U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and fellow members of the Illinois Republican delegation want congressional leaders to prevent governors from withholding federally appropriated funds for local municipalities that allow small businesses to reopen in accordance with federal health guidelines, but ahead of state timelines.
Rep. LaHood, who was joined by U.S. Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Rodney Davis (R-IL), and Mike Bost (R-IL), sent a May 15 letter to congressional leadership expressing “deep concern” over the possibility that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker may withhold federal aid provided through the state from any local government that reopens during the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of the governor’s timetable.
“As we work to get our country back on track, we must take the appropriate measures to balance the health and economic needs of individual communities that make up our regionally diverse state,” wrote the lawmakers, who noted that small businesses across Illinois are struggling to survive and are prepared to take public health precautions to safely reopen.
“If these businesses are prohibited from reopening, many will close their doors permanently leaving families without income, workers without jobs, and communities with no tax base,” according to their letter.
The members also called such action by Gov. Pritzker “unconscionable” when coupled with his ongoing campaign to persuade Illinois voters to raise the state income tax on small businesses in November.
“Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly … recently requested that the federal government provide billions of dollars in federal funding to bail out our state’s pre-COVID-19 financial struggles,” wrote Rep. LaHood and his colleagues. “Illinois’ financial issues weren’t caused by COVID-19, and federal taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for Illinois’ fiscal mismanagement.”
The members also think that additional relief efforts should be focused solely on providing COVID-19 assistance and that Congress should consider prohibiting Illinois from raising income taxes on small businesses as a condition of state aid, according to their letter.