Freedom Caucus on Pritzker urging $800 million in budget cuts: 'We told you so'

[May 10, 2024]  By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – For weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has boasted about his proposed 2025 budget as being balanced, but it appears that the numbers aren’t adding up. Republicans are saying, "We told you so."

In a memo from Deputy Gov. Andy Manar, state agency directors are being asked to prepare for $800 million less in available revenue for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

Manar said it has "become clear that opposition to proposed revenue is significant enough to direct agencies to prepare for the possibility of reductions to proposed spending" and "we must prepare to implement a potential balanced budget scenario with $800 million less in available revenue."

Pritzker proposed a nearly $53 billion budget in February that included about $1 billion in tax increases.

The most controversial tax hike is a proposed increase in the cap on the net operating loss deduction for businesses estimated to raise about $526 million, which has been met with wide scale opposition from the state's job creators.

Several Republican lawmakers held a news conference Thursday and essentially said “we told you so.”

State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Diederich, questioned Pritzker’s priorities.

“It is absolutely unbelievable that he would double down on his orders and raise taxes on the working people of Illinois while illegal immigrants continue to receive handout after handout,” said Niemerg.

Members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus during a news conference - BlueRoomStream

Taxpayers have funded about $1 billion in housing, health care, food and other costs for noncitizen care over the past year-plus.

State Rep Marty McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, is a member of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, whose members realized that new taxes would have to be implemented to balance Pritzker's proposed spending plan.

“It flew directly into the face of what the governor was saying in his February address and his flowery fiscal forecast suddenly fell to pieces,” said McLaughlin.

State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Hindsboro, said the governor and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly lack fiscal discipline.

“We’ve grown the government since J.B. Pritzker came into office by $15 billion dollars, and yet they don’t have enough money to cover the costs because all they know how to do is tax, borrow and spend,” said Miller.

The General Assembly has until May 31 to pass a budget with simple majorities.