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 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] |
