South Central Reporter

Senator Jason Plummer R-IL) recently criticized Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) after she expressed shock at Caterpillar's announcement to move its headquarters from Illinois.

In a June 16 Facebook post, Plummer wrote that Duckworth, Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker were "out of touch" and that their policies helped drive the company out of the state.

"They've decimated Illinois' middle class with a crushing tax load; they've decimated Illinois' once vibrant business community with crushing regulations, a broken workers comp system, and a litigation environment that ensures frivolous, extortion-level lawsuit abuse against Illinois employers," Plummer wrote, "If Senator Duckworth was "shocked" by this and doesn't understand the consequences of her progressive policies, perhaps she shouldn't be a senator; She is on the ballot this year. Maybe Illinoisans will "shock" her."

In his Facebook post, Plummer also included a link to a Free Beacon article that quoted Duckworth's remarks.

"I’m shocked and disappointed by Caterpillar’s decision to move its HQ from Illinois," Duckworth said, "While this will only directly affect about 1.5 percent of IL-based employees, I'll keep working to encourage Caterpillar to preserve jobs and follow through on its promise to hire even more Illinoisans."

Caterpillar first announced their plan to relocate its headquarters to Dallas in a June 14 press release.

 “We believe it’s in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move, which supports Caterpillar’s strategy for profitable growth as we help our customers build a better, more sustainable world,” said Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby.

Since the 1960s, Caterpillar has maintained a presence in Texas across a variety of corporate divisions.

However, Illinois continues to have the highest number of Caterpillar personnel worldwide.

Bloomberg News reports that Caterpillar expects the move will help the company draw new personnel while the presence of two major airports in the regions would help increase global access to its employees, customers, and dealer network.

"The company said in a statement it will begin shifting its Deerfield headquarters to Irving, Texas, this year, affecting 230 jobs," wrote Bloomberg News.