By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
The state’s recently projected $23 billion in deficits over the next five years should come as a big surprise for Illinoisans given how well the Pritzker administration says it has managed the state’s finances in recent years. Illinois has “balanced its budgets,” “paid down its unpaid bills,” and “created a rainy day fund,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker has repeated often.
Despite all that, Illinois is right back to the multi-billion dollar deficits it had right before covid. A look at the state’s budget forecasts, done by the governor’s OMB, reveals why. Pritzker wants to continue the pandemic-era spending he’s put together since coming into office in 2019. If the governor has his way, the state’s budget will have grown by a whopping $23 billion by 2030 – a near 60% increase in little more than a decade.
That’s the kind of largesse that keeps Illinois’ government class happy and its most vulnerable class placated. And it’s taxpayers that will have to make up the resulting deficits (i.e. watch out for a coming second attempt at a progressive tax hike).
The best example of how Pritzker and team have leveraged the budget so far is in human services. His administration is spending $5 billion more now than it did in 2019, almost doubling the human services budget in just six years.
Apparently, that hasn’t been enough. Now the administration wants to add another $2.6 billion by 2030. In all, spending on human services will have jumped from just $6.2 billion in 2019 to $14.1 billion in 2030, a massive 128% increase.
The questions every Illinoisan should have are: Where exactly did all the state’s money go? And with all the extra billions in money, why are we running multi-billion deficits again?
Let’s go through the numbers.
The state spending blowout
Gov. Pritzker’s first six years have already been spending blowouts, so far up $13 billion on a $40 billion base.
Illinois can thank the $195 billion in covid money the feds sent to the public and private sector, along with higher tax revenues from the subsequent inflationary economic boom, for the covid-era budget boost. Education spending jumped $3.3 billion. $5 billion more was poured into human services, a near 90% increase. Over $2.6 billion more for pensions. And $1.5 billion more for government services.
In all, expenditures ballooned by 33% between 2019 and 2025. By comparison, in the previous six year period, Illinois’ budget grew by only 13%.
But it’s not enough. Pritzker wants to keep spending. His budget office projects another $2.3 billion for education by 2030. Another $2.6 billion for human services. Another $2.3 billion for healthcare. In all, his administration expects to grow the budget by another $9.6 billion by 2030.
Never mind that the spending creates big budget deficits. A $3.2 billion deficit in 2026. A $4.3 billion deficit in 2027. And then $5 billion-plus deficits the next three years.
Expect Illinois’ leadership to try and fix those holes with tax increases, not cuts. Especially since their strategy to get the progressive tax back into the state’s political conversation worked. Illinoisans voted 60-40 in favor of the millionaires tax referendum last Tuesday – a win for Pritzker’s desire for a progressive tax.
One big reason the non-binding referendum passed is that the question was sweetened with the promise of relief from the nation’s highest property taxes.
Look for state politicians to reintroduce a referendum for a progressive tax amendment in time for the ballot in 2026. But don’t expect it to come with any promise of tax relief…politicians have 5 billion reasons to avoid that.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Don’t look now, but here come the tax hikes on Illinoisans
- Pritzker’s new budgets forecast $3 billion to $5 billion deficits, make property tax relief from millionaire-tax ballot referendum unlikely
- City of Chicago budget revenues have ballooned by $6 billion since 2019. Why the $1 billion deficit?
- Illinois’ Gov. Pritzker delivers Democrats’ national economic pitch at DNC. A look at his own record is revealing.
Appendix.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
It’s because the AWFLs in this state always vote blue no matter who. I have neighbors that vote Democrat because of abortion, so their own kids can abort their only grandchildren. It’s completely insane.
A man of voracious appetite for feeding the beast that perpetuates the Democratic party stranglehold on the taxpayer. He recently bragged about balancing the budget and paying down debt and now it’s, “whoops, my bad, and it’s Rauner’s fault anyway” never mind the decades long majority or super majority in the IL house and senate. Illinois voters did this to ourselves and he’s the most destructive governor in memory. Good times!
Someone has to fund the abortion seeking, welfare enabled, trans crowd. You know, JB’s people.
Don’t forget the illegal aliens.
They failed in their mission to swing the vote totally blue and as we’ve seen with Joe, if you’re not a useful tool, you are of no consequence and on your own.
I see a lot of patronage hiring as well as raises for the unionized State employees in those numbers unless for some reason this time its different.
Hopefully PDJT has an audit done of where these federal Covid monies went, and if improperly spent, claw them back to the Treasury.
A ward map is out now on the 2024 presidential election. I know this may be an near impossible ‘big data’ analysis, but it would be interesting to see how the voting and spending and taxing line up. All the Blue wards need to pay for Pritzker and the Leftist Democrats spending folly, not Downstate.
Gee, more tax increases on the horizon for Illinois. What a surprise!
Another election result just confirmed Illinois is willing to die with its Dem, woke overlords. Here in Tennessee, the state GOP maintained its supermajority, so anyone that says the whole country is buying into the Dem, woke insanity doesn’t know what they are talking about. By the way Illinois, you are welcome for us saving your collective butts from another white house disaster. The best way to show your gratitude is to vote with us next election in a red state voting booth.
Amen to that
The data shows TN is doing an outstanding job compared to many states. Rejecting Democrats and wokeness is very profitable for taxpayers.
“Human Services” with an 86% increase 2019 to 2025 really stands out, WOW!. I’m not sure what “Human Services” includes, is this the same as IDHS? Is this where all the COVID/ ARPA spending is buried that taxpayers will now have to pick up the tab as fed funds run out?
It is partly due to the free healthcare given to undocumented immigrants who don’t work and live off the government dime as well as the generous healthcare benefits given to retired public sector employees.
That’s ILLEGAL.IMMIGRANTS. Let’s call them what they are.