Anti-Trump bluster hides Illinois vulnerability to federal control

A new report finds Illinois lacks protection from federal overreach, with few safeguards to limit funding and mandates.

The record U.S. government shutdown highlighted on how states can be impacted by federal reliance, but some states have worked to protect themselves while Illinois remains vulnerable.

A recent report from the Center for Practical Federalism ranking each state in terms of vulnerability ranked Illinois nearly at the bottom in 46th place. That means it’s not well-positioned to resist federal overreach, turn away federal dollars or handle a government shutdown.

As he works to build a potential White House bid, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has loudly decried the Trump administration and the potential for Illinois to lose federal dollars. The report shows the state has limited coping skills should the rhetoric become reality.

Many decisions are best made at the state and local level, but the federal government can exert power by dangling the promise of federal dollars in front of states not well-positioned to resist.

While Illinois’ legislative subpoena power and magnitude of federal lobbying by state agencies were both rated better than average by the report, every other factor was rated vulnerable or completely unprotected from federal control.

Two big reasons for why Illinois ranks so low: weak legislative oversight of state agencies and an overreliance on federal funds.

Legislative oversight of state agencies

Illinois makes lobbyists register if they try to influence state lawmakers. But there’s no requirement that state agencies themselves need permission from lawmakers to talk to the federal government. That means federal leaders could have an easy way to influence what Illinois does, and voters would have almost no way to hold state or federal bureaucrats accountable.

Agencies must share some information about the grants they get, but lawmakers don’t always review the conditions or long-term costs before the money is accepted. That means Illinois might agree to rules or costs it didn’t plan for. Some grants cost the state extra money that the federal government doesn’t pay back. There’s no rule saying lawmakers must review these extra costs before Illinois agrees to take the grant.

There’s also no rule stating the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules must inform the rest of the General Assembly about how “laws are implemented through agency rulemaking.” There’s no requirement lawmakers look at new rules from federal grants before Illinois accepts them.

Overreliance on federal funds

Illinois spends an average of $26.6 billion in federal dollars each year, according to the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act Annual Report. Of that, $15.8 billion goes to state agencies and grantees. Because so much of Illinois’ budget comes from federal dollars, the state doesn’t have much freedom to refuse federal demands or survive without that money.

Additionally, if federal money runs out, Illinois doesn’t have a strong plan to deal with it. This could cause big problems for the state budget. Especially now, as Pritzker clashes with the Trump administration, he should be looking for ways to reduce the state’s reliance on those funds to avoid federal coercion.

His only defensive move has been to ask state agencies to set aside 4% of their 2026 budgets – in case. He’s refused to disclose details of those potential cuts.

“A state legislature that doesn’t exercise adequate powers of oversight, investigation, and reversal of state agency actions leaves its citizens vulnerable to undemocratic and often undetected federal influence,” the Center for Federalism researchers wrote.

Illinois lawmakers should take this opportunity to strengthen their oversight and planning, ensuring the state is governed by elected officials in Springfield – not bureaucratic rules emanating from Washington, D.C.