Chairman Sean Morrison’s response to Governor JB Pritzker’s Budget Address

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 19, 2025

Chairman Sean Morrison's response to Governor JB Pritzker's Budget Address

Governor JB Pritzker's Budget Address today was not merely an outline of fiscal policy; it was a deeply divisive and inflammatory speech that crossed a dangerous line. Rather than focusing on the pressing economic and social issues facing Illinois, our governor chose to use his platform to launch disgraceful attacks on President Donald Trump and his supporters, likening them to the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany. This reckless and irresponsible rhetoric is abhorrent and unbefitting of any elected official, let alone the governor of a major state.

By engaging in such incendiary comparisons, Pritzker not only disrespects the over 2.75 million hardworking Illinoisans who have voted for Trump, but he also trivializes one of history's darkest chapters. This deliberate attempt to demonize political opponents is a desperate distraction from his own administration's failures over the past six years. If Governor Pritzker wants to talk about real threats to Illinois, he should look no further than the crises that have flourished under his leadership:

• A Broken Economy: Illinois continues to suffer from record unemployment and the highest inflation rates in the nation, exacerbating financial struggles for working families.
• Corruption and Fraud: Scandals have plagued state agencies, from widespread fraud within the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to the misuse of COVID relief funds through PPP fraud by Illinois employees.
• Skyrocketing Taxes and Fees: Despite his claims of no new taxes, Pritzker has systematically raised gas taxes, vehicle registration fees, and other burdensome levies that disproportionately hurt middle-class citizens.
• Soft-on-Crime Policies: His administration has enacted policies that embolden criminals, making Illinois communities less safe and leaving law-abiding residents to suffer the consequences.
• Decriminalization of Deadly Fentanyl: Instead of taking firm action against the opioid crisis, Pritzker has pushed for policies that make it easier for dangerous drugs like fentanyl to flood our streets.
• Migrant Crisis Chaos: As a proud leader of a sanctuary state movement, Pritzker and his Democratic allies have burdened Illinois taxpayers with billions in costs to support an unchecked migrant crisis. His policies have invited chaos, overloading already stretched public tax dollar resources and forcing hardworking families to foot the bill.
• Illinois Department of Corrections Failings: Under Pritzker's leadership, the Illinois Department of Corrections has faced ongoing mismanagement, overcrowding, and inhumane conditions, failing both inmates and the communities they are meant to rehabilitate.
• IDCFS Abuse and Crisis: Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) has been plagued with scandals and failures, leaving vulnerable children in dangerous situations, and failing to provide the protection and support they desperately need.

The people of Illinois deserve leadership that prioritizes real solutions over political theater. Instead of vilifying half of the state's population, Governor Pritzker ought to focus on cleaning up his own administration, addressing rampant corruption, and reversing the disastrous economic policies that have left Illinois in financial peril.

If his speech was an attempt to lay the groundwork for a potential presidential run, then it only serves as further proof that his ambitions lie in partisan grandstanding rather than in serving the people of Illinois. The citizens of this state deserve better than a governor who continually deflects from his own failures by engaging in divisive fearmongering.

Governor Pritzker, it's time to stop the name-calling, take responsibility for your record, and start addressing the real issues that Illinoisans face every day.

Chairman Sean M. Morrison

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