State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) released the following statement in response to the Governor’s proposed budget and State of the State Address:
“Let’s be honest, what Governor Pritzker delivered today was campaign grandstanding, not leadership. This was not about real solutions. It was a recycled set of talking points and cherry-picked, inflammatory claims that do nothing to relieve the pressure on Illinois families or help the businesses trying to keep jobs here.
“More spending. More taxes. And Illinois families are the ones stuck paying the bill. And despite the Governor’s claims, this budget still isn’t balanced.
“This is not new. Year after year, the Governor has built his ever-expanding budgets on gimmicks that ultimately just rely on reaching into taxpayers’ pockets for more money to fund political priorities while our core structural issues and most vulnerable citizens are ignored and neglected.
“The Governor continues to lean on the minimum required pension payment even as the system remains in serious trouble, all while shortchanging services for the developmentally disabled and the infrastructure that supports downstate communities.
“State spending has grown by nearly 40 percent since Governor Pritzker took office, and working families are paying the price. His far left “progressive” policies are making Illinois unaffordable, from real estate taxes to utility bills to a tank of gas. People are leaving this state. Businesses are looking elsewhere. Once again, Governor Pritzker has shown with this budget and his comments that he is focused on his own political opportunities, not creating lasting opportunities for Illinois families.”