CHICAGO — Today, Governor JB Pritzker directed agencies to report on potential impacts of President Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional federal funding cuts for Illinois’ most vulnerable communities and people. While the State will continue fighting these illegal actions, there are several areas of urgent concern the State will continue monitoring:
Access Issues for Federal Funding Portals
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Despite official information from the federal government stating that programs that provide assistance directly to individuals will not be impacted, state agencies and partner organizations reported issues accessing payment systems throughout the day on January 28. Federal officials have not responded to requests for more clarity or on the status of payments and the systems, further adding to the uncertainty. Illinois officials experienced issues with the following systems:
- Payment Management System (PMS) portal operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Throughout the day on January 28, 2025 Illinois officials and partners were unable to access the portal for at least part of the day for following programs:
- Medicaid and ACA expansion populations
- Home-delivered and congregate meal sites for seniors,
- Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (disaster recovery and mitigation programs)
- Child care and Head Start programs
- Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF)
- Vaccinations and disease surveillance
- Electronic Line of Credit Control System (eLOCCS) portal operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
- Rental assistance programs for people who are homelessness and/or have disabilities.
Resources for Illinois Families and Children
- Medicaid:
- Provides health care to 3.3 million low-income Illinoisans including children.
- Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG):
- Supports child care for low-income families for 140,000 children in over 80,000 households.
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP):
- Assists 300,000+ low-income households annually with energy bills.
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF):
- Provides cash assistance and work support for 75,000 low-income residents.
- Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Rapid ReHousing:
- Provides housing support for approximately 2,600 families and 9,000 Illinoisans.
- Child Welfare Programs:
- Support for foster care services, adoption services, guardianship and reimbursement for residential placements, impacting 20,000 children in care statewide.
- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP):
- Provides meals to children enrolled at participating daycare centers, as well as older individuals with disabilities at adult day centers, providing 1,000,000+ meals to Illinoisans per year.
Support for Older Illinoisians
- Administration for Community Living (ACL) programs, including:
- Nutrition programs -13 million meals served in 2024
- Supportive Services (e.g., transportation, in-home care)
- Family Caregiver Support Programs – 16,000+ caregivers in Illinois
- Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP):
- Provides support to older Illinoisans with enrolling in healthcare. SHIP provided counseling to 103,000 beneficiaries in FY24.
- Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers (MIPPA):
- Helps low-income Medicare beneficiaries enroll in cost saving benefits, which supports 74,000 Illinoisans.
Critical Public Health Services for Illinoisans:
- Maternal and Child Health Services (Title V):
- Provides funding to improve the health of mothers and children through initiatives like prenatal care and infant screenings.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Programs:
- Funds mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services, including opioid response initiatives.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs):
- Funds health care for underserved populations, including preventive and primary care services.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants support programs for:
- Immunizations
- Disease surveillance (e.g., HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis)
- Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)
- Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program:
- Provides essential medical care and services for individuals with HIV/AIDS.
- Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant:
- Funds state-level public health initiatives, including chronic disease prevention and health promotion.
Support for Illinoisians with Disabilities
- Section 811 Housing:
- Provides housing support and services for persons with disabilities.
- The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD):
- State agency that advocates for policy changes to promote choice, independence, productivity, and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities in Illinois.
- Employment Supports for Disabled Workers:
- Funding includes pre-employment transition services, supported employment programs, job training activities, and vocational rehabilitation programs.
- Respite Support for Families:
- Funding for emergency respite support for individuals with disabilities benefiting more than 1,100 families.
Economic Development for Illinois Communities
- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG):
- Provides grants to communities to expand housing and other economic development efforts. ?
- Community Services Block Grant (CSBG):
- Provides funding to combat poverty through local programs like job training and housing assistance.
- State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI):
- Provides funding to help small businesses access low-interest loans, venture capital and other financing.
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title 1 Funding:
- Funds programs and resources to provide job search, education, and training activities to help jobseekers and our workforce.
Infrastructure:
- Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD):
- Access to significant federal funds for broadband expansion.
- Federal formula funding for transportation infrastructure:
- Includes highway, transit, and aeronautics programs and projects
- Federal discretionary grants funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, including: ?
- National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program
- Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program
- Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant
- Airport Improvement Grants
- Port Infrastructure Grants
- Grants to Amtrak to improve passenger rail
- Rail Safety Grants
Agriculture
- Meat and Poultry Inspections:
- Provides risk oversight the entire meat and poultry supply chain. IDOA receives reimbursement from the federal government for up to half of its inspection activities.
Disaster Mitigation:
- Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Programs: Five state disaster programs are federally funded and would be unable to proceed:
- Public assistance (PA) and individual assistance (IA)
- Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
- Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
- Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
- Pre-disaster Mitigation (PDM)
JB Pritzker statement: “What Donald Trump tried to do in the last 24 hours is illegal"
Late yesterday, the Trump Administration abruptly and unilaterally cut off essential funding for critical programs across the federal government. While entirely unconstitutional in its disregard of Congressional budget authority, this order will be devastating for Illinoisans if it is allowed to remain in effect. From programs that support veterans, to those that help keep communities safe, to the healthcare, meals, and childcare working families rely on to make ends meet – this order makes life more expensive and less safe for people across Illinois.
“What Donald Trump tried to do in the last 24 hours is illegal. When Trump and his allies published their Project 2025 Agenda, I believed them, and as they grind essential government programs to a halt, it is clear Project 2025 is exactly what they intend to do,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Here in Illinois, we know all too well the damage that can be caused by a leader holding funding hostage to advance divisive and harmful goals. As Donald Trump jeopardizes the programs our working families, seniors, veterans, and first responders rely on to do their jobs and make ends meet, I will do everything in my power to protect our people. I call on Republicans and Democrats in Congress and in all 50 states to do the same.”
While federal guidance has been haphazard to nonexistent and it remains unclear if the entire Medicaid system going offline was a casualty of this order or unrelated incompetence, the future of essential programs remains in jeopardy. This includes programs that allow families to afford childcare and send their kids to preschool, provide meals to seniors and prevent elder abuse, and provide mental healthcare and prevent homelessness.
Illinois is one of nine states that contributes more money to the federal government than it receives with Illinois residents paying nearly $6 in taxes for every $1 in direct support received from Washington.
