Illinois Gov. Pritzker sent a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought on Tuesday demanding the Trump administration release $1.88 billion in federal funding. (Getty)
Fox News Digital reached out to OMB about the letter, but they did not provide a comment by the deadline of this article.
"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.
"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.
Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks during a 2024 United States Secret Service Democratic National Convention security briefing on July 25, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. Pritzker is among a small group of Democratic politicians who are reportedly being considered to join Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket for the upcoming election. (Vincent Alban/Getty Images)
"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."
"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 funds.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blue-state-gop-chair-unleashes-governor-grandstanding-demand-trum-admin