Carbondale Reporter

State Representative Paul Jacobs has expressed his concerns following the signing of Illinois' largest budget by Governor JB Pritzker. The $55.2 billion budget, which surpasses last year's by nearly $2 billion, has drawn criticism from Jacobs, who represents Pomona as a Republican.

Jacobs stated that the budget relies heavily on "one-time revenues" and includes "a billion dollars in tax hike and fund sweeps from dedicated projects to be used for Democrat pork projects." He attributes the state's fiscal issues to what he describes as a "problem of the Democratic majority’s creation" and criticizes their approach as a "tax and spend compulsion."

He also highlighted that this budget includes another pay increase for politicians, with Democrats providing lawmakers a 5% raise. Jacobs expressed concern about the impact on residents, stating, "This isn’t monopoly money: this is peoples’ livelihoods. Life just got a whole lot more expensive for Illinois families."