Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker Blasts Trump Administration: “They Lied About Medicaid and More” [Video]

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is taking a stand against the Trump administration, accusing them of misleading the public about the impact of the federal funding freeze. In a fiery statement, he said, “Donald Trump’s administration is lying to you.”

Video

According to Pritzker, the White House assured states that Medicaid and Head Start programs would not be affected by the funding pause. However, Illinois officials found themselves locked out of the Medicaid system for most of the day, delaying payments for critical services. Similarly, Head Start providers reported outages, with some unable to make payroll.

Pritzker also raised concerns about other essential programs, including LIHEAP (the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program), unemployment support, and Meals on Wheels—services that hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents rely on.

The funding freeze was first announced through a White House memo at 7:42 p.m. the previous night. By morning, Illinois and all 50 states discovered they had lost access to crucial federal funding. When state officials reached out for guidance, federal agencies reportedly refused to provide information, citing orders from the administration. Meetings that had been scheduled to discuss funding were suddenly canceled.

The White House has attempted to downplay the situation, calling reports of program disruptions “coincidental website outages.” But Pritzker isn’t buying it. “Donald Trump and his administration have not earned the benefit of the doubt. They are either lying to us or they are critically incompetent,” he said.