesses, community and economic development organizations, and more. Needless to say, the restriction of these funds will have a detrimental impact on vulnerable people, local economies, and the state as a whole," the letter added. The letter concludes by asking the Trump administration to answer five questions by March 4, 2025, about the disbursement of federal article source: Blue state GOP chair unleashes on governor for 'grandstanding' with special demand of Trump admin
