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Members highlighted areas of the budget that have been overspent on with small rates of return and areas that need immediate attention from the General Assembly as legislators begin their most daunting and time-consuming task of budget crafting. Rep. Miller opened the press conference by laying the groundwork on overspending in Illinois and how spending has only increased under Governor Pritzker’s Administration.
“Illinois is in a state of disaster due to bad public policy and reckless spending by progressive Democrats who use taxpayer funds to reward non-government organizations who push their radical agenda,” said Miller. “Illinois citizens demand a new vision for our state, and we can deliver a strong, long-term solution to rein in Pritzker’s reckless spending with the adoption of Illinois DOGE.”
Rep. Halbrook, a sitting member of the Appropriations-Health and Human Services Committee, broke down the tremendous spending on non-government organizations and non-profits, expanding agency budgets beyond their scopes.
“We are turning our attention to a staggering amount of taxpayer money—over a billion dollars—that’s being funneled to politically connected non-governmental organizations, or NGOs,” said Halbrook. “This wasn’t uncovered by government watchdogs, but by concerned Illinoisans and Republican legislators through our grassroots effort we call DOGE—the Department of Government Efficiency.”
Rep. Niemerg, who serves on the House Immigration and Human Rights Committee, discussed the heightened spending on services for illegal immigrants, whilst Illinoisans can hardly afford everyday needs.
“The first thing we need to do is address the deficit spending of this budget and to stop the irresponsible spending on illegal immigrants here in the state of Illinois,” added Niemerg, Republican Spokesperson on the Immigration Committee. “A recent report from the Auditor General confirms there is significant mismanagement of the Governor’s taxpayer-funded healthcare program for illegal immigrants. The fraud in just this one program is 300 percent higher than projected!”
Rep. Wilhour dove into education spending and detailed how although Illinois spends largely on public education, students are still not hitting grade level benchmarks in the core subjects.
“DEI has been at the forefront of every appropriation of this state for the last generation, and when DEI is the focus, excellence always suffers,” added Wilhour, Minority Spokesperson for K-12 Appropriations. “We are spending more money than ever in education and basic proficiencies are in an absolute crisis. In 80 schools in this state not a single kid is proficient in math, and in 24 schools zero students can read a grade level.”
To wrap up, Rep. Davis and Rep. McLaughlin took turns reiterating the need for established budget priorities that are reflective of the entire State of Illinois, calling out the wasteful and inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars.
“For years, Springfield's answer to every problem has been the same: spend more," said Rep. Davis. "But Illinois families can't afford this anymore. While our state budget continues to grow, taxpayers are shouldering the burden as their cost of living increases. We need to demand accountability, transparency, and some fiscal sanity from Illinois Democrats as they draft the FY26 budget."
McLaughlin chimed in, “The bottom line is this: Since Governor Pritzker took office families and businesses have been fleeing our state, yet budget spending and taxes have continued to increase year after year. Illinoisans are paying more money for fewer and fewer actual state services. Everyone in the General Assembly needs to take a hard, thorough look at where our taxpayer dollars are actually going—and we must get our spending priorities back on track.”
With just over two weeks until scheduled adjournment, House Republicans have yet to see anything regarding the budget. The Representatives are calling on the members of the Illinois General Assembly to put an end to these frivolous appropriations and be good stewards of Illinois tax dollars as they get deeper into the budget process for FY26.
To wrap up, Rep. Davis and Rep. McLaughlin took turns reiterating the need for established budget priorities that are reflective of the entire State of Illinois, calling out the wasteful and inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars.
“For years, Springfield's answer to every problem has been the same: spend more," said Rep. Davis. "But Illinois families can't afford this anymore. While our state budget continues to grow, taxpayers are shouldering the burden as their cost of living increases. We need to demand accountability, transparency, and some fiscal sanity from Illinois Democrats as they draft the FY26 budget."
McLaughlin chimed in, “The bottom line is this: Since Governor Pritzker took office families and businesses have been fleeing our state, yet budget spending and taxes have continued to increase year after year. Illinoisans are paying more money for fewer and fewer actual state services. Everyone in the General Assembly needs to take a hard, thorough look at where our taxpayer dollars are actually going—and we must get our spending priorities back on track.”
With just over two weeks until scheduled adjournment, House Republicans have yet to see anything regarding the budget. The Representatives are calling on the members of the Illinois General Assembly to put an end to these frivolous appropriations and be good stewards of Illinois tax dollars as they get deeper into the budget process for FY26.