Rockford Sun

During a floor debate on the FY2026 state budget, State Representative John M. Cabello criticized the legislative process and transparency issues surrounding the final bill. Representing Illinois' 90th House District, Cabello voiced concerns over what he described as "pork spending" that does not benefit taxpayers in his district or statewide.

Cabello questioned specific allocations within the budget: “You’re saying there’s nothing in this budget that isn’t needed? Let’s just go to page 1,500—$300,000 for a grant to JCFS Chicago. Or $100,000 for the appropriation of Sunshine Critical Arts Center. Is that critical to this budget?”

He expressed frustration over perceived imbalances in funding distribution: “There is so much pork in here—and none of it is in any of the Republican districts... Their taxpayers are paying for this and they get nothing—except another almost billion-dollar tax increase placed on them.”

Cabello also pointed out the state's failure to address transit funding challenges: “This doesn’t even cover the transit problem that we are going to have—$730 million this year, $1.5 billion next year."

He rejected attempts by majority party leaders to attribute blame elsewhere: “I don’t want to hear that it’s the Trump administration’s fault... The Trump administration didn’t say, ‘Let’s pay overtime to CTA workers to the tune of $233,000—just in overtime.’”

Concluding his remarks, Cabello urged fellow lawmakers: “Ladies and gentlemen, we owe it to the people that gave us the honor of sitting in these seats to do better.”

The full video of Cabello's remarks can be viewed online. For more information or inquiries, Representative Cabello can be contacted directly.