Area Legislators Highly Critical of Pritzker, Budget Measure

Area state senators and state representatives were unanimous in their criticism of Governor Pritzker's budget message Wednesday, but often critical also of the governor.

State Representative Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) 

“The budget the governor presented today will spend over $55 billion, an increase of $2 billion over the previous year—an increase of nearly 40% in state spending since the governor took office six years ago. The proposed budget is filled with pretend cuts, aspirational revenue estimates and budget gimmickry. History would indicate this governor and his supermajority in both chambers have never shown fiscal restraint, nor have they been willing to cut inefficient or underperforming programs.

“The governor has a constitutional obligation to present and sign a balanced budget—but recent history tells a different story. Just last spring, in the final hours of the legislative session, Democrats pushed through an unbalanced budget, only to change the rules at 3 a.m. to pass a $1.2 billion tax hike on an unprecedented third vote.

“Make no mistake—this budget is a smoke-and-mirrors scheme designed to justify yet another tax hike on hardworking Illinoisans, further cementing the Democratic agenda that is making Illinois politically uninhabitable. This budget spends more than the previous year while continuing to expand programs that fund illegal aliens. Meanwhile, Illinois continues to lose employers and residents.

“There is no property tax relief. No regulatory relief. No meaningful support for Illinois families. Again, if history is any guide, Democrats will once again vote to spend more of your hard-earned money while refusing to pass any legislation that cuts taxes or eases financial burdens on working families struggling under the worst inflation in over 40 years.

“The governor mocked his critics, calling them "backseat bellyachers" peddling "magic bean solutions"—yet his own budget and vision for the state are built on nothing but magic beans. My question to the governor is simple: What kind of fertilizer are you using to grow such enormous “magic beans”?”

State Representative Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City)

“Well, you know you are losing when you have to resort to calling your political opponents Nazis. That’s completely disgusting and unfortunately par for the course for JB Pritzker. He is proving more and more every day that he’s just a disgusting loser. He’s having a lot of trouble coming to grips with the fact that he will never be the president, and that really troubles him. But the American people reject the stupid “B.S.” that he puts out.

“JB likes to pay lip service to working families, but I can tell you there has not been a governor in the nation that’s been worse for working families than JB Pritzker! He doubled the utility bills with the green new scam that they passed in Illinois. He doubled the gas tax. Both are extremely regressive towards poor and middle-income families. He’s trapping kids in dangerous and failing schools. He’s wasted hundreds of billions of dollars in federal money and now leaves us with over a $3 billion hole in the budget that’s going to lead us to even higher taxes, and it’s going to lead local governments to raise property taxes to try to make up for it. This is his legacy. None of it’s good for average Illinois citizens.

"If we are going to get things going in this state, we’ve got to change the way we are doing business. We need massive deregulation, especially with energy. That is key to lowering inflation. We need to lower the cost of doing business including reforming workers compensation system and corporate taxes. We need to be attractive to investment. That means a one hundred percent “expensing” on people that want to bring jobs to Illinois. I’m talking “expensing” land, operations, and equipment. We need to be aggressive. That’s the best pro-growth policy out there. We are going to have to deal with property taxes. It’s absolutely killing our industrial potential. People don’t ever own anything. We need education freedom! If we started doing some of these things we would get out of the bottom of all of these lists and there would be more opportunity in Illinois, and we could start to live up to our potential."

State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich)

“Not once did the Governor mention property tax relief. Not once did he mention pension reform. Not once did he mention the public safety concerns in Chicagoland. He did however mention Donald Trump at least six times in his speech. How is this helpful?

"We all know JB Pritzker hates Donald Trump, but the State of the State is the Governor’s opportunity to lay out his vision for the state. Instead of focusing on President Trump, the Governor should focus on the issues Illinois residents actually care about. Governor Pritzker insists he is presenting a “Balanced” budget but as usual these schemes are deceiving. For years, the state has been using creative accounting gimmicks to create the illusion of a ‘balanced’ budget. They increase income projections and then lower spending projections and voila – the budget is ‘Balanced.’ But then when the bills come due, the payment cycle is stretched out longer and longer and, in the end, taxpayers take it on the chin because there is a monthly penalty for delayed state payments. The solution is to do a better job of managing our money. What we need is an Illinois version of the Department of Government Efficiency. It is baffling to me that we cannot have bipartisan support for managing our resources better and preventing these constant gaping budget holes that are a staple for all of these so-called ‘Balanced’ budgets. The vast majority of Americans support President Trump’s efforts to secure our borders and deport criminals here illegally.

"The Governor and the Democratic majority in the House are out of touch with the majority of American people. Instead of prioritizing the needs of our own citizens, they are continuing to pour money into programs for illegal immigrants. We have a responsibility to address the concerns of our own citizens. It is not the job of the state of Illinois to solve the immigration crisis. Maybe if we had leaders in this state who focused on the needs of Illinois citizens, we would no longer be a state people are anxious to leave.”

State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville)

“I’m not sure how anyone can trust what the Governor is saying right now. Just a couple months ago, his budget office was projecting a $3.2 billion deficit. Now, just in time for his budget address, he claims they found another $2 billion. Seriously? Let’s remember this is the same man that has claimed all of his budgets have been balanced when they weren’t even close.

“Here’s what we do know. Money is tight. Families are struggling. Even our federal government is finally taking a close look at spending to try to save taxpayer funds. But back here in Illinois, Governor Pritzker is once again proposing the largest spending plan in state history. Let that sink in. Right now, Pritzker’s plan would have annual state spending up by 37% since he took office. Has your salary gone up that much in the same time period? Of course not, but you’re on the hook for the Governor’s reckless spending spree, with no relief in sight.”

State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet)

“Pritzker has a spending problem. Since Governor Pritzker took office, the budget has skyrocketed by nearly $15 billion, a staggering 37% increase. Think about that. How many people have had a paycheck at home that has gone up 37% in just a few couple years?

“Year after year Governor Pritzker has blown up the state budget. Illinoisians simply cannot keep up, and instead of making responsible choices, the Governor is looking to taxpayers to bail him out all while continuing to provide free healthcare for illegal immigrants.

“Enough is enough. The people of Illinois deserve better. They deserve responsible budgeting, fiscal transparency, and policies that put them first, not political ambition.”

State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield)

“My constituents are worried about record-high property taxes, out-of-control costs for everyday items, and they are concerned that the state is not doing enough to help. Governor Pritzker’s speech did nothing to address the real concerns that our citizens have across the state. Instead, he proposed the biggest budget in our state’s history, and then went on to give a political speech. It’s obvious that Governor Pritzker is desperate for national media attention, while the people of Illinois are desperate for real leadership."