RED BUD — Rep. Friess released the following statement concerning the Democrats’ failure to unveil a budget before their own self-imposed deadline:
“We knew that state revenues would decline when pandemic aid from the federal government ended. Instead of planning for that decline, Democrats in the General Assembly made long-term spending promises with the temporary funds, setting us up for a very difficult budgeting situation ahead.
Now, in the final session day before we are scheduled to adjourn, and 5 months into the calendar year, we have not seen a single page of what will probably be a several thousand page, $50 Billion Dollar budget.
“The House calendar came out in January. The Governor’s Budget Address was in February. It is the middle of May. We have been in Springfield about 15 weeks and yet the Governor and Majority Party have zero problems with no one outside their secret circle knowing what is going on. Drafting a $50B budget behind closed doors, in secret, is not how Illinois should be run. The process is shameful, and we deserve better.”