Will County Gazette

Veteran state Rep. Margo McDermed (R-Mokena) is pressing Gov. J.B. Pritzker to take one critical burden off suddenly struggling residents across the state.

“The first thing the governor needs to do is to be honest with himself and all the people that the inadequate job he’s done up to now has made it harder,” McDermed told the Will County Gazette. “He continues to act as if there’s not a problem or the problem is solved, while everything about the situation makes it clear neither is the case.”

With the lingering COVID-19 crisis having instantly left at least 2 million residents unemployed and in need of benefits, critics charge the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has failed to meet the moment in being considered one of the worst states in the country in terms of making speedy payouts available. The list of excuses offered up by Pritzker range from his Republican predecessor leaving the agency inadequately staffed to having to work with outdated equipment. McDermed thinks that’s only part of the problem.

“The agency is part of the executive branch and that’s where you start with placing the blame,” she said. “The pandemic hit from nowhere and Illinois was not alone in not being prepared for it. At issue is now we’re more than half a year in and the governor is still saying it’s not a problem when it clearly is. The problems that are there were there before and nothing has changed. People simply not getting the help they need and deserve.”

According to the Better Government Association, from March through August of this year, IDES paid out upwards of $14.2 billion to roughly 2.1 million claimants, though the agency admits that workers sometimes “moved jobless claims that came through elected officials to the front of the line over applications that came directly from taxpayers.”

McDermed is now hoping for better days.

“We have a new director and hopefully that means making the changes needed in staffing and getting the department up to speed with technology,” she said. “I know we can’t fix things by pretending the problems don’t exist.”