Arellano Demands End to Tax and Spend Cycle
State Senator Li Arellano Jr (R-Dixon) released the following statement after Governor Pritzker signed the Fiscal Year 2027 state budget:
“Governor Pritzker’s nearly $56 billion budget does nothing to address the real challenges facing Illinois families and businesses. We continue to see plant closures across our state while higher taxes and increased costs make it harder to grow our economy. When businesses leave and jobs disappear, state revenues suffer, and taxpayers are often asked to make up the difference. It is a vicious cycle Illinois cannot afford to continue.
“The answer is not more spending and more taxes. We cannot tax our way to prosperity. We need to bring spending under control and create an environment where businesses can invest and grow while also creating jobs right here in Illinois.
“It’s also important to note, the governor was forced to veto more than $500 billion in budget errors. That kind of error should never happen. It is the direct result of an unethical budget process built around secretive negotiations and last-minute changes instead of transparency giving lawmakers adequate time to review what they are voting on.”
“Additionally, Rural roads and bridges are still in need of major repairs. Rather than providing a long-term solution, the governor chose to borrow another $500 million to temporarily patch the problem and pass the real cost on to future generations—our children. That avoids a short-term political problem, but does not solve the actual issue.
“Debt is killing our state. Corrupt processes are killing our state. It is time to stop kicking the can down the road and start making responsible decisions that put Illinois on a sustainable path for the future.”