(The Center Square) – Members of both major political parties in Illinois are anticipating changes in the federal government with Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The returning president is scheduled to be inaugurated inside the U.S. Capitol Monday, due to cold weather in Washington, D.C.
Chicago South Side Republican Chairman Devin Jones said he expects the new administration to be a breath of fresh air.
“It seem like there’s gonna be an era of government accountability, which is what our Constitution upholds,” Jones told The Center Square.
Jones said he listened to confirmation hearings for Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
“As a Navy veteran, I know how incompetent the Department of Defense has been, and to think that department hasn’t passed an audit,” Jones said.
Jones said he looked forward to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development nominee Scott Turner making housing affordable for residents instead of for illegal aliens.
State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, chairs the Illinois House Committee on Immigration and Human Rights. She said she does not trust the new president coming in.
“He has said many things. One day he switches and the next day he says something else. We just don’t know,” Hernandez told The Center Square. “He’s unpredictable and because of that unpredictability, I feel like it’s my duty as a leader in my community to make sure that my community is aware.”
Hernandez hoped that there might be a path to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients.
“There are many students that have gone through college and they are facing a roadblock because they can’t get hired anywhere in their degree, because of their status. I do hope that something positive can come out of all this, but, unfortunately, I’m not holding my breath,” Hernandez said.
State Rep. Murri Briel, D-Ottawa, expressed concern about potential reductions in federal government.
“If they abolish the Department of Education, well, that adds more state burden onto us to provide funding for our universities and community colleges,” Briel told The Center Square.
Jones said he looked forward to making Illinois less corrupt once the federal government is in its proper place.
