Taking aim at Illinois, Trump says he'll prioritize stopping invasive carp
The Republican president's memo directs the administration to 'achieve maximum speed and efficiency' in stopping the fish.
'This includes supporting the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, through deadline-oriented investments of taxpayer dollars, to ensure the State of Illinois does not stand in the way of its construction,' the memo reads.
Illinois presses pause on 'critical' invasive carp project, cites federal funding concerns
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office says she raised the issue of the Brandon Road project in Illinois with the president when she met him in the Oval Office weeks ago. She praised Trump's memo, stressing the importance of the project.
'After years of advocacy alongside our partners in Illinois and together with a wide range of stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels, we now have renewed assurances from the Administration to move forward expeditiously on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project,' Whitmer, a Democrat, said in a Friday statement. 'I am grateful to the President for his commitment.
In the works for more than a decade, the goal of the Brandon Road project is to implement renovations to an existing lock and dam to keep invasive carp from moving from the Chicago Area Waterway System into the Great Lakes. The hungry invasive fish are capable of doing significant damage to local ecosystems because they eat up the food source of native species. That would harm fishing and tourism industries.
'That's why I went to Washington, DC to advocate for this project face-to-face with the President at the White House. I am grateful that, in the midst of a lot of change at the federal level, he is confirming that our federal partners are as committed as ever to getting this done,' Whitmer stated. 'Michigan continues to win because we show up, talk to anyone, and work together to get things done.'
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading the Brandon Road project and most of it is expected to be funded by the feds, with some $274 million already allocated. Michigan has promised $64 million and Illinois $50 million.
First construction contract awarded on long-awaited $1.1 billion invasive carp project
But earlier this year, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, hit pause on his state's part of the project. The Detroit News reported he cited concerns about federal funding, saying the Trump administration had frozen about $117 million in grants to his state's department of natural resources.
Trump's memo called on Illinois to get back on board.
'The Federal Government is prepared to do its part, but the States where preventative measures can be taken must cooperate,' the memo reads in part. 'The State of Illinois, where the Brandon Road Interbasin Project is located, must cease further delay in cooperating with this effort, for the sake of its own citizens and economy and for the sake of all of the Great Lakes States.'
The memo went on to say Illinois should start buying up the land needed for the project by July 1 and quickly grant any permits the Army Corps needs.
'Federal agency heads shall similarly streamline any permitting and environmental reviews and issue any requisite Federal permits or approvals as quickly as possible,' the memo says.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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