OUTRAGED: Illinois Democrats came out swinging Tuesday against a White House plan to pause trillions of dollars in federal funding to agencies and groups that help families, police departments, infrastructure projects and hospitals. Direct hit: “The White House assured us that Head Start would not be affected, and that was a lie,” Gov. JB Pritzker said at a news conference in Chicago. “What the president is trying to do is illegal.” On Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily halted the plan and said the courts need more time to consider the potentially far-reaching ramifications of his order,” via POLITICO. Republican Congressman Darin LaHood defended the pause, saying it's not supposed to affect Social Security, SNAP, Medicare or Medicaid benefits. He said he’ll be “working to get further clarification on the specific funding that will be impacted by the temporary pause.” Democrats were outspoken: In an interview, Sen. Tammy Duckworth said the action shouldn’t be a surprise. “This is Project 2025. It’s what they said they were going to do. It’s Trump trying to become a dictator and take control of everything and take away the power of the purse from a co-equal branch of government: the United States Congress.” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton called it “an attack on the nation's most vulnerable populations.” And Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said President Donald Trump’s actions are “well outside the purview of the executive office,” adding, “These are unprecedented attempts to defund childcare or to defund infrastructure projects.” Attorney Gen. Kwame Raoul, who was part of the lawsuit that stopped the funding freeze, said it’s about eggs. Egg-sactly: “You know, we heard a lot about the price of eggs over the last few weeks,” Raoul said at the press conference with Pritzker and Stratton. “One of the things that [the White House freeze] impacts is the ability for inspectors to make sure that salmonella doesn't contaminate our eggs.” Cluck cluck: Cutting funding to inspection programs would create a backlog, especially in Illinois, which is one of the top egg producers, Raoul said. “So, I don’t want to hear Donald Trump talk about the price of eggs anymore.” The headlines: ‘Chaos, confusion and fear,’ is how the Sun-Times described it. Sowing havoc across Illinois, via the Tribune Health care providers in Illinois could lose millions in funding under Trump order: “Some providers say an order freezing federal financial help could mean cuts in services within days or months, WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch. Chicago nonprofit Thresholds voices concern after Trump's federal funding freeze order, via Fox 32’s Illinois, other states temporarily lost access to Medicaid portal amid funding freeze, by WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski says Springfield Rail Improvements Project could be left in the lurch, by the State Journal-Register’s Steven Spearie Dem mayors plot their next moves after House Oversight launches probe into sanctuary cities, by POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity and your Playbook host The governor's message: “The days ahead will be tough. I won’t lie to you,” Gov. JB Pritzker posted on X. RELATED Illinois lawmakers file bill to repeal 'Trust Act,' require police to work with ICE: The measure is sponsored by Republican state Sen. Neil Anderson. Additional legislation, sponsored by Republican state Sens. Terri Bryant and Andrew Chesney, seeks to repeal the Illinois TRUST Act in its entirety, by the State Journal-Register’s Tom Ackerman. Johnson declines to say whether he’ll testify with mayors about Chicago’s sanctuary city status: Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry said the letter sent by Republican Congressman James Comer is under “legal review.” Comer’s letter does not have the legal force of a subpoena, she said, via WTTW’s Heather Cherone EXCLUSIVE: Mayor says request to testify is ‘disingenuous’, via Q&A with CBS 2’s Chris Tye
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