I led debate against legislation that gave new, supposedly “routine”, borrowing authority to fuel Illinois’ nearly $56 billion budget. This new borrowing enables, combined with yet more tax hikes, fuels the same failed “borrow-tax-spend” pattern that has made our state less affordable and less competitive.
Governor Pritzker and the Democratic majority approved another record-breaking spending plan that includes more than $800 million in new taxes, fees, and fund sweeps. Like a badly broken record, the answer to every problem in Springfield is spending more money and asking taxpayers to pick up the excess tab.
What they hide is that there is hundreds of millions in “legislative initiative” spending earmarked *only * for Democrats—including ones that voted against the budget–and that unethical spending will be paid for with the new borrowing authority. Our children will have to pay back debt, with interest, on unethical partisan spending that is exclusively going to specific regions picked based on partisan goals!
If borrowing and taxing, all to fuel bigger government spending, was the answer, then Illinois would be leading the nation in economic growth. Instead, taxpayers are paying more and getting less while our economy continues to falter. We clearly cannot tax our way into prosperity.
Illinois families deserve better than partisan debt-fueled budgets, and that’s why I voted no.