SPRINGFIELD 鈥� Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday compared President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥渁uthoritarian playbook鈥� to the Nazi movement as he unveiled a $55.2 billion spending plan that also saves the state more than $400 million by nixing a health care program for adults who lack legal status.
To cap a 35-minute budget and State of the State address at the Illinois Capitol, the Democratic governor said he鈥檚 鈥渨atching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now,鈥� framing Trump鈥檚 early weeks in the Oval Office as a playbook of blaming the 鈥渙ther鈥� for the country鈥檚 problems.
鈥淚t took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,鈥� Pritzker said. 鈥淎ll I鈥檓 saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.鈥�
Pritzker received only Democratic applause for most of his address, and some Republican snickering, including when he lamented the uncertainty of federal funding.
鈥淥nly an idiot would think we should eliminate emergency response in a natural disaster, education and health care for disabled children, gang crime investigations, clean air and water programs, monitoring of nursing home abuse, nuclear reactor regulation and cancer research,鈥� Pritzker said.
The Democratic governor also peppered his seventh budget blueprint 鈥� which Republicans derided as the largest in state history 鈥� with key policy proposals for the upcoming fiscal year. One ensures medication abortion pills would remain legal in Illinois even if a federal ban is enacted, and another bans cellphones in Illinois schools during classroom instruction. A health care initiative would rein in the costs of pharmacy benefit managers, whom he described as the middlemen of the health care industry.
Pritzker鈥檚 budget plan excludes funding for health care for immigrant adults who lack legal status and are between the ages of 42 and 64. Last year, the governor included $629 million to provide health care benefits to immigrants without legal status 42 and up and to seniors who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid.
The cost for the adult program is about $420 million a year, according to the governor鈥檚 office.
The governor鈥檚 office called that intentional omission a reflection of difficult decisions being made to bring the proposal into balance. The office, however, said funding for health care for seniors who lack legal status will be maintained. The program for immigrants between the ages of 42 and 64 without legal status will end June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Some members of the Legislative Latino Caucus are among legislators upset about the cut 鈥� and plan to fight to keep it in this year鈥檚 budget.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not sure why he chose to do that, but it was a significant hit to a very important program to our caucus,鈥� Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, said. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e going to continue to make our voices heard, and work towards making sure that we鈥檙e moving along on that program.鈥�
Pritzker鈥檚 vision for education funding
The governor kept the State Board of Education鈥檚 early education block grants flat at $748 million in the third year of his early education program Smart Start 鈥� despite having increased that allocation by $75 million in the program鈥檚 first and second years.
Education funding includes the required $350 million toward the state鈥檚 school funding formula 鈥� though education advocates warn they will fight for more than that. The total K-12 funding under the governor鈥檚 proposal totals $11.1 billion in general funds 鈥� marking an increase of $300 million from last year.
The Chicago Teachers Union on Wednesday called money for CPS 鈥渢he minimum required increase鈥� and criticized the governor for omitting plans to protect children in Illinois school districts 鈥渇rom Trump and his WWE nominee鈥� 鈥� Linda McMahon.
Revenue for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is estimated at $55.4 billion, a 2.9% increase from last year. That鈥檚 due to base revenue growth in the state 鈥� and it鈥檚 about $1.5 billion more than the state predicted in a report in November. The state must produce revenue for a $1.7 billion deficit 鈥� still large but better than what the Governor鈥檚 Office of Management and Budget in November projected as a $3.2 billion deficit.
The governor鈥檚 office said it also plans to ask legislators to approve a supplemental bill to the tune of $550 million.
Metro East lawmakers weigh in聽
Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said that crafting this budget will be a challenge but that the governor鈥檚 proposal is a good start. The assistant majority leader said she belongs to a group of House Democrats who have urged more fiscal responsibility in years prior.
鈥淭hat balance also means looking to the future and being prepared for changing tides in terms of our revenues,鈥� Stuart said.
Pritzker鈥檚 decision to axe the health care program for some adult migrants without legal status, a target of Springfield Republicans, is an unfortunate reality that the General Assembly will need to tighten its belt, Stuart said.
鈥淚t stinks to have to make the choices,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes you can't buy filet mignon every night. Sometimes you have to buy pork chops.鈥�
Sen. Chris Belt, D-Swansea, also said the budget negotiations will be tough. If there鈥檚 any surplus, excess revenues should end up going to budget stabilization or the rainy day fund, he said. 鈥淚t's a maintenance budget,鈥� Belt said. 鈥淲e're definitely going to have to rein in spending, and so everything is relatively flat for the most part.鈥�
Metro East Republicans said they appreciated the start of Pritzker鈥檚 address, advocating for more economic development during a tough budget year. But the speech took a turn for the worse, said Rep. Amy Elik, R-Godfrey.
鈥淚 think every Illinoisan should be really offended,鈥� said Elik, who鈥檚 the assistant minority leader. 鈥淗e literally drew a line between people that are upset about inflation and rising government spending to Nazi Germans before World War II, and it was really disgusting, frankly.鈥�
Elik, who鈥檚 tasked with negotiating the budget for House Republicans, said she remains skeptical of the governor鈥檚 proposal laid out Wednesday. Mainly, she expects House Democrats will object to suggested cuts, like the health care program.
鈥淭hey're going to want to fund programs that he's actually zeroed out in here, and it's going to be a problem,鈥� Elik said.
Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, said she felt the governor's remarks failed to address critical needs of Illinoisans and should have focused more on the state鈥檚 finances.
鈥淚'm hopeful that we can do that,鈥� Harriss said. 鈥淲e've heard those things before. Sometimes, we need to make sure our actions follow our words, and, while hopeful, I haven't seen that in my time in office yet.鈥�
The role played by casino tax revenue
Pritzker鈥檚 budget team is banking on $100 million in new revenue by taxing casino table games at the same graduated rates applied to slot machines. The tax structure had been eased for table games like blackjack and craps under a 2019 gaming expansion that introduced six new casinos to the state.
The adjusted rates wouldn鈥檛 apply to the Chicago casino, which has its own taxes.
The governor didn鈥檛 address the , which has been pushed by Democratic proponents who argue that allowing residents to play slot machines and blackjack on their cellphones could generate hundreds of millions for the state. Supporters from the Sports Betting Alliance argue it鈥檚 鈥渁lready happening in the state in an illegal and unregulated manner,鈥� but opponents have argued it could boost gambling addiction.
The revenue plan includes $171 million from pausing the final shift of state sales taxes on motor fuel purchases to the Road Fund.
After delivering a budget address that stressed living within the state鈥檚 means, Pritzker received blowback from members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
鈥淥ur means have been extricated from us for years. We have not received the dollars promised to our communities,鈥� said Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana. 鈥淎t this very moment, I鈥檓 a no vote on the budget. ... Our people are under attack and for them, not to even mention what is happening in our communities, not even the slightest mention, is an insult to this entire Black community.鈥�
This article has been updated.
