Pritzker Urges Trump Administration to Release Funding for Great Lakes Protection Project (Springfield, IL) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is calling on the Trump administration to release federal funding for a major infrastructure project designed to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, warning that continued delays could threaten a vital freshwater resource and economic engine for the region.
In a statement Friday, Pritzker said the administration has paused funding for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a barrier system planned near Joliet that aims to stop invasive carp species from migrating from the Illinois River into Lake Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes.
The project has been under administrative review since December 2025, and federal funds have not yet been released. According to the governor’s office, the administration has not provided a timeline for when the project may move forward.
“The Great Lakes are a treasured international resource and the largest fresh water source in the world,” Pritzker said. “If the Trump Administration does not deliver needed federal funds, then they are betraying every American that relies on this water.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also urged the federal government to release the funding. Illinois and Michigan are currently the only Great Lakes states that have committed financial resources to the project, though Pritzker said he would welcome support from all eight states in the region.
The dispute comes months after President Donald Trump issued a memorandum in May 2025 pledging federal support to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp, including delivering $225 million approved by Congress for the Brandon Road project. Pritzker’s office argues that the current pause contradicts that commitment.
In addition to the construction funding delay, three federal grants totaling $13.6 million for invasive carp removal efforts in Illinois have also been paused pending review by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Illinois officials say the delay could slow progress in controlling the species. The state has contracted commercial fishermen to remove carp from waterways, and nearly 78 million pounds of invasive carp have been removed so far, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
State officials say Illinois has continued advancing preparations for the Brandon Road project despite the funding uncertainty. The state recently secured land necessary for construction and has hosted meetings with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and regional partners to coordinate the next steps.
Environmental officials warn that invasive carp could severely disrupt the Great Lakes ecosystem if they reach the lakes, threatening native fish populations and harming the region’s fishing, tourism and shipping industries. The Great Lakes also provide drinking water to more than 40 million people.
The Brandon Road Interbasin Project would install a series of deterrents, including electric barriers, sound systems and other technologies, to block carp from moving upstream toward Lake Michigan.
Pritzker said Illinois has invested in the effort for more than a decade and will continue pressing the federal government to move the project forward.
“This is a crucial regional project,” he said, adding that Illinois taxpayers should not have to shoulder the burden alone.
Pritzker Urges Trump Administration to Release Funding for Great Lakes Protection Project
