Illinois state lawmaker calls for US to not bail out his ‘corrupt’ state

A Republican state senator from Illinois is advocating against federal funding for his state amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

State Sen. Jason Plummer said the federal government should not “bail out” his state, which he said is the “most corrupt” in the country. 

“My Democratic state Senate colleagues garnered national attention with a letter containing this audacious request. [Democratic] Gov. J.B. Pritzker has separately requested billions in federal funds. The message from Illinois’ elected leaders is crystal clear: no humility, no regrets, no acknowledgment of failures, and no strings attached. American Taxpayers — bail us out!” Plummer wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News Wednesday. 

“Don’t let it happen. Federal dollars should not prop up Illinois’ failed system,” he added. 

Plummer said that Illinois’s fiscal problems are “not merely inherited, nor a failure to tax and spend enough.” He instead blamed Pritzker and said the state has “failed to aggressively pay down debt or plan for a rainy day.” 

He also said the state is “ethically bankrupt,” calling out scandals among its lawmakers. 

“Why should the fiscally prudent people of Wyoming, Missouri or elsewhere be responsible for the failed policies of Illinois? Federal dollars for Illinois, beyond anything directly connected to the pandemic, would set a terrible precedent and make Washington, D.C., complicit in our sad story,” Plummer wrote. 

Earlier this month, Illinois state Senate President Don Harmon (D) wrote a letter to the members of the state’s congressional delegation requesting more than $41 billion to help Illinois recover. 

Pritzker has also joined calls from governors of both parties requesting that the federal government fund state and local governments that are facing budgetary concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 50,355 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and 2,215 deaths as of Wednesday.