A recent Chicago Tribune op-ed penned by Rep. Regan Deering (R-Decatur) calls out the unsustainable growth of Illinois government and the lack of transparency in the state’s budget process. Here is an excerpt:
Later this week, the General Assembly is expected to pass a new state budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Most Illinoisans won’t even know it’s happening. It will likely be done late at night, without real discussion, transparency or input from the very people who will be forced to pay for it.
The Democratic majority is talking about new tax hikes, more spending and more empty promises. And once again, these lawmakers are doing it behind closed doors.
As a freshman lawmaker, this is my first session in the Illinois House. And I can tell you that this isn’t how things are supposed to work.
Before serving in public office, I was a small-business owner and a nonprofit leader. I’ve worked with budgets, made tough calls and felt the pressure that comes when needs grow and resources shrink. In the real world, when money runs out, you prioritize. You stretch. You reform.
But not in Springfield.
Since just before Gov. JB Pritzker took office in 2019, state spending has increased by more than $16 billion. This year’s budget is projected to hit $55 billion, nearly $2 billion more than last year.
Pritzker and legislative Democrats celebrate this explosion in spending, suggesting that attempts at reform are extreme. And now, as the Tribune Editorial Board recently warned, they are considering new tax hikes.
Let’s be clear: There’s nothing compassionate about taking more from families who already have to get by with less, as persistent inflation drives up the price of everything. Compassion isn’t measured by how much we spend; it’s measured by whether people are actually better off. Read the rest of Rep. Deering's op-ed in the Chicago Tribune.