Democrats Advance $53 Billion Budget to Pritzker's Desk
Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria), the House Democrat chief budget negotiator, presents the FY25 spending plan in the House early Wednesday morning. (Photo: Capitol News Illinois)
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A Fiscal Year 2025 budget is now in Governor JB Pritzker’s hands.
The House of Representatives passed the $53 billion spending plan overnight while the majority of the citizens they represent slept.
The budget passed along mostly along party lines, 65-35, shortly after 2:00 a.m. Seven Democrats voted against the bill, no Republicans supported it.
Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria), the House chief budget negotiator, said the budget is both “responsible” and “compassionate.”
“No one, and I mean no one, is getting everything they want. Some very difficult decisions were made and I hope that people respect that. But I truly believe that this budget [moves] Illinois forward,” she said. “We’re going to be about the business of lifting all of our people up. We’re not going to choose between a responsible budget and a compassionate budget because, ladies and gentlemen, the FY 2025 budget shows that we can do both.”
Gordon-Booth said the budget contained both “revenue enhancements and cuts,” though the budget includes around $73 million in cuts, considered a relative “drop in the bucket” in a spending plan so large.
Republicans spent more than an hour on the floor early Wednesday morning blasting the spending plan.
Norine Hammond (R-Macomb), the House GOP budget negotiator who was cut out of all budget talks, said Democrats are unwilling to pass a bipartisan spending plan.
“The budget process is no longer a negotiation between duly elected members of this chamber and the Senate,” Hammond said. “It's an exercise in bullying and absolute power over the hardworking taxpayers of our state.”
In a statement, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) called the budget a “negligent political document.”
“This budget is a negligent political document that comes at a massive price to Illinois families,” she said. “The partisan approach by Democratic leaders has pushed the state onto a failed path of taxes and overspending while ignoring necessary structural and ethical reforms.”
The budget did not change from the spending plan advanced by the Senate Sunday night.
“The Democrats Fiscal Year 2025 budget is a blueprint for a brighter future for the state of Illinois,” Gordon-Booth said shortly before passage.
The seven Democrats who voted against the budget bill are mostly moderates or facing a potentially difficult election in November. They are Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield), Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights), Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview), Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville), Rep. Nabeela Syed (D-Palatine), Rep. Larry Walsh (D-Elwood), Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa).
The budget heads to the Governor’s desk.
In a statement issued overnight, he praised the legislation.
“For the sixth consecutive year, the General Assembly and I have a balanced budget that uplifts the working families of Illinois, saves more money in our Rainy Day fund, creates jobs, lowers taxes on small businesses, grows our economy, and continues our track record of fiscal responsibility,” Pritzker said.
He made line item and reduction vetoes in the budget last year, but is likely to accept most of the spending.