Quincy legislators react to Pritzker budget address

State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said Gov. JB Pritzker needs to refocus his spending priorities from the national spotlight back to Illinois and pass a spending plan that will not be balanced on the back of hard-working families.

In his annual Budget Address to a joint session of legislators Wednesday in the House of Representatives chambers, the Governor announced a $55.4 billion spending plan – the state’s largest budget ever, representing a 37 percent increase since the current Administration took office in 2019.

“Gov. Pritzker has made it abundantly clear that Illinoisans are not his priority,” Tracy said. “By any financial measurement, such out-of-control spending is not sustainable. Such record-high spending puts Illinois’ fiscal future in jeopardy. And enough of the fuzzy math! Last week, Illinois had a $3.2 billion budget hole. Now, as if by magic, the Governor says they’ve ‘found’ $2 billion.”

Tracy said all lawmakers need to stand together and send the Governor a clear message: Taxpayers deserve the truth, real transparency, not political games.

“Illinois families deserve better than political ambition over practical solutions. The Governor recently backtracked on taxes,” Tracy said. “After promising that tax hikes wouldn’t be on the table, he’s now saying ‘taxes should not be the first, but rather the last resort.’ My legislative colleagues and I think it is time to put the people first.”

State Rep. Kyle Moore (R-Quincy) said he was disappointed that Governor Pritzker’s new state budget proposal again fails to address the need for fiscal responsibility and real budget reforms needed to deliver for Illinois families and businesses.

“This budget is simply not fiscally sound. Expenses grow at a faster rate than our revenues. We can’t do this in our homes, and we shouldn’t do it in government,” Moore said. “With growing deficits and declining revenues, Governor Pritzker again has proposed the largest budget in state history – $55.2 billion! That’s a nearly 4% increase over last year’s enacted budget, and yet funding will be cut for core priorities, including $171 million taken from road construction and repair.”

Moore said Illinois is facing a deficit of at least $425 million for the new fiscal year based on existing revenue and the governor’s spending plan. Rather than budgeting based on reliable revenue estimates, the governor proposed $590 million in new taxes, transfers, and other budget gimmicks in an attempt to sustain out-of-control spending.

“But I must ask how many more years will democrats go down the same failed road before they admit that we will never tax and spend our way into prosperity? I want to hear a plan that makes Illinois more affordable for our families and businesses, shrinks the size of government, and makes our state a more desirable place to live and locate a business.”

Moore did give the governor props for including funds needed for improvements at the Jacksonville Developmental Center.

“I am pleased to see leaders in the state have recognized the condition of the Jacksonville Developmental Center and included the facility in the Surplus to Success program,” Moore said. “That has been a very long time coming.”