State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) | Ugaste's website
State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) | Ugaste's website
State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is firing back at Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new $50.4 billion budget, calling it more of the same reckless spending by Democrats that has Illinois swimming in red ink.
On his official website, Ugaste blasted the spending plan, pointing out that residents deserve more than they are getting from legislators.
“Delivered in the middle of the night and filled with gimmicks instead of structural changes to improve our state’s finances, the Democrats’ budget prioritizes new spending over existing commitments," Ugaste said in the statement posted to his website. "We are seeing local government funding sleight-of-hand that shorts these governments and the state playing shell games with the General Revenue Fund and COVID costs to hide the actual spending.”
Ugaste also pointed out in the post that while people across the state struggle financially, Democrats approved what he called an unconstitutional pay hike.
“Illinoisans deserve better than smoke and mirrors and this disgraceful budgetary circus,” he said. “We need a transparent, accountable budgeting process.”
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Pritzker’s office pointed to line-item reductions of $192,700 were made after a review found cost-of-living pay raises granted in the budget to constitutional officers, legislators and appointed officers of the executive branch were more than 5%, which was found to be unconstitutional.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Pritzker’s spending plan includes $350 million earmarked for Illinois’ k-13 evidence-based school funding formula, another $100 million for MAP grant funding for higher education and an additional $100 million for public universities.
The Chicago Sun-Times report added that the MAP grant funding is expected to provide a chance for people to attend community college for free.
In Springfield, GOP legislators railed against the budget for plan for several reasons, including the fact they were not included in the negotiation phase to develop the plan, according to the news outlet.
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