SE Illinois News

Illinois state Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) fumes that there’s a method to the madness in House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) putting the state on the hook for millions more in debt by leading the charge to provide Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants.

“Everyone knows it’s wrong, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News. “It’s just more of the same old Democratic vote buying. That’s the motivation for Madigan and all the Democrats falling in line with the plan.”

A provision in the state’s newly passed budget bill stands to make Illinois the first state in the country to provide Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants. Beginning July 1, 2021, undocumented immigrants over the age of 65 with incomes of $12,670 or less would be eligible to receive Medicaid benefits.

“Illinois has no room for something like this because of its already dire financial situation and pressing forward just isn’t fair to its hard working citizens," Bailey added.

In the view of the veteran lawmaker, it all traces back to the same starting point.

“I don’t know that even all Democrats agree with the plan,” he said. “But in the end, Mike Madigan is directing the choir in an election year and they’re all just falling in line. It’s sad for Illinois because we just keeping doing things like taking care of immigrants in the city better than we do citizens.”

In the end, Bailey worries about how long Illinois can be Illinois without changing its ways.

“We need to be doing everything we can to find ways of cutting spending and our debt instead of adding other areas of expenses,” he said. “It’s not feasible for the state and we have no business even dabbling with things like this.”