Prairie State Wire

Don Tracy, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, recently criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a statement after Pritzker's release of a COVID-themed video declaring his re-election bid for a second term.

In his statement, Tracy claims the governor has "failed our most vulnerable in their time of need," during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 "When our children missed an entire year of in-person education, Pritzker was silent while political teachers unions forced children to stay home even when the science and CDC said they should be back in school," Tracy said in the statement, "When thousands of Illinoisans were laid off from work, they went weeks without help from Pritzker’s incompetent state unemployment agency. And when our nation’s elderly heroes needed protection from the virus in our state facilities, the tragic mistakes of the Pritzker administration led to the death of 36 veterans at LaSalle Veterans' Home."

According to an article in the Peoria Standard, Tracy also laments the fact that far too many businesses are experiencing labor shortages.

“Cities and towns across America are re-opening and attempting to get back to normal,” Tracy said in a recent weekly email. “Yet, businesses are still suffering – especially right here in Illinois. In Pekin, Two P’s Pizza and Pub has been forced to close its doors early because there aren’t enough people to help keep it open during regular business hours.”

Additionally, a separate Peoria Standard article reports that Tracy is concerned that Pritzker's "sociologist approach to economics" may be undermining the economy.

Republican legislators claim that the labor shortages are caused by the continuance of unemployment benefit extensions and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which they argue are stifling restaurant hiring as COVID-19 rules are relaxed.

“The problem that we are facing now and has caused us to pivot again is staffing,” Rathskeller general manager John Clark told WGN. “We are just not getting applicants. At this point, we have zero applications on three to four different media that we’re trying to push out for applications.”

In order to encourage more individuals to return to work, state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) has joined Republican colleague Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) in urging Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to eliminate further benefits, as 25 other states have done.

Niemerg noted in a press release that at least 15 state governors have pledged to stop the additional payments as of May 15.

Neimerg also stated that 422,093 individuals throughout the state were still receiving unemployment benefits, despite verified job opportunities.