With $250 million in pork projects, Davidsmeyer calls out ‘Democratic Majority Slush Fund’
Late at night on the May 31 budget deadline, Illinois Democrats passed a massive spending plan for Fiscal Year 2026, which begins on July 1.
The budget passed by the Democratic majority will spend $55.2 billion, which is nearly $2 billion more than the FY25 enacted budget. On Governor JB Pritzker’s watch, state spending has increased by more than $15 billion, a 38% spending hike.
Assistant Republican Leader C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Murrayville) blasted the Democratic majority’s ‘Tax, Spend, Repeat’ Budget.
“The Democrats’ wasteful spending plan is full of pork projects and pay raises for politicians, while Illinois families are slammed with new taxes that will make their cost of living even higher,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said. “$250 million in pork projects for Democratic legislators, paid for $1 billion in new taxes on Illinois families and businesses. It’s the same disgraceful playbook they’ve used for years.”
During a late-night budget hearing on Friday, May 30, Rep. Davidsmeyer asked Rep. Robin Gabel, the Democratic sponsor of the budget bill (SB 2510), if there were any pork projects for politicians buried within the Democrats’ budget plan. Gabel responded that “there is no pork in this budget.”
“Not only are there nearly $250 million in pork projects buried in the budget, but there’s also a $100 million slush fund for the Governor,” Davidsmeyer said. “Taxpayers should take a close look at the Fund for Illinois’ Future aka the ‘Democratic Majority Slush Fund’ to see the hundreds of pork projects Democrats added for their districts.”
Prior to the state budget’s passage on May 31, Representative Davidsmeyer filed House Bill 4074 to rename the Fund for Illinois’ Future as the Democratic Majority Slush Fund.
“This budget is a disaster for hardworking Illinois families,” said Rep. Davidsmeyer. “A billion dollars in new taxes, hundreds of millions of dollars in Road Fund diversions, and a massive number of fund sweeps are how the Democrats filled the budget hole created by their reckless spending. There’s no property tax relief or tax cuts for working families anywhere to be found in this budget. But Democrats are spending $110 million of our tax dollars on welfare benefits for illegal immigrants. Tax, spend, repeat!”