Kane County Reporter

Governor JB Pritzker delivered his annual Budget Address to a joint session of the Illinois Senate and House on Wednesday. The speech, highlighting the state's financial plan, was followed by remarks from State Senator Don DeWitte, representing St. Charles.

Senator DeWitte expressed skepticism about the governor's revised deficit numbers. "For months, we have been told this will be a lean budget year because we’re facing a $3.2 billion budget hole," he stated. He questioned the reduction in the deficit to $1 billion after discovering $2 billion, calling it "fuzzy math" meant to mislead taxpayers and obscure the state's true financial situation.

DeWitte criticized what he sees as excessive spending under Governor Pritzker's administration. "It appears that runaway spending will continue under this Governor," he said, noting that the new budget increases state expenditure by an additional $2 billion. According to DeWitte, this results in a total budget of $55.4 billion, marking a 37% increase since Pritzker assumed office six years ago.

The senator emphasized that ordinary Illinois residents have not experienced similar income growth during this period and suggested that state government should adopt more fiscally conservative practices akin to those of its citizens.