(The Center Square) – With Illinois facing an estimated budget deficit of more than $3 billion, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed a larger spending plan for fiscal year 2026.
The governor announced his budget proposal during the annual State of the State address Wednesday in Springfield.
Pritzker’s spending plan of $55.2 billion is up from a record $53.1 billion for fiscal year 2025.
The governor said the fiscal year that begins July 1 should be a year of “tightening our belts” and told lawmakers he would only sign a balanced budget.
“If you come to the table looking to spend more, I’m going to ask you, ‘Where you wanna cut?’” Pritzker said.
Still, the governor touted his proposed investments in education, health and human services and economic development.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski said the governor did not reduce spending in the area of public education.
“He’s putting hundreds of millions more into education when the fact is, most kids can’t read,” Dabrowski told The Center Square. “Not to mention that we’re spending over $24,000 a kid in education. That’s the kind of stuff that I think is the truth. He, of course, covered that up with a lot of positive language that just isn’t honest.”
Pritzker proposed banning cell phones during classroom instruction. He called for four-year degrees at community colleges and measures to lower pharmaceutical costs.
He also announced a second round of cancelled medical debts.
After talking briefly about Illinois history early in his speech, the governor turned his focus to President Donald Trump’s administration in Washington.
Pritzker noted that inflation was affecting everyday Illinoisans and took aim at White House policies.
“With the new tariffs that are already put in place by President Trump and the ones that he has proposed, the cost of everyday goods like tomatoes and beef and beer is likely to rise again,” the governor said.
Pritzker referred to Nazis six times during his attacks on the Trump but said he did not invoke the Nazis lightly.
“The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame,” Pritzker said.
Booing could be heard in the House chamber as the governor delivered some of his anti-Trump remarks.
One week after former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was convicted of corruption, the governor did not call for ethics reform or mention any of the reforms proposed by Democrats or Republicans.