With over 11% unemployment, and more than 20,000 new applications for the week of August 10, Illinois’ jobless woes are far from over. The $600 federal boost expired on the week ending July 25, leaving hundreds of thousands of families struggling to make ends meet.
This post is not meant to be political, but as a journalist at heart, I can’t help but notice the blatant incompetency of the Illinois government.
Since no other channel is covering this I feel compelled to do so. This post is intended to inform my fellow Illinoisans, and clear up some confusion that I feel still exists around this much-needed aid.
President Trump signed an executive order on August 8, which allows for all 50 states to apply for a FEMA grant to help the unemployed. The cash available for this Lost Wage Assistance program is limited, because it’s taken from our Disaster Relief Funds…something intended for emergencies such as a hurricane, etc. The program is not funded by the states, but the federal government.
Initially, the mainstream media was all over the story as to how this was unconstitutional, and that the money would never actually reach the American people. Some “experts” touted that this was a pure political stunt by the President, and that nobody would actually “see it”.
However, most of those speculations proved to be false in the last few days. While it is understood that the funds allocated for this program are not unlimited, most states including the previously skeptical and “refusing” California and New York already applied for the grant. Arizona got the grant approved in about 2 days, and has already started disbursing those funds to its residents. Many other states have been approved within less than 48 hours from filing their application.
However, Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois has remained silent on this issue, leaving over a million Illinoisans in the dark. If you follow Twitter, you’d realize that thousands of people asked him why it is that Illinois has not even applied for the grant. He has not answered!
Our Governor comes on TV almost every day telling us how deeply he cares for his fellow Illinoisans, while denying them the vital lifeline that’s available to them thanks to the President’s Executive Order.
I understand that this post may trigger some emotions. But the reality remains that $300 for even a few weeks is better than $0. Let’s put our partisan beliefs aside for a moment, and reflect on something that concerns many of us and our friends. Let’s reflect on a question that is currently asked my thousands of Illinois residents who are just waiting for “something to happen”.
Today, Saturday, the House voted to pass a bill to fund billions of dollars to revive the USPS, but any bill to send direct help to millions of Americans was not on the table. Again, $400, $300 or even $200 weekly is better than $0, which is precisely the amount of unemployment boost that Americans are currently receiving. $0. Nada!
Let’s not forget whether our Governor acts sooner or later, he is a multi-billionaire, with a “B”, and still receives $177,000 yearly salary. Our Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi receives an annual salary of $223,000. They are not affected by this pandemic! They are not worried about putting food on the table or making basic payments. They are, thanks to our votes and tax-payer dollars, “employed” and well.
When exactly will Illinois apply for the grant is up in the air. Maybe our Governor will apply when the limited funds for this program is almost gone? Or, maybe, he won’t bother to apply at all, and try to make Illinois residents believe it’s “Trump’s fault”?
You can say what you want about the President, but he did do at least something to help the people, our Governor did not. All that he had to do is apply, but maybe his personal feud with the President, mixed with his pride is preventing him from doing the job that he was hired to do.
Whether or not you’re directly affected by this situation, I believe the least we can do to change the course of things is voice our opinion here. This simple act might help a fellow citizen in these troubled times…
