Rockford Sun

In a response posted on his Senate website, Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) took a dim view of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s State of the State and Budget Address.

While Pritzker used his address to tout his administration’s fiscal accomplishments, Chesney said that voters in his district are interested in meaningful permanent tax cuts.

“But rather than hearing a proposal that would put more money back in Illinois citizens’ pockets, our governor is channeling taxpayer dollars toward illegal aliens who visit welcome centers across our state,’ Chesney said. “The South Beloit Welcome Center is in my district, and I will oppose any effort to channel taxpayer funds to illegal immigrants.”

Pritzker, according to a WQAD report, spotlighted his fiscal successes in the address, noting that Illinois, once more than $17 million in the red, was now current on its bills. He also noted his administration had four straight balanced budgets, reversing a trend of years without a budget, according to the report.

“What was once a state with no cushion to protect it in an economic downturn is now an Illinois on track to have a $2.3 billion Rainy Day Fund,” Pritzker said, according to WQAD. “What was once an Illinois with a credit rating on the verge of junk status is now an Illinois getting credit upgrades.”

Pritzker said several large debts, according to WQAD, including $230 million for College Illinois, $900 million in group health insurance, and $800 million in the Thompson center liability, and $4.5 billion Unemployment Trust Fund, were all paid. He also noted the state has paid its $1.3 billion debt owed to Illinois’ treasury funds and the $8 billion in overdue bills, according to the report. 

During his address, WQAD reported, Pritzker touted Smart Start Illinois, which includes four components, including pre-kindergarten childcare, home visiting and early intervention. The station noted that the governor commented that the four-year program would boost the state’s funding for the Early Childhood Grant Program by $75 million.

However, Chesney on his website took aim at Pritzker’s childcare plans and a $3 million expenditure for a Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming and Intersex Wellness Grant program provided by the Department of Human Services, and establishing money to fund a hotline for abortion services. 

“These are radical ideals that appeal to the extremes of the Democrat base,” Chesney said in the news release. “These are not the kinds of issues people are calling my office about when they suggest areas for state spending. The people who call my office are just wanting an honest state government that provides adequate funding for critical areas like education, economic development, and assistance for the disabled.”