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* From WAND TV…
“We do not have a revenue problem,” said Rep. Jed Davis (R-Yorkville). “We have a priority problem. This money isn’t ours. It’s the people’s money. So it’s time to put it back into their pockets and live by a simple principle, which is spend less and live better.” […]
Davis plans to release his budget proposal for public viewing Wednesday.
* From Rep. Davis today…
After my agency-by-agency review, I’m proposing a $44 billion budget - a whopping 20% reduction from the Governor’s plan. This proposal isn’t about slashing essential services. It’s about rooting out waste, restoring fiscal sanity, and ending government overreach. We can reduce the size of government without hurting the people who fund it.
* But then Rep. Davis goes on to list a ton of capital projects (click here and see them for yourself), which won’t reduce the operating budget, which he claims to be cutting. For example…
IL Dept of Corrections Capital Improvements ($900M FY25)
Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure ($450M FY25)
Quantum Manufacturing Subsidies ($500M FY25)
Grants to Local Governments and Organizations ($487M FY25)
Broadband Expansions ($150M FY25)
Statewide Road Construction ($1.34B FY25)
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure ($149M FY25)
Wastewater Loan Programs ($1.63B FY25)
* Davis also proposes $681 million in cuts to Climate and Clean Energy Programs, which are heavily federally funded (for now).
* Cuts to DCFS? But of course…
IL Dept of Children and Family Services, Aging ($509 million increase FY24 to FY25)
* Shorting pension payments? Check…
Pension Contributions ($160M)
* Summer EBT is a federal program administered by the state…
Summer EBT Programs ($600M FY25)
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 12:55 pm
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Totally irresponsible cuts. Just another reason why the GOP is irrelevant in Illinois politics.
Comment by Stephenson County Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:07 pm
Cut infrastructure spending?
Genius he is…..because the state infrastructure is sooooo famous for not needing fixed…..
Comment by btowntruth from forgottonia Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:11 pm
The money gets spent on “the people” anyway, and this shows that he simply does not understand anything about the state’s finances.
Comment by Perrid Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:13 pm
He is not a serious person.
Comment by Big Dipper Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:16 pm
Shorting pensions? NO, that’s one of the major reasons that got us into the budget situation we are in now. Pay the pension payments FIRST, then the other items in the budget.
Comment by Dupage Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:17 pm
One big benefit of JB thinking he can be president will be the need for him to manage as best he can the State’s finances- there will be very little spent on the progressive priorities found in his past budgets
Comment by Sue Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:18 pm
First: In 9(b) of his summary, he says “the state is covering $30 million of Chicago’s local pension costs”, then his “potential savings” line item says “$0.30 Billion”. He missed a decimal place in his summary (and the actual amount for FY26 is $0.36 billion).
Second: He continues to say “the state is covering…Chicago’s local pension costs, even though every other district in Illinois pays its way”. As we all know, reality is almost the exact opposite. I’m starting to become concerned he doesn’t actually know how any of this work.
Comment by Adroit Opiner Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:19 pm
===I’m starting to become concerned===
You can go all the way to being convinced.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:22 pm
* Shorting pension payments? Check…
SMH.
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:22 pm
And to think that he actually spent real time on assembling this document and concluded, yep, this makes sense. Astounding.
Comment by King Louis XVI Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:31 pm
My favorite is section 7, $750 billion in the old “Eliminating unspecified wasteful spending” magic bucket. Same lazy GOP “budget” gimmick as always, new author.
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:31 pm
=From these savings, I propose returning $4.40 billion directly to working families with
$1,500 checks hitting every household earning $100,000 or less.=
So now he is a socialist?
=These households are the ones crushed by rising costs, reckless spending, and overtaxed incomes.=
Pandering and hyperbole, on the same day even. Nice.
By the way, his mom was a teacher and that makes him a pension expert.
What a joke, if he were serious the “report” would sound serious not like it was a script for a bad stand up performance.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:33 pm
Has the Illinois Policy Institute endorsed this plan yet?
Comment by Grimlock Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:35 pm
Jed who?
Comment by low level Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:35 pm
===This money isn’t ours. It’s the people’s money.===
Yeah, and it’s the people’s debt that needs to be serviced and the people’s infrastructure that needs to be maintained.
Comment by Benjamin Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:42 pm
What a goofy proposal. I could see this being a nice prop next time Bailey wants to shoot at something (or does he use a flame thrower for budgets?)
Comment by Henry Francis Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:44 pm
It’s much easier to be a member of the minority party. No one expects you to be serious.
Comment by Socially DIstant Watcher Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:46 pm
The “Why Didn’t We Think of That” Caucus
Comment by It's Just a Pill Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 1:47 pm
If “DOGE” has shown us anything, it’s that Republican voters don’t care about the truth regarding claims of waste and cost savings. A Republican will say something, so it must be true, because a Republican said it. We can point to multiple things in just these few statements that are outright and intentionally misleading. But the truth hasn’t mattered to Republican voters since at least 2004 with the “Swift Vets and POWs for Truth.” Nothing I’ve seen in the decades since suggests that phenomenon is going away either.
Comment by Irreverent Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 2:02 pm
Jed Davis, once again proving there are no serious adults in the Freedom Caucus.
Comment by Manchester Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 2:37 pm
This post highlights why, as a Republican, I am much happier being a CFO under a Democrat than a Republican. Under Rauner and his people, no one understood budgets and they honestly did not care. Under Pritzker, not only is his intelligence quotient much higher, but all the others in GOMB and others that I work with are simply smarter.
Comment by Lurker Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 2:45 pm
I can’t figure out for the life of me why going full carny on people isn’t a working electoral strategy. But just keep playing with that monopoly money Jed. I’m sure you’ll get there one day.
Comment by VK Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 2:46 pm
Illinois “Freedom” Caucus - free from intellectual thought and serious representation.
Comment by low level Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 2:56 pm
===This money isn’t ours===
Yes, we spend way more tax revenue in his district than is collected there. He is correct.
Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 3:41 pm
=== we spend way more tax revenue in his district than is collected there ===
So it works like pretty much every GOP district in the past 50 years?
Comment by Irreverent Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 4:21 pm
In fairness, he is relatively new. Probably found that list in one of the desk drawers he inherited from a previous ILGOP member.
They’ve been searching for all of that waste, fraud and abuse for decades now. Is it possible that it doesn’t exist at the level they think it does? Nah, better keep looking for it. Must be around here somewhere.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 4:30 pm
I appreciate that Rep. Davis was willing to put this out. My current and former state reps were very willing to criticize and always vote no on budgets, but never publicly put out anything about potential changes. It’s frustrating that Rep. Davis cannot list a single specific cut that he thinks should be made. The generalizations are just food for his base.
Comment by Merle Webb’s Jumpshot Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 7:45 pm
Animatronic Studs Terkel and Mike Royko. At a bar.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Wednesday, May 14, 25 @ 9:25 pm