Deputy Republican Leader Norine Hammond (R-Macomb), the chief budgeteer for the House Republican Caucus, issued the following statement following Governor JB Pritzker’s signing of the Fiscal Year 2024 Illinois State Budget:
“Today, Governor Pritzker signed one of the largest spending plans in Illinois history, a partisan budget that was drafted behind closed doors without Republican input. This budget spends a near-record $50.4 billion on a slew of progressive causes, including health benefits for undocumented immigrants, taxpayer-funded abortion, soft-on-crime, anti-police laws, and pay raises for politicians. This budget does not reflect our shared priorities.
“Despite their statements to the contrary, the Democrats’ budget is not balanced. It relies on a series of fiscal fabrications and schemes, such as only funding half-a-year’s-worth of Medicaid costs and shifting $700 million from local government funds into the State’s General Revenue Fund.
“The Democrats continue to overtax, overspend and under-deliver for hardworking Illinoisans. This is not Republican money. This is not Democratic money. This money belongs to the taxpayers of Illinois and they deserve better.”
