CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois Senate Democrats are seeking more than $41 billion from the federal government in the next coronavirus relief plan, including $10 billion for a pension fund bailout.
Senate President Don Harmon has asked for the relief in a recent letter to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and every member of the state’s congressional delegation. In the letter, Harmon says it’s an “unprecedented situation” and the state will likely face “additional, unanticipated costs that could result in future requests for assistance.”
Illinois Republicans criticized the request as “brazenly using a global pandemic as an excuse” to fix the state’s longtime financial problems.
