Durbin, Duckworth Join Pritzker And Illinois Congressional Delegation In Pressing White House On Withholding $1.8 Billion From Taxpayers

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and members of the Illinois congressional delegation in issuing a joint letter to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought demanding action and accountability from OMB on the approximately $1.88 billion in funding that is illegally being withheld from Illinois taxpayers despite the funding being appropriated by Congress and numerous court orders.
“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,”wrote the lawmakers in a letter to OMB Director Vought.
The letter provides an update that as of mid-February many agencies and organizations in Illinois have reported an inability to access funds, with some in danger of needing to pause operations, cancel projects, or lay off staff. Impacted grant programs and organizations include, but are not limited to:
A copy of the full letter is availablehereand below:
February 25, 2025
Dear Director Vought:
As we write this letter, the federal government continues to withhold $1.88 billion from Illinois. These are federal funds that were passed by Congress, signed into law, and promised to Illinois. State agencies, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and everyday citizens across Illinois— including in rural communities—are still having trouble accessing allocated federal funding. We have an obligation to Illinois taxpayers and residents to demand answers about the future of this funding, including when the Trump Administration will follow the law and make good on the federal government’s promise to deliver hard-earned taxpayer dollars back into Illinois’ economy, workforce, and communities.
The evening of January 27th, our offices read in the news that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had released a memorandum directing Federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.” Throughout the following day, we received widespread reports of system outages and lockouts that prevented grantees from accessing entitled funding. Attempted communications with government liaisons were often ignored and public statements from the White House were inconsistent with the experiences of our grantees.
Since then, despite OMB’s rescission of the memo, we have continued to receive reports from agencies and organizations detailing their inability to access funds. This uncertainty over receiving future, assured funds, along with little clarity provided by the Administration, has forced many to pause operations, cancel projects, or cut staff.
We are seeking clarity on your actions, as well as assurances that you will legally uphold your financial commitments to the State of Illinois. 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.
As of February 24, 2025, impacted grants programs and organizations include, but are not limited to:
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.
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.
Pursuant to that, we ask that you answer the following questions by March 4, 2025:
We appreciate your timely attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
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