Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has reportedly diverted taxpayer funds away from the state’s rental assistance program to take care of migrants, and people are furious.
Called the Illinois Rental Payment Program, the welfare program was designed to give people struggling with rent up to $25,000 per year to help them.
Yet when asked earlier this month about how he intends to take care of incoming migrants, Pritzker admitted that the state doesn’t have extra money to spare and will therefore be using up money from already established programs, according to The Center Square.
“We have taken some of the programs that have pre-existed the crisis and adjusted them to help with the migrant crisis. Let me give you one example: our rental assistance program. We have provided some of that rental assistance money, which wasn’t originally intended to be about asylum seekers for this challenge,” he said,
Illinois state Republicans were not pleased by what they heard.
“I think it’s a horrible idea. We have citizens in this state that need that assistance. Obviously, that’s why this program is in place. Unfortunately, our borders are wide open,” state Rep. David Friess told The Center Square.
Americans far and wide were also bothered by the news:
Why bother with the actual citizens when you could blow it on a non-constituency constituency??
— See Haze (@SeeHaze3) October 12, 2023
When you perch in ivory towers, it’s so damn easy to pawn your unlawful decisions off on to the “peasants”.
— CC (@MarieGrouse) October 12, 2023
Disgusting. Why dznt the globalist governor put them up in his family’s hotels instead. Billionaire he can afford it.
— Dara (@Dara1715122) October 12, 2023
Continue to rape the American citizens so your can care for the illegals makes you traitor to state and to the country.The people of your state need to throw you and your staff out of office and replace them with people that want to preserve the America of our forefathers.
— Peter Montalbano (@PeterM74989) October 12, 2023
— BPaul (@JeepPrairie) October 12, 2023
All this comes just a week or so after Pritzker finally admitted in a letter to President Joe Biden that the border crisis was placing an “enormous strain” on his state.
“Today, Illinois stands mostly unsupported against this enormous strain on our state resources,” he wrote, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Mr. President, I urge you, [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Mayorkas, and the rest of your administration to take swift action and intervene on our behalf and on behalf of the other affected states and their residents, as well as on behalf of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who undertook a dangerous and difficult journey in hopes of attaining public safety and forging a better life for themselves and their families,” he added.
The unexpected letter was reportedly prompted by a phone call Pritzker had with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson just days before.
“On the call, Pritzker and Johnson warned that Chicago is expected to see 25 buses a day from Texas beginning this week, potentially bringing in 1,250 migrants a day, according to a source with knowledge of the call. The city is receiving about 10 buses a day, with 40 to 50 people on board each,” the Sun-Times reported.
“Pritzker and Johnson outlined the need for the federal government to better manage the arrival process with improved coordination and communication. On the call, Pritzker said that, for example, logistics with the federal government ran far smoother when Afghan refugees were housed in military bases,” according to the Times.
Chicago here they come pic.twitter.com/6X8cAh5It5
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 12, 2023
After the call, Pritzker reportedly detailed some of the solutions he and Johnson had come up with in his letter to Biden.
“A single office with an identified leader must be assigned to work for the cities and states across the silos of government to manage the challenges we all face,” he wrote.
“We ask that the White House and the Administration continue to look for ways to ‘cut the red tape’ and speed up the work authorization process by all means necessary,” he added.
The White House eventually responded to the governor’s letter by issuing a statement predictably blaming the border crisis — which critics say is a cause of the administration’s lax policies — on congressional Republicans.
“Without the help of Congress, the administration has been taking action,” White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said.
“Meanwhile, House Republicans continue to block the reform the immigration system needs and the $4 billion we requested to address the immediate needs of DHS to safely and humanely manage the Southwest Border and support communities across the country. We will continue to work closely with Illinois and states and cities across the country,” he added.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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