Kane County Reporter

State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Plato Township) asserted that Illinois Democrats should not have relied on one-time COVID relief funds for operational expenses. 

A new report from The Volcker Alliance warned against Illinois' habit of utilizing one-time payments to pay for recurring expenses. The state "has a potential for a fiscal cliff" due to its penchant for using one-time revenue sources to pay for ongoing expenses, according to the report. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.) used $2 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds "to replace lost revenues to the state to fund essential government services" without specifying what services were being funded, the report noted.

"An influx of federal dollars has allowed Democrats to go on a spending spree this year, but who will pick up the tab when these one-time funds run out?" Ugaste said in a Facebook post in late May. "Illinois families need real fiscal responsibility from lawmakers that reduces tax burdens for years to come."

Illinois had the fourth-largest outstanding government debt of any state in the nation as of 2019, according to Statista. Illinois' debt stood at $165.1 billion, less than only California, New York, and Texas. 44 states and Washington, DC had outstanding debts of less than $100 billion.

Governments with big debts and deficits run the risk of exacerbating inflation, according to Forbes. Inflation eats away at consumers' savings, while also causing uncertainty for investors, leading to a decline in economic growth.

A recent WalletHub report found that Illinois residents bear the highest tax burden in the nation, Illinois Policy reported. On average, an Illinois household pays $9,488 in taxes each year – nearly 39% more than the national average. Illinoisans pay the second-largest gas tax and second-largest effective property tax rate, but Illinois' public services do not reflect the high amount of taxation. Illinois has the biggest pension debt in the country, so much of the state's taxpayer dollars go towards that debt.