State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) released the following statement after the Democratic-majority voted to pass an out-of-balance budget on May 24:
“The majority party in the Illinois legislature demonstrated a shocking display of callousness at a time when thousands of Illinoisans are out of work and suffering by passing an out-of-balanced budget and creating a $1 billion in new spending. In addition to the increase in spending, Democrat legislators, who refused for weeks to return to the Capitol, elected to pass a budget that contains a pay increase for themselves. It’s inconceivable for legislators to standby and accept a pay raise while the people of this state are struggling just to survive. It’s things like this that has led Illinoisans to hold their state government in low regard. This was an opportunity, during a time of crisis, to show the people of Illinois that we could be sober-minded and thoughtful by coming together to lay out a reasonable path forward. However, what the Illinois General Assembly has shown is that a majority of its members are content to recklessly borrow, create unsustainable spending, and pad their own pockets at the expense of our taxpayers.”