Kane County Reporter

Just before the deadline on May 31, majority party legislators approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2026 amounting to $55.2 billion. State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) expressed his opposition to the budget and its supporting documents in a statement.

DeWitte criticized the budget, saying, "A state’s budget is a list of its priorities, and the FY 2026 budget underscores the misplaced priorities that are driving today’s Democrat agenda." He highlighted concerns about funding allocations, noting that "the budget continues to provide funding for services for those in this country illegally," while reducing service hours for caregivers of the state's developmentally and intellectually disabled community by 630,000 hours. This reduction equates to about 300 full-time healthcare providers.

He further stated his astonishment at the decision-making priorities: "It is astounding that our Governor and his allies would rather channel funds toward illegal immigrants than adequately fund services for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities." Additionally, DeWitte pointed out that while the budget includes legislative pay raises, it offers no property tax relief for taxpayers.