Thread by @GovPritzker

The pandemic has caused every state in the nation to face tremendous revenue shortfalls, and Illinois is no exception.

The loss of state tax revenue from COVID-19 will cost us in excess of $4 billion over two fiscal years.

I've worked with governors of both parties and spoken countless times with members of Congress to aggressively advocate for federal support to make up for the missing dollars that fund schools, pay caregivers and first responders & deliver essential services to residents in need.

On top of the damage the pandemic has wreaked on our state, Illinoisans know all too well that our fiscal health required intervention long before this. You might say this state suffered a two-year Republican-induced crisis before we ever got to COVID.

In 2018, I ran for governor with a commitment to propose long-term fiscal solutions. I have done that, and there’s more to do.

In addition to running government more efficiently, I believe the best way to address our structural challenges is to fix the unfair tax system. But Republicans both inside & outside of the General Assembly fought tooth and nail against the best solution for our working families.

It’s been two years since Republicans announced their wholesale opposition to the Fair Tax, and it’s been 40 days since the election, and they have yet to produce any viable answer for balancing the budget. In the wake of their deafening silence, our challenge remains.

We have a projected budget shortfall of over $3.9 billion for this fiscal year, nearly $2 billion of which was created by the revenue shortfall from COVID. The remainder is of a structural nature.

Today, as a first step toward balancing the current year’s budget, I’m presenting over $700 million in initial cuts to our executive branch agencies. This gets us part of the way toward addressing the deficit, but legislative action and engagement is required to close the gap.

Over the years, state government in Illinois has been notoriously hollowed out – so cutting our budget will be, by its very nature, painful. As I continue this conversation with the General Assembly, these cost-saving measures have already begun to be implemented.

These cuts reflect the first phase of our path forward, and I know this is going to be tough. But we must do the hard things that must be done to put our fiscal house in order. We will get through this – with a laser-focus on doing what’s best for working families in Illinois.