Rep. Demmer talks about all the bad news that FY 2023 has brought to the people of Illinois.
Republicans are not happy with the budget that Gov. JB Pritzker has signed. The governor's rivals are aiming at him for his tax hike record.
"You were bailed out by billions in direct federal aid from the CARES Act and the American Recovery Act. You were bailed out by billions in additional funding from the federal government Medicaid matching funds. You were bailed out by across the country trillions of dollars that were injected into our economies that led to higher-than-expected collection of revenue for the state temporarily," said Demmer.
Republicans were critical of the FY 2023 budget, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed late last month. "It's election year gimmicks. What the truth of the matter is, he's raised over 24 tax and fee hikes on the people of Illinois, worth over $5 billion. Average families are paying over $2,000 more in taxes under JB Pritzker," Illinois gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan said, reported Fox 32 Chicago.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy provided a statement to ABC 20, saying, "Instead of permanent solutions for working families like real tax cuts and reduced spending, Democrats passed temporary election-year gimmicks, a massive increase in spending, and pay raises for politicians. In the face of record inflation and a crushing tax burden, Democrats gave taxpayers a handful of candy and told them to suck it up. They failed to provide real relief to taxpayers and all but guaranteed tax increases when the federal bailout money goes away."
"Just a few years ago, some people said what we've achieved was impossible. But it's true. Our bill backlog is paid off. Our pension liabilities are reduced. Our rainy day fund is recovering, and we are delivering $1.8 billion of direct tax relief to the people we serve," Pritzker said to WBEZ Chicago.
Alerts Sign-up