January 12, 2024
CONTACT: State Rep. Caulkins
Pritzker Gives Chinese Company Gotion $125 million With No Work Shown
Decatur, Illinois – Today State Representative Dan Caulkins discovered that the state of Illinois issued checks to Gotion totaling $125 million without any requirement that a certain amount of work be completed. The first check is dated December 8, 2023 for $50 million, just three days after zoning approval by the Village of Manteno. The second check is dated January 2, 2024 less than two weeks after the property’s deed was recorded to a new owner, a newly formed limited liability company registered in Delaware on October 16, 2023.
Governor Pritzker signed the deal with Gotion, a Chinese owned and controlled company, on September 9, 2023. That deal includes a total of $536 million in taxpayer incentives for Gotion to build an electrical vehicle battery plant in Manteno.
The $125 million came from a deal closing fund that only needs approval by Gov. Pritzker with simple notice to the Senate President and Speaker of the House. The remaining $411 million promised comes through tax incentives based on creating 2,600 jobs and investing about $2 billion.
The payment of $125 million to Gotion happened without Gotion having building permits in place or having performed any site improvements. Unlike the fanfare at the announcement of the Gotion deal by Pritzker and others, this massive payment happened with no press release or notice.
Currently, the Village of Manteno is being sued by a group of residents alleging the zoning change approved on December 5, 2023 was done in violation of existing laws. The lawsuit also challenges the Gotion project over environmental concerns, including the use of highly toxic chemicals, and national security concerns.
“This deal is the most offensive, outrageous thing I have ever heard of! While people were busy with the holidays and figuring out how to afford a nice Christmas, Governor Pritzker gave away massive amounts of our money to a foreign company that hasn’t done anything to earn it,” said State Representative Dan Caulkins.
“This deal has smelled bad from the beginning. Pritzker is funding our enemy. Gotion is controlled by Chinese communists, our number one political, economic and military adversary and they are setting up shop in Illinois to compete against American companies.
Additionally, the EV market is falling apart. Gotion could sit on our millions and make millions more off of the $125 million without doing anything constructive. There is no way Pritzker would make this deal if he were using his own money.”
State Rep. Dan Caulkins represents the 88th District.
