Illinois Republicans Blast Democrats Over "Under-handed" Obama Library Fund Vote
A recent plan for the state of Illinois to provide $100 million of state money toward the development of a presidential library for President Barack Obama has got the state's GOP officials in a tizzy.
Last week, the Democrats in the House committee approved the fund while at an out-of-town hearing in Chicago where there were no Republican members present. They were able to do so based on procedural move where they could use votes from a previous meeting, Fox News reported.
House Leader Jim Durkin and other Republican Party lawmakers blasted their Democratic counterparts and referred to their actions as "shenanigans," "under-handed" and "Chicago politics."
"What they did last week was under-handed and sneaky and offers further proof they no longer can be trusted with taxpayer money," Durkin said.
State GOP Rep. Dwight Kay was a temporary member of the committee for the library. He argued that his vote shouldn't have counted as he would not have a supported such a figure of money.
"This is typical Chicago politics at work," Kay said. "The Chicago Democrats knew I wouldn't support spending $100 million that we don't have on a presidential library, so they decided to violate their own rules and cast my vote anyway."
Since the uprising and onslaught of accusations, the state Democrats have backed off their push for the fund as local publications such as the Herald Review wrote scathing editorials of their decision to approve that kind of funding in a state that is facing economic issues.
"A state that is nearly broke has no business spending $100 million on a potential Barack Obama presidential library," the Herald Review wrote. "Throw in some parliamentary procedure shenanigans and the Obama presidential library is quickly becoming the typical Illinois government story -- spend money that isn't there and do it in a sneaky way."
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