Illinois House Republicans are reacting to the Pritzker Administration’s announcement of a $3.2 billion projected budget deficit for FY26. We have repeatedly voiced concerns about the state’s budget process, especially for the past fiscal year which relied on gimmicks and tax hikes amid the Majority Party’s continued failure to manage state finances responsibly.
Despite raising taxes by $1 billion in FY25, the Administration is now scrambling to address a staggering deficit by asking state agencies to propose cuts to programs and operations. While this outcome could have been avoided had the Majority Party exercised fiscal discipline and listened to repeated concerns voiced by House Republican lawmakers. Instead, they relied on temporary federal windfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic and other non-repeatable revenue sources to prop up unsustainable spending priorities.
“House Republicans support the ongoing budget review process led by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB),” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie. “However, we urge the Administration to share the results of these exercises transparently with legislators and appropriation committees. For too long, the Majority Party has shielded critical budget details, preventing lawmakers from making informed decisions about how to address these challenges.”
Major cost drivers in recent budgets have been Medicaid expansions including free healthcare for migrants, increased funding for K-12 education, expanded early childhood and afterschool programs, public safety reforms under the SAFE-T Act, human services programs, and the rising costs of group health insurance and the AFSCME contract. While many of these initiatives address real needs, they were implemented without a long-term plan to pay for them.
“For years, House Republicans have warned that the Majority Party’s insatiable appetite for spending would outpace the state’s revenue growth,” said Deputy Minority Leader Ryan Spain. “These warnings were dismissed by the Governor, who resorted to name-calling, labeling us ‘carnival barkers’ and ‘doom grifters.’ Yet, the fiscal reality we cautioned against has now come to pass.”
The uphill battle this year’s budget presents is nothing new for House Republicans, who have repeatedly voiced concerns about state spending, the expansion of new programs, and the lack of transparency in budget processes.
“It is clear that the supermajority’s reckless spending practices have caught up with them, leaving taxpayers to shoulder the burden of their mismanagement,” said Deputy Minority Leader and House Budgeteer Norine Hammond. “Moving forward, Illinois needs a budgeting process that prioritizes fiscal responsibility and transparency—not one built on political expediency and budgetary sleights of hand.”
According to Assistant Deputy Leader and House Budgeteer Amy Elik, “Republicans specifically called out the gimmicks used to balance the FY25 budget. Those included using FY24 surplus funds to cover FY25 Medicaid liabilities, diverting Road Fund dollars to cover General Revenue Fund (GRF) costs, and relying on one-time Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT) revenues. These irresponsible practices have created the fiscal cliff we now face.”
As legislative veto session concluded in the Illinois House, lawmakers will now return to the legislature for the Lame Duck Session early next year.