Bailey Accuses Pritzker of Deflecting on Illinois Budget Woes (Louisville, IL) – Darren Bailey on Tuesday accused Gov. JB Pritzker of misleading Illinois residents about the state’s budget problems, calling the governor’s latest order for agency spending cuts a political maneuver.
Bailey’s comments came in response to Pritzker’s executive order directing state agencies to identify at least 4 percent in potential cost reductions. The governor linked the move in part to economic pressures he attributed to President Donald Trump.
Bailey dismissed that explanation as political theater.
“To blame President Trump for Illinois’ budget problems is like blaming the White Sox’s losing record on the fans. It is absurd,” Bailey said in a statement. “Real leaders take responsibility for their actions. The budget problems facing our state are a direct result of the Governor setting new spending records every year he has been in office.”
Bailey noted that the first budget Pritzker signed into law totaled $40.6 billion and argued that state spending has since grown by $15 billion.
The downstate farmer and former state senator, who lost to Pritzker in the 2022 governor’s race, said that if elected governor in the future he would bring “transparency and accountability” to the budgeting process.
“The money being spent at the state level belongs to the people. It is time taxpayers had an advocate for them serving as governor of the state,” Bailey said.
Bailey Accuses Pritzker of Deflecting on Illinois Budget Woes
