House Minority Leader Tony McCombie released the following statement in response to the Illinois Auditor General’s report on the state run HBIA/HBIS program for undocumented immigrants, which far exceeded enrollment and cost estimates:
“House Republicans warned about the costly expansion of this program when it was first exposed last year. We could not afford it then, and we cannot afford it now. Yet, Democratic leadership forced taxpayers to shoulder the burden of this reckless spending for non-citizens, pushing our state’s finances to the brink.
“Beyond the overwhelming cost, reports of fraud and abuse make it even clearer that this program must end. There is no need to wait until the next fiscal year—immediately shut it down and protect Illinois taxpayers.”
Read the full audit report here: 25-HFS-HBIS-HBIA-Perf-Digest.pdf.