SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) says Gov. JB Pritzker is asking Illinoisans for an extra $1.1 billion in taxes in the coming year to help pay for a fiscal crisis of his own making – supporting thousands of noncitizens he invited to Illinois.

The Governor delivered his annual State of the State/Budget Address to a joint session of legislators Feb. 21 in the House of Representatives Chamber.

“In his State of the State/Budget Address, Gov. Pritzker has made it clear that Illinoisans are not his priority – they are a source of tax dollars he wants to use again and again to pay for a fiscal crisis of his own making,” Tracy said. “He has proposed a $53 billion budget – the biggest in state history – and needs to raise your taxes by another $1.1 billion to pay for it. Those revenues are needed to pay for the thousands of noncitizens that have come to Illinois at the invitation of the Governor.”

Tracy says such record-high spending puts Illinois’ fiscal future in jeopardy.

“In the last couple years, this kind of over-the-top spending was only possible with the help of billions of federal tax dollars. But that fiscal picture has changed,” Tracy said. “Federal pandemic aid has ended, an economic slowdown is looming, and Democratic leaders continue their spending spree with the largest spending plan in Illinois history. By any financial measurement, such out-of-control spending is not sustainable.”

Tracy said Pritzker is focused on noncitizens, but her focus will remain on the citizens of Illinois.

As the legislative budget process gets under way, Tracy says she stands ready to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to make the tough decisions necessary to pass a balanced budget with structural reforms that will boost the economy and jobs.

Fiscal Year 2025 runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.