State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) responded to the Governor’s Budget Address given today at the Old State Capitol in Springfield.
“It’s incredible how the Governor managed to insult every citizen of Illinoisan in one speech–from parents to nurses and small business owners to law enforcement,” said Rep. Adam Niemerg. “He seems to forget he’s the one who tells parents they have to mask their kids or nurses they have to choose between a vaccination or a job. He shut down businesses—not COVID. Now he’s claiming federal bailout funds are what’s going to balance the budget.”
Rep. Niemerg points out that Illinois is in its third year of business closures from failed COVID-19 mandates. Those forced closures created a surge on unemployment benefits that depleted the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund which if not replenished will trigger higher taxes on businesses and lower benefits for those who really need them during hard economic times.
As well, Rep. Niemerg, a first term member of the General Assembly, says that the Governor’s rosy picture is not honest since the temporary financial picture is the result of a huge federal bailout and not from responsible financial policies by the governor. Over $ 8.1 billion came to Illinois in the America Restoration Plan Act (ARPA) but instead of dealing with the Unemployment Trust Fund needs, the Governor and his Democrat allies have pushed through things like legislative pay increases and pork projects in Democrat districts.
“This Governor continues to show he cannot be trusted to show real leadership and make the tough decisions about how he spends public money. His so-called tax relief is a political joke,” added Rep. Niemerg. “If he were a real leader trying to solve the state’s long-term financial problems, Gov. Pritzker would replenish the Unemployment Trust Fund of the $4.5 billion loan still owed to the federal government, so that would save taxpayers and businesses an estimated $100 million in interest payments.”