Governor JB Pritzker is announcing more than 700 million dollars in budget cuts, including possible furlough days for state workers.
The Governor says the current state budget is nearly 4 billion dollars short, thanks in part to the pandemic, he’s identifying areas of state government that can be cut to help close the gap and is talking with AFSCME about reducing personnel costs.
“By definition taking employees off the front lines will slow the delivery of services to our residents. But this is the place we find ourselves in today.”
Governor Pritzker says he’s also looking at other operational cuts, including closing some prison facilities since the state is housing less inmates.
“The number of people incarcerated in Illinois has decreased by nearly 10,000 individuals since the beginning of 2019. This presents an opportunity for real savings this year and in future years.”
Governor Priztker says the state wouldn’t be in such bad shape if voters had approved his graduated tax plan. He says he welcomes other spending cut ideas from Republicans.
