The Illinois Senate Republicans are amplifying complaints
made earlier by the Illinois Republican Party and others about a massive
economic development project in Manteno.
The ILGOP complained in a recent fundraising email about
the “encroachment” of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on the economy,
then connected Gotion, Inc. to the CCP. Gotion’s American subsidiary is
building a massive, $2 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Kankakee
County with big help from state and local governments.
Elements of the far right, including former state Rep.
Jeanne Ives and various newsletters and social media forums have essentially
claimed that the communists are using taxpayer funds to build some sort of spy
base, or use it to promote CCP activities, or something. It’s not totally clear
what. The state GOP claimed the plant would be built “right next to a military
base,” which isn’t true, unless you count National Guard and Army Reserve camps
in that category.
Anyway, the Senate Republicans expressed their own
concerns in what was supposed to be a private letter to Gov. JB Pritzker last
week, which I obtained. Gotion is based in California, but its parent company
was founded in China and has standard language in its Chinese charter about how
it will “carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the
Communist Party of China.”
“During your conversations with Gotion Inc.,” the SGOPs
asked the governor, “were there any discussions concerning whether the company
will continue to ‘ensure necessary conditions for carrying out Party
activities’ while in Illinois?”
Man, what I wouldn’t give to see Chinese commies try to
organize a cell in Manteno. That would be a hoot.
Look, the Chinese are already here. Several Chinese
companies invest in Illinois and several Illinois companies do business in
China. The computer used to create that letter was probably made in China or
has lots of Chinese components.
More importantly, Illinois Manufacturers Association CEO
Mark Denzler pointed out to me when I called that a federal process exists to
assess security risks for companies like Gotion and, he said, that process will
play itself out here as well. Denzler, a lifelong Republican, doesn’t seem to
have any major concerns and was at the project’s Manteno unveiling. Gotion was
already given a federal green light in Michigan.
The US Departments of Defense, Justice and State have not
expressed any qualms about the project that anyone knows of. The company is
required to invest $2 billion and create at least 2,600 good-paying jobs.
Gotion is using American workers to build a product with lots of American-made
components for American-made automobiles. Yeah, it’s the Chinese government.
They have to be watched, for sure. But that’s not the state’s responsibility.
That’s on the federal government.
And the Senate Republicans’ questions about whether the
plant’s workers will be union members or whether there are any safeguards for
workers’ rights have some legitimacy, particularly since a majority of the
caucus voted for the union-backed Workers’ Rights Amendment.
Manteno is about 15 miles from the Indiana border. If
Gotion had opened its massive new plant in Hoosierville, the Republicans
would’ve undoubtedly pounced on the governor’s failure.
Manteno is represented in the House by a Republican, Rep.
Jackie Haas, who supports the project. The state party and Senate Republican
attacks are not sitting well with the House Republicans, but they’ve had to
remain mostly silent.
The governor has put an enormous amount of time and
effort into getting this deal done. Illinois has a bad reputation among
business types. Overcoming those reputational hurdles ain’t easy, which is why
Pritzker has had to work so hard to achieve this goal.
Pritzker also believes that closing this deal will
convince other companies to follow along. So, he’s not about to sit back while
people dump on this accomplishment.
The letter Pritzker sent back to the Senate Republicans
was brutal, accusing them of “doubling down on your own irrelevance.”
“Opposing 2,600 jobs and $2 billion dollars in investment
for a community that needs it is a curious position, but I have long since
stopped trying to understand what the Illinois Republican Party has become,” he
wrote.
The Republicans replied that they were simply asking some
questions and would still like them answered. Then again, a cynic could point
to the fact that Democratic Sen. Patrick Joyce is up for reelection next year.
The Manteno plant is in his district, and he is an enthusiastic supporter.
