Jacksonville… State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer released the following statement in reaction to Governor JB Pritzker’s Budget Address:
“Governor Pritzker gave the most partisan State of the State address I have ever witnessed. He gave a bi-polar message of unity while attacking Republicans every chance he had. His budget last year was $6billion out of balance and with gimmicks, this year’s proposed budget is still at least $1.6 billion out of balance, not because of cuts, but because of better revenues coming to the State of Illinois.
“The Democrats passed a terrible budget last year that was in complete denial of the effect that Pritzker’s shutdown would have on our economy. Illinois has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs since the start of this pandemic and Illinoisans are voting with their feet. We lost over 80,000 people to other states last year alone.
“Given all of the jobs that have been lost and the Governor’s complete failure to deal with the massive unemployment issues at IDES, I strongly oppose Pritzker’s elimination of important job creation incentives. Two years ago, Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass the Blue Collar Jobs Act as part of the budget and infrastructure plan. Today Governor Pritzker is breaking his promise to Illinois working families.
“We all know the old saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ Well, Illinois isn’t just broke. It’s broken. Let’s try something new… living within our means. Stop spending money we don’t have and stop expanding programs we can’t afford.
“If the Governor wants a partner in solving the Democrats’ fiscal mess then he must be truthful and forthright with the General Assembly. Governor Pritzker stated last year that he had requested proposed cuts from each state agency. Where are these spending cuts? I’m willing to work together to make the tough decisions necessary to get Illinois back on track. But leadership starts at the top and the Governor needs to work with us, not dictate to us, in order to move Illinois forward.”