Illinois Governor Responds to Criticism Over Federal Troops

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, referred to the recent comments made by Oklahoma’s Republican governor as “good news.” He called for more Republicans to voice their opposition to the deployment of federal troops across state lines.

In an interview with ABC News’ “This Week,” Pritzker emphasized the importance of unity, stating, “We all have to come together because there’s some really unconstitutional behavior coming out of this administration directed at our state and our people. It’s crucial that we all speak out about this, both Democrats and Republicans.”

Pritzker specifically commended Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt for refusing to allow Texas National Guard troops in the greater Chicago area, which, he believes, undermines states’ rights.

“Governor Stitt has made it clear that we shouldn’t federalize one state by sending troops into another. He would be offended if I sent troops into his state,” Pritzker noted when speaking to George Stephanopoulos.

Expressing his frustration, Pritzker said, “I’m upset that Greg Abbott is bringing troops into my state. Even Governor Scott of Vermont sees this as unconstitutional. So, it’s good news that Republicans are now calling out the Trump administration. They should be doing that more often.”

In a separate interview with the New York Times, Stitt expressed surprise over Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to send troops to Illinois against Pritzker’s wishes. He argued that this approach was misguided.

“We believe in a federalist system. It’s a matter of states’ rights,” Stitt remarked. “If Governor Pritzker from Illinois sent troops into Oklahoma during the Biden administration, that would be a huge issue for Oklahomans.”

Stitt continued, “I was taken aback by Governor Abbott’s decision to send troops from Texas to Illinois. We challenged the Biden administration when it was attempting to enforce vaccine mandates on soldiers and mask mandates nationwide.”

He added, “Pitting one governor against another isn’t the way to handle this situation, in my opinion.”

As of Wednesday evening, reports indicated that around 200 Texas National Guard members and roughly 300 Illinois National Guard members were deployed in the greater Chicago area. A follow-up update on Friday mentioned that the Chicago National Guard was “not conducting any operations at this time.”