COVID-19

Congressman Darin LaHood Coronavirus Update

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[May 19, 2020]  As we continue to respond to and monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I wanted to provide you with a quick update.

Last week, I joined my fellow Illinois Republican U.S. House colleagues to urge the Governor to begin a phased, regional, and safe reopening of our state.

One of Illinois’ great strengths is our regional diversity. Our state is seventy-five percent farmland, and a one-size-fits-all model won’t work for many of our downstate communities that are more like Missouri or Iowa than Chicago.

For the last six weeks, Illinois residents and small businesses have listened, been compliant and responsibly abided by the stay-at-home order to mitigate the spread of COVID—19. However, Governor Pritzker extended his order through May 30th and disappointed many of us. While the extended order does remove some restrictions, a blanket approach to bringing our state's economy back leaves downstate Illinois behind.

The data shows that the coronavirus is impacting different parts of our state in drastically different ways, and we need a response in downstate Illinois that accounts for this.

There is real fear among workers and small businesses that they won’t be able to come back from this pandemic. They are desperate for a plan to reopen our communities in a responsible and reasonable manner that balances our health and economic needs. This isn’t an either/or proposition.

The recovery from COVID—19 in Illinois will be difficult, and our states’ fiscal challenges will only exacerbate the strain on workers and Main Street businesses in the months ahead. COVID—19 is the new normal, and we need a framework for gradually, safely, and regionally reopening Illinois’ economy.

I will continue to advocate for sensible solutions that balance the health and economic challenges that face us ahead and get Illinois open as soon as possible.

As we continue to navigate this challenging time, my office is actively working to connect individuals and small businesses with the resources and funding made available by Congress in light of this pandemic. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call my office at (309) 671-7027 or contact us via email here: https://lahood.house.gov/contact. Working together and supporting our neighbors, we'll overcome the coronavirus pandemic.


Supporting our local food banks

I had the pleasure of visiting the Midwest Food Bank last week. I wanted to say thank you to the Midwest Food Bank and their many volunteers for helping so many people during this time of need! In 17 years, MFB has grown from a small ministry on a family farm to now helping stock food pantries across the country. Central Illinois is so proud of your efforts and will continue to support your mission.


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CARES funding awarded for IL18 Public Housing Authorities

I was pleased to announce that funding allocated by Congress to support state and local response efforts was awarded to communities in central and west-central Illinois. As we continue to work to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on families, workers, and small businesses, this critical funding will aid Public Housing Authorities in the 18th District that are working overtime to support those in need. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure our local communities have what they need to recover from COVID-19.


Discussing COVID-19 with C-SPAN

It was good to join Steve Scully last week on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to talk about COVID—19 in Illinois' 18th Congressional District, the federal government’s response, getting Congress back to work, and a smart, safe reopening of our economy in downstate Illinois. ‬

The recovery from COVID—19 in Illinois will be difficult, and our states’ fiscal challenges will only exacerbate the strain on workers and Main Street businesses in the months ahead. COVID—19 is the new normal, and we need a framework for gradually, safely, and regionally reopening Illinois’ economy.


Attention IL118 high school students

If you are interested in being nominated to one of our prestigious military academies, you can now request a nominations packet from my office. Applications for nominations will be accepted until November 13.

Each year, it’s a privilege to nominate incredible young leaders from central and west-central Illinois to attend one of our nation’s military service academies. While COVID-19 has disrupted our academic year, I am pleased to announce that we will be able to move forward with our academy nomination process.

LaHood Announces Dates for Military Service Academy Nominations

 

[Congressman Darin LaHood]

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