Paul Schimpf says Governor Pritzker’s budget address offers gimmicks, not solutions

WATERLOO – Republican candidate for governor Paul Schimpf released the following statement on Governor Pritzker’s budget address which offered no real solutions, but political gimmicks:
 
“With Illinoisans already burdened by the highest effective tax rates in the nation, it is extremely offensive that Governor Pritzker would refer to his tax cut illusion as “relief.”
 
The illusion of this so-called relief becomes even more galling when we consider that at the height of the pandemic, when Illinois families were struggling the most, Governor Pritzker attempted to increase the tax burden. But now, as electoral prospects appear less favorable, he presents himself as a tax-cutting leader.
 
We asked for solutions, but all the governor offered was gimmicks. Governor Pritzker’s failed leadership has led to record out-migration and record-high tax burdens on working families. Our silver spoon governor seems to believe a temporary 1% reduction in the grocery tax is a silver bullet. In truth, I doubt the governor knows the cost of a gallon of milk unless his aides added it to his daily briefing.
 
As the son of two public school teachers, I can’t tell you what it’s like to be born with a silver spoon. But I know firsthand how it feels to face financial uncertainty. I know that sometimes you must make difficult decisions to ensure that your children have a brighter future. That’s why I want to deliver meaningful reforms that will provide a brighter future for our state.
 
Our campaign’s New Start for Illinois includes solutions that will deliver true fiscal relief. It is a roadmap to re-establish Illinois as the economic engine of the Midwest. My plan calls for cutting burdensome regulations that hamper employers, providing long-overdue property tax reform, and delivering permanent – not temporary – tax cuts for working families.
 
We need a leader who will set aside political gimmicks to find real, meaningful solutions that will restore Illinois.”
 

About Paul Schimpf: Paul Schimpf served as a State Senator for the 58th Senate District, is a Marine Corps Veteran who served in Iraq and Iraq, and also served as the chief American attorney advisor to Iraqi prosecutors in the trial of Saddam Hussein. Paul and his family live in rural Monroe County.