Gov. JB Pritzker's budget plan includes no new taxes, would cut healthcare for immigrant adults without legal status
Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday unveiled his $55.2 billion state budget plan 2026. The spending plan would be the largest in Illinois history, but comes with no new taxes.
Under his budget plan, Pritzker wants to launch a program banning cell phones during classroom instruction in Illinois, while ending a controversial $420 million dollar program providing health coverage for undocumented immigrants.
"I have made difficult decisions, including to programs that I have championed," Pritzker said of his budget proposal.
The governor's budget plan would eliminate a program to provide health care to immigrants in Illinois without legal status between ages 42 and 64.
The program would end July 1st, a belt-tightening maneuver welcomed by Pritzker's critics
"That was a positive move, because our focus ought to be on taking care of our own families," Illinois state Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) said.
Speaking of families, parents will need to have a talk with school-aged kids with cell phones if the governor has his way.
"I'll move forward with legislation requiring all school districts in Illinois to adopt a cell phone policy that bans the use of phones during classroom instruction," Pritzker said.
Right now, approximately 10 school districts statewide have a ban already on the books.
The proposed budget, a $2 billion increase over the 2025 state budget, is a starting point that Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) called "dead on arrival."
"It will look very different by the time Illinois Democrats add all of their bells and whistles," McCombie said.
While not mentioning Mike Madigan by name, Pritzker linked the federal court system that found the former Illinois house speaker guilty of bribery charges to the courts built to keep even a President in check.
"If you applauded that decision as I did, then I expect you to defend and applaud those same federal courts as they check this president in his quest for unrestrained power," Pritzker said.
The governor, long a vocal critic of President Trump, said the new administration will hurt Illinoisians -from seniors to farmers – and ended his 35-minute speech this way:
"If you think I'm overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. And all I'm saying is that when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control," he said.
The governor's budget would increase funding for elementary and high schools by $300 million, and would lower tuition for community colleges.
Pritzker did not address the more than $700 million fiscal cliff facing the Chicago area's public transit agencies.
All will be worked through before this budget is voted on. It must be approved by the Illinois General Assembly by May 31 in order to be approved by a simple majority. After that, it would require a three-fifths majority vote to pass his budget plan, which takes effect at the start of the state's new fiscal year on July 1.
