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| For Immediate Release Casten’s Actions Speak Louder Than Words Illinoisans should get their fair share of federal funding. But first, they will need to elect leaders who are more concerned with them and their lives than rising to fame in a particular industry. May 5, 2020 – Rep. Sean Casten voted for The CARES Act, which established a spending formula for emergency grants to states and municipalities. The CARES Act left citizens in states with populations above 3.5 million – like Illinois – with funding of only $390 per capita, while citizens of other states are due to receive per-capita benefits up to $2100 per person. Finding the discrepancy difficult to justify to constituents, Casten then signed onto a letter to House leadership asking for equitable per-capita distribution of funds to states in any future stimulus package. That letter was signed on April 22, as Congress contemplated a fourth round of relief legislation. However, the very first letter Casten signed one month prior – at the very beginning of funding negotiations – was not for equitable funding to the state he represents. Instead, on March 20, Sean Casten signed on to a letter demanding renewable energy subsidies in the first round of COVID relief negotiations, asking for additional carve-outs and credits for their pet projects. Importantly, the renewable energy industry is a sector in which Sean Casten is personally invested. “Actions speak louder than words. Sean Casten’s actions over the past month and a half have spoken volumes about his priorities,” said Jeanne Ives, candidate for Congress (IL-06). “When money was put on the table, Casten immediately argued for funding to projects in which he is invested. It was a full month later, after he had voted for the formula that shorted his district in the first place, that Casten finally got around to advocating for his own state and district. It is obvious that Casten failed to ask any questions about the distribution of funds to the states. The families and businesses in IL-06 were the last thing on Casten’s mind when it mattered. “The people of Illinois should get their fair share of federal COVID relief funding. But first, they will need to elect leaders who are more concerned with them and their lives than rising to fame in a particular industry. Illinoisans need thoughtful leaders who want to represent them, rather than self-interested politicians who want to rule over them.” ###For more information or to book Jeanne Ives contact Kathleen Murphy at 630-329-4680 or kathleenemurphy26@gmail.com. |
