State Representative Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) voted No on a taxing and spending proposal which was brought before the Illinois House in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
“Continuing to raise taxes and increase spending in an endless cycle is terrible policy and is completely unsustainable,” Swanson said. “Since 2020 the state budget has ballooned from near $40 billion to now over $53 billion. We are long past the point where we have to stand strong for the taxpayers of Illinois and say ‘Enough!’ We cannot continue on this path of expecting taxpayers to pay for these annual spending sprees.”
Swanson’s No vote came after statehouse Democrats introduced a Fiscal Year 2025 budget which spends $2.6 billion more than last year’s budget and raises taxes by $1 billion to cover the costs. It funds a cost-of-living pay increase for legislators. The budget includes more than three times as much funding for non-citizens as it does for services to Illinois veterans.
The final draft of the 3389-page budget was made public over the Memorial Day weekend and voted on in the middle of the night. It is the largest spending bill in Illinois history, eclipsing the previous record, set last year.
71st District residents can find more news about the General Assembly and information about upcoming events on Rep. Swanson’s legislative website at repswanson.com.