DeKalb Times

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly voted to implement a $53.1 billion spending plan, passing the largest budget in state history without Republican support. The Fiscal Year 2025 budget is $2.6 billion more than last year’s enacted budget and includes pay raises for politicians and $1 billion for non-citizens. Additionally, Democrats voted for $1 billion in tax hikes to fund their record-breaking spending.

Over the last four years, the Democrat-controlled General Assembly has joined Governor Pritzker in increasing government spending significantly. Since the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, Democratic lawmakers have grown state expenditures by more than $13 billion, from nearly $40 billion in 2020 to over $53 billion this year.

House Republican lawmakers have voiced strong opposition to the FY 2025 budget:

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) stated, “This budget is a negligent political document that comes at a massive price to Illinois families. The partisan approach by Democratic leaders has pushed the state onto a failed path of taxes and overspending while ignoring necessary structural and ethical reforms.”

Deputy Republican Leader & Chief Budgeteer Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) remarked, “Illinois working families and seniors cannot afford to pay for all this massive spending, especially at a time when so many are struggling with high inflation, high interest rates, and persistently high unemployment.” She added that "the Democrats’ spending plan raids the Road Fund to help pay for Chicago’s mass transit mess" and criticized the allocation of "$1 billion on taxpayer-funded benefits for migrants and undocumented immigrants."

Assistant Republican Leader & Budgeteer Amy Elik (R-Alton) expressed concern about excessive spending: “Hard-working Illinoisans are struggling to afford basic needs amidst high inflation and higher cost of living increases... I’m greatly concerned that the excessive spending this year and in the future can only be paid for by more and more tax hikes.”

Assistant Republican Leader Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) said he was troubled by prioritizing appropriations for non-citizens while increasing taxes on individuals: “I would have preferred a budget that prioritized tax cuts and spending cuts during this incredibly difficult financial time for taxpayers.”

Assistant Republican Leader Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) lamented the lack of bipartisan cooperation: “Republican lawmakers were once again shut out from budget discussions despite our ongoing offers to be a part of the process... Our state budget is for everyone.”

Assistant Republican Leader Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) warned about potential deficits: “My Republican colleagues and I have been warning that our state would face a deficit as federal COVID relief funds ran out... Well, this budget lays bare that problem as Democrats are ramming more than a billion dollars in tax increases down taxpayers’ throats.”

Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) criticized over-taxation: “One of the biggest problems we have in Illinois is over-taxation of businesses and residents... This budget does not address the needs of our residents.”

Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield) called it "the largest partisan budget in state history" failing "to address the dire needs of Illinois residents." He emphasized that "our government is prioritizing the needs of non-citizens rather than hard-working taxpayers."

Rep. Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) commented on legislative imbalance: “This outcome is the sad reality of an out-of-balance state legislature... We must bring balance back to Illinois government.”