DeKalb Times

Rep. Jeff Keicher took to Facebook to voice criticism toward how Illinois Democrats are handling the state’s finances.

“We still have done nothing in Illinois that will stop the tax increase on every job in Illinois and the benefits cut to unemployment,” he wrote.

The comment comes after Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the state’s budget for the 2023 fiscal year. In the budget, there will be $1.8 million in tax relief for families.

In his Facebook post, Keicher shared a link to a Youtube video where he discussed the Democrats' tax hike.

“We have a way of over-complicating things beyond what's needed we are considering a measure now where we will borrow money and tax every single job in the state of Illinois let me repeat that we are going to borrow and tax every single job in this state of Illinois when are we going to act responsibly paying half the debt is not the responsible thing to do going to borrow hand taxed every single job in the state of Illinois,” he said. “The only way to avoid a tax increase the only way to avoid a tax increase and to avoid any benefit cuts is to pay the full jets it is no more complicated than that.”

Illinois Policy reported the state added 18,800 jobs from mid-May to mid-June, though its unemployment rate of 4.5% is high when compared to other Midwest states.

“Nearly all major industries experienced job gains during the month,” Bryce Hill, senior research analyst for Illinois Policy, wrote. “The largest gains came from the leisure and hospitality sector, which grew payrolls by 9,900 during the month.”

Keicher isn't the only one who is asking questions and demanding that something happen. 

In November 2021, Rep. Steve Reick challenged Pritzker regarding the unemployment trust fund and its repayment. 

According to a release by Reick, the state has received upwards of $8 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the federal government. On May 17, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released guidance specifying that states could use ARPA money to restore their unemployment funds to pre-pandemic levels, and many states did just that. 

Pritzker committed $100 million.

“The governor is slow-walking the state’s obligation to repay its Unemployment Trust Fund debt to the Federal government at a cost to you of $300,000 per day, hoping that the Feds will forgive the debt without using ARPA funds to do so,” Reick posted on Facebook. “Any ARPA money he’s using to prop up programs funded by General Revenue will then become part of the next budget year’s baseline.”