Last month, Governor JB Pritzker issued an Executive Order calling for 4% across-the-board budget cuts in response to projected deficit spending. But let’s be clear, he didn’t need an Executive Order to balance Illinois’ budget. What he needed was the discipline to do his job.
Pritzker’s directive required state agencies to submit plans for spending cuts and reserve management within 30 days. Today, the time is up and no such cuts have been announced. While the Governor has pointed to the federal government as a source of Illinois’ budget challenges, the state’s fiscal woes are far from new.
“This was never about fiscal responsibility, it was about poking at Donald Trump and grabbing headlines,” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie. “If the Governor was serious about fixing Illinois’ finances, he wouldn’t hide behind political theater. He would roll up his sleeves, lower spending, and enact real structural reforms to grow our tax base instead of shrinking our future.”
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget recently projected deficits not only for this fiscal year, but for each of the next five years, continuing a troubling pattern of overspending, one-time revenue gimmicks, and broken promises of fiscal balance.
“We’ve seen this act before, empty orders, no follow-through, and more taxes on hardworking families,” McCombie continued. “If he truly cared about our fiscal health, he’d stop chasing national headlines and start leading here at home.”
Next week, lawmakers return to Springfield for the final week of veto session, where Democrats are already discussing new tax hikes to cover their overspending.
“House Republicans are focused on protecting Illinois taxpayers from the real horror, out-of-touch spending and bloated budgets,” McCombie said. “Instead of political stunts, we’re demanding accountability, transparency, and long-term relief. The scariest thing this season shouldn’t be Illinois families’ tax bills.”