Will County Gazette

State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) struggles to understand how Illinois Democrats can justify extending Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants at a time when the state’s finances are in complete disarray.

“We’re not doing a good enough job taking care of our own citizens to be taking on more responsibility,” Batinick told the Will County Gazette. “You’ve got to be able to take care of home before venturing out to other places.”

As part of the state’s newly passed $42 billion spending plan, Democrats are poised to make Illinois the first state in the country to extend Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants, with those over the age of 65 with incomes of $12,670 or less becoming eligible on July 1, 2021.

Again, Batinick is at a loss.

“You ask yourself how they in good conscience could be pushing something like this,” he said of the plan Democrats banded to send to the desk of the governor during the recent four-day special session held in Springfield. “When you’re not able to pay your own bills there’s no way we should be expanding out into other areas. That’s just common sense.”

Batinick has previously blasted the budget the governor is almost certain to sign off on as riddled with inconsistencies, including an $1,800 pay hike lawmakers carved out for themselves as part of the package.

“I’m dumbfounded at the fact legislators would push for something like this while so many people across this state are suffering the way they are,” he said. “It just speaks to the misplaced priorities of some of those in the legislature.”

Batinick has also been critical of all the borrowing needed to hold the budget plan together.

“There’s just not much about it that strikes me as Springfield showing that they’re serious about finally doing what we need to be doing to turn things around,” he said.