Illinois Governor Celebrates $56 Billion State Budget After Late-Night Voting

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker spoke proudly about a new $56 billion state budget that lawmakers approved early Monday morning. The governor said this budget will help Illinois families by lowering costs and protecting children. He believes his eight years of managing the state's money has made Illinois much stronger than before. The budget will start on July 1 and includes money for schools, hospitals, and other important programs.

Pritzker pointed to several improvements in the state's finances. Illinois now has better credit ratings, which means it's easier to borrow money. The state also owes less money for pensions and has saved some money for emergencies. These changes show that Illinois is in much better shape than it was years ago.

However, not everything the governor wanted got finished during this legislative session. A deal to help keep the Chicago Bears football team in Illinois fell apart. Most of Pritzker's ideas to make housing cheaper never happened. These proposals might have been forgotten because lawmakers were busy working on the main budget.

Democratic leaders blamed President Donald Trump for making their job harder. They said Trump's policies are costing Illinois over $8 billion and hurting families and businesses. Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch said federal funding cuts made creating the budget more difficult than usual. They argued that Trump's tariffs are like taxes on working families.

The new budget includes several ways to raise money for the state. Illinois will collect $200 million from a new tax on large social media companies. The state will also get $300 million by limiting how much businesses can deduct from their taxes. A new tax on cryptocurrency brokers will bring in about $60 million more.