Gov. JB Pritzker and the state’s Democratic congressional delegation are pressing the White House to release an estimated $1.88 billion in federal funds that are being withheld despite courts rescinding a federal freeze that has wreaked havoc across the country.
Pritzker traveled to Washington Tuesday to push for the release of the funds to the state of Illinois — and to further sound the alarm on a pending cut to Medicaid that will strip coverage for more than 700,000 Illinois residents.
The Democratic governor met with U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the U.S. Capitol to discuss the threats to Medicaid. The House on Tuesday passed a Republican budget resolution that calls for cutting $2 trillion in spending over a decade to fund President Donald Trump’s tax plan — and top Republicans have targeted Medicaid.
The current GOP plan, which must still pass the Senate, includes at least $880 billion in cuts from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid.
Illinois has a “trigger” law that would automatically end Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions in the state if federal funding is cut — which means some 770,000 Illinoisans who were provided coverage in 2024 would lose their health coverage.
“There’s no chance that the state of Illinois could pay the $7.5 billion to keep everybody covered,” Pritzker said at an unrelated press conference on Wednesday. “…It’s devastating for the people who will lose coverage, not to mention the rural hospitals across the state, not to mention for safety net hospitals…
“That’s just the reality that if Donald Trump and the Republican Congress eliminate the Medicaid expansion, we will have people who get sick and die because they don’t have coverage from that Medicaid expansion,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker also spoke with Jeffries about his joint push with the congressional delegation to release $1.88 billion in federal funds to the state. And he helped write a letter with the delegation to the Office of Management and Budget, alerting them that many state agencies and organizations have reported an inability to access funds, with some in danger of having to pause operations, cancel projects or lay off staff.
According to the letter, nine state agencies and commissions have $692 million in federal funds that are obligated but haven’t been received. Ten state agencies, board and commissions have a total of $1.19 billion in federal funds anticipated or awarded — yet the grants and programs have been paused. That includes funds to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
“These frozen funds impact programs that provide technical assistance for small businesses, provide affordable solar energy for low-income residents, improve roads and bridges, and more,” the letter reads. “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.”
Pritzker told reporters he has not reached out to the state’s Republican delegation about the pending cut to Medicaid — and pointed fingers. The state’s three Republican members of Congress voted to approve the budget resolution.
“They’re uninterested in supporting people who need health care in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “So they all voted for the Republican proposal to eliminate 770,000 people’s coverage.”
During his Washington visit, Pritzker also delivered remarks to public policy group Democracy Forward and met with the Australian Embassy about economic development with Illinois. The Democratic governor also appeared on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Tuesday night, echoing his budget address and warning about the perils of authoritarianism.
“This is literally the end of the republic as we know it …if we don’t stand up to Donald Trump in his decision to essentially break down the government, according to what he wants and according to what he believes is in the best interests of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country,” Pritzker said. “We need people to get out there and have their views known.”