Macon Reporter

Veteran Illinois state Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) laments that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s rising threats in his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic are a sign of the times.

“The threat of withholding federal funding and sending in Illinois police is intimidation and might even be criminal intimidation,” Halbrook told the Macon Reporter. “The governor is losing control of the state and citizens are pushing back. You can only go on so long denying people their civil liberties and constitutional rights.”

As tensions grow and criticism of the stay-at-home order he put into place nearly two months ago and recently extended through the end of May swell, the governor revealed he is now considering withholding funding from counties that seek to reopen before his executive order expires. More recently, he added that he may be willing to have law enforcement take action against businesses that seek to reopen before he has outlined.

“From the very beginning, the governor has picked winners and losers,” Halbrook said. “He has deemed one business to be more essential than another and he’s denying law-abiding citizens that are playing by the rules the right to provide for themselves and family.”

Halbrook said desperate and frustrated small business owners are doing the only thing many of them feel they can do to have any chance of keeping their businesses afloat and livelihoods intact.

“The governor needs to rethink his strategy and do what’s right for all the people of Illinois,” he said. “Right now, the moving of the goalpost never seems to end with this administration. Phase 5 of his Restore Illinois plan for fully restoring the economy seems totally unattainable and I think more people are figuring there’s no way we get back to pre-corona levels with things like that in place.”