The federal government owes Illinois nearly $2 billion in funding, the governor and legislators say, as they look to D.C. for answers.

Gov. JB Pritzker along with Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and the Illinois Democratic congressional delegation say several state departments are not receiving federal funds. They also say a lack of clarity has made the future uncertain concerning the funding of the agencies, per President Donald Trump's aim to pause certain grant, loan and other financial assistance programs.

The continual withholding of funding has “forced many to pause operations, cancel projects, or cut staff,” according to a letter they wrote to the Russell Vought , who is the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

What Illinois agencies are not receiving money and what do those agencies do? Here’s what you need to know.

What agencies are not receiving funding?

Nine state agencies, boards, and commissions have a total of $692 million in federal funds “obligated but not yet received, and they are unable to access those funds," according to the letter.

Also, 10 state agencies, boards, and commissions have a total of $1.19 billion in federal funds “anticipated/awarded but not yet obligated, and the grants/programs are essentially paused.”

What is the purpose of the letter?

The funds in question were passed by Congress, signed into law, and promised to Illinois, the authors wrote.

They also said the funds have been "contractually agreed to, allocated, and planned around by their recipients—which include childcare providers, educational institutions, small businesses, community and economic development organizations, and more."

How long has this been happening?

Problems began on Jan. 28 following a directive from the White House Office of Management and Budget to federal agencies to the day prior to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.”

That day saw “widespread reports of system outages and lockouts that prevented grantees from accessing entitled funding. Attempted communications with government liaisons were often ignored and public statements from the White House were inconsistent with the experiences of our grantees.”

Since then, the legislators wrote, they have continued to receive reports from agencies and organizations detailing their inability to access funds.

What do these agencies do?

“These frozen funds impact programs that provide technical assistance for small businesses, provide affordable solar energy for low-income residents, improve roads and bridges,” the letter reads.

What else is Illinois doing about it?

Gov. Pritzker traveled to Washington D.C. this week to meet with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and talk about the issue, among other reasons for the visit, according to the governor's office.

Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at [email protected].