By Illinois Review
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker testified Wednesday before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee alongside fellow sanctuary city governors – occasionally appearing visibly stunned and unprepared under intense national scrutiny.
The hearing, which included New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, centered on the Democrat governors’ sanctuary city policies and the billions in taxpayer dollars wasted supporting undocumented immigrants – while their own citizens continue to struggle and suffer financially.
At one point, Pritzker – who remains a close ally of former President Joe Biden, misled members of the committee by falsely claiming he was critical of Biden’s open border policies, stating,
“I was critical of things that President Biden did. I think I’ve been very public about that.”
As governor, Pritzker has actively supported legislation and policies benefiting undocumented immigrants. For instance, in 2019, he banned private detention centers for migrants. In 2020, he launched healthcare services for undocumented immigrants, with funding totaling over $1.6 billion through 2025. Then, in 2023, he committed $160 million to provide job assistance and housing for this population.
Although he has taken additional steps related to immigration, Pritzker has never publicly criticized Biden or his border policies.
On October 2, 2023, Pritzker sent a letter to Biden stating that Illinois’ resources were overwhelmed by the influx of undocumented immigrants and requested, among other things, increased federal funding.
The most striking moment of the hearing came when Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) questioned Pritzker about his stance on men using women’s bathrooms.
“You tweeted: ‘As a protest against President Trump, everyone should use the other gender’s bathroom today.’ Have you ever used the women’s restroom?”
A visibly stunned Pritzker replied,
“Not that I can recall.”
Gill then asked,
“So you just wanted everybody else to do it, but you didn’t?”
At that moment, the Democratic governor was left speechless and struggling to come up with a response.
Since 2022, Illinois taxpayers have contributed over $3 billion in support of undocumented immigrants, while the state—under Pritzker’s leadership—remains a primary destination for transgender and transition-related services.
