* Gov. Pritzker met privately with President Biden in the Oval Office yesterday. Here’s Lynn Sweet…
The two main items on Pritzker’s agenda in his talk with Biden:
• Dealing with $4.2 billion the federal government advanced to Illinois to keep its Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund afloat after it was drained of cash because of the enormous surge of claims triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of repayment breaks Biden can provide is not yet clear.
• Flagging how when it comes to the Biden administration helping fight gun violence, in Illinois, it’s more than about Chicago. Chicago, with unrelenting gun violence, is expecting in the coming days extra help - a strike force - from the Biden Justice Department. Pritzker said the Illinois State Police are already working with the ATF, DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s office to stop the flow of guns into Illinois.
“I wanted to double down on his understanding that we have a problem, it’s not just a Chicago problem. It’s a problem in Rockford, it’s a problem in other cities in Illinois. People just focus on Chicago, but it’s really a problem in a number of urban areas,” Pritzker said.
Biden also showed Pritzker around part of the White House grounds and West Wing.
Like I’ve been saying, the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund deficit is the biggest fiscal issue facing the state right now.
Also, kinda cool to get a personal POTUS tour, if you’re into that sort of thing.
In a phone call after the sessions, Pritzker did not indicate that he’d received any definitive promises from Biden other than to fully consider any Illinois requests. But he said the session went “very well” and described Biden as “gracious.” […]
Pritzker said he specifically asked for money for “logistics buildout,” an apparent reference to highway and railroad improvements designed to secure metropolitan Chicago’s place as a national distribution center. But he also asked for help in filling a huge hole in the state’s unemployment trust fund that is now in hock to the feds for hundreds of millions of dollars of expenses run up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pritzker clearly would like the feds to erase some of the debt. But there are other possibilities, he added, including stretching out the period in which the state—more specifically, state employers—will have to pay off the debt.
* Pritzker also participated in a press conference with other White House attendees. Here’s Mike Flannery…
Asked about opposition to Biden’s big spending plans among some Illinois Republicans, Pritzker suggested their districts would benefit more than those of Democrats. “There are many, many more miles of roads that need to be repaired in those areas, not to mention we’ve got to replace our lead line pipes across the state of Illinois.”
Potential challenger Rodney Davis has been speaking against the infrastructure bill.
Later Wednesday, Pritzker called it “an excellent bipartisan meeting and real discussion about things that we share in common across all of the leaders that were in the room.”
“There is a massive infrastructure deficit across the nation,” Pritzker said. “Each one had a different angle on what they need in this infrastructure bill. For Illinois, I talked not only about the roads and bridges and water ports and how important those are for our industry, as the crossroads of America run through Illinois, but also about building out our early childhood education centers as well as our child care centers. We need real investment in those.”
* The ongoing climate/energy bill negotiations mean I can’t really plan anything like a real vacation, so long weekends are gonna be the rule for a while…
* I told subscribers about this earlier today. Alexi Giannoulias will report having $3 million in his campaign account at the end of the second quarter. Fundraising email…
Dear Friends,
During the past six months, we’ve been working hard so we have the resources and support that our campaign needs to win the Illinois Secretary of State race in 2022.
We recently exceeded our quarterly fundraising goal, having received an overwhelming number of contributions to bring our campaign fund total to more than $3 million cash on hand by the June 30 deadline.
I can’t thank you enough for your help!
Your response shows that we have amassed a broad-based coalition that continues to grow momentum and gain support each day from all parts of the State.
In the end, Illinoisans want solutions-driven leadership that brings people together, restores trust in government and delivers results for hard-working families that I promise to deliver.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s re-election campaign reports $5 million cash on hand after raising $2.37 million in the second quarter of 2021. “Almost all, 97 percent, of the more than 43,000 contributions received over the quarter were under $100,” the campaign said in a statement. The average individual contribution was under $40, according to Illinois Democrat’s camp.
* The ILGOP criticizes Democrats’ attempts to “tighten controls on utilities” in a fundraising email. Utilities don’t produce power…
Friends,
Springfield Democrats are currently attempting to enact a number of SUBSTANDARD energy policies. Led by Governor Pritzker, IL Democrats want to tighten controls on utilities and close several major coal-fired power plants in the state.
This is unacceptable, and Illinois Republicans are fighting back.
Will you join us?
Protect Illinois Jobs
Democrats want to turn Illinois from an exporter of energy to an exporter of jobs. They would rather import dirtier power from less efficient plants in other states than fund the energy plants in their own districts.
Just two of the power plants suggested for total shutdown by Pritzker would cost Illinoisans over 2,000 jobs. As you know, Democrats control every level of Illinois state government, and they have all but shut out the GOP from having any part in this new energy legislation.
Our current power grid is among the most RELIABLE in the country and keeps us PROTECTED from brownouts and blackouts. To shut these down is to shut down the entire state of Illinois.
Pitch in now to stand up to Governor Pritzker and his awful energy proposals:
* US Rep. Danny Davis’ primary challenger Kina Collins…
Hey Rich, I wanted to reach out to give you an urgent update from the finance team.
If you didn’t see Kina’s message yesterday, here’s what’s going on: a new establishment super PAC has been formed just to protect Danny Davis from our campaign and the movement we’re building together.
But like Kina told me, “My opponent can depend on corporate money, we’re busy building people power.” That’s why I’m reaching out to our grassroots supporters and asking: can you chip in whatever you can to help our movement beat this PAC?
Illinois Democrat Sean Casten is doubling down on his defense of critical race theory and arguing that it is “unpatriotic” to oppose an ideology that teaches young children that “whiteness” is the devil.
NRCC Comment: “Every vulnerable House Democrat should be as candid as Sean Casten when it comes to their views on critical race theory.” – NRCC Spokesman Mike Berg
Hilarious. Click here to hear what he actually said.
