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Some applauded the governor for presenting what he said was a
balanced budget, while others said the increased spending will
punish hard-working Illinoisans.
The over $55 billion budget would increase spending by $2
billion over last year. Pritzker’s own budget office revealed a
$3.2 billion deficit for 2026 in November.
“Which suddenly has magically disappeared in the last 48 hours,”
said State Sen. Chris Balkema, R-Channahon. “Unlike Lucky
Charms, this situation is not magically delicious.”
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce was pleased with the budget
proposal for advancing economic development opportunities
throughout Illinois.
“As we look ahead at addressing issues including our pension
system and the impending transit funding cliff, growing our tax
base and enacting meaningful reforms that prioritize
accountability and efficiency must continue to be a top
priority,” CEO Jack Lavin said in a statement.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said there
still is work to be done.
“The governor recognizes that our budget doesn’t exist in a
vacuum and is subject to the economic winds in Washington and
our place on the greater world stage,” said Harmon.
State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, said Pritzker
demonstrated just how out of touch he is with the issues facing
Illinois residents and taxpayers.
“It’s clear that we have a multi-billionaire governor who is
more interested in running for president and repackaging his
failures as successes than fixing the problems facing our
exploited residents,” Cabello said in a statement.
State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said he was offended by
Pritzker’s budget address, particularly using the term "Nazi"
six times as crecitized President Donald Trump.
“This governor owes the Republican legislature members an
apology for the bigoted, racist comments he made calling
everyone of us Nazis,” said DeWitte. “It’s despicable.”
Negotiations will start in the state legislature, which will
vote on a new budget before the session ends in May.
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