Grundy Reporter

This week, the Illinois General Assembly passed Governor JB Pritzker’s budget, which includes nearly a billion dollars in new taxes to address the migrant crisis. The budget sets a new record for government spending at just over $53 billion, marking an increase of nearly $13 billion, or 32%, since Pritzker took office.

The surge in government spending was primarily fueled by temporary emergency COVID funds and unexpectedly high state revenue. Senate Republicans have expressed concerns about using these temporary funds to support permanent expenditures.

A significant portion of the budget is allocated to programs for non-citizens, including healthcare services. Critics argue that this allocation comes at the expense of other community needs. "Instead of reducing government spending and reining in costs, the Governor is raising taxes to the tune of a billion dollars to fund the migrant crisis he created," stated one critic.

State Senator Sue Rezin emphasized that the Governor should prioritize the people of Illinois over his political agenda. "The Governor needs to make the people of Illinois his priority and stop treating them like a piggy bank to fund his political agenda," she said.