Chambana Sun

State Rep. Mike Marron (R-Fithian) is questioning the $550 million appropriated in the budget for healthcare for undocumented immigrants in the state. 

Marron’s comments come as Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the $50.4 billion budget on June 8. 

“The amount of money that the Democrats understated fairly significantly is going to undocumented immigrants," Marron said, according to Bishop On Air. "And I think that's it's a problem. I think they have mixed up priorities."

Marron also spoke out against state lawmakers granting themselves a second pay raise for the year, nudging annual legislator pay before benefits to nearly $90,000 per year. 

“It sends the wrong message at the wrong time," Marron said of the pay raise. "People are struggling with inflation. They're paying higher amounts of money for gasoline, for energy, food, medicine. And here we are. We're just so out of touch.”

The Illinois budget includes allocations for various purposes, including addressing the state's underfunded pension, funding summer youth jobs, and supporting Chicago's migrant assistance efforts, albeit not to the extent desired by the city. 

Pritzker exercised a reduction veto, his second in five years, to rectify an "inadvertent" mistake made by lawmakers who voted for a 5.5% raise for themselves, exceeding the 5%  maximum allowed by state law, according to Politico. The adjustment reduces legislative salaries to $89,250 starting July 1, instead of the initially proposed $89,675. The budget also does not include renewed funding for the Invest in Kids scholarship program, which provides financial assistance to low-income and working-class families to afford private and parochial schools, thus omitting the tax breaks for donors to the program. 

House GOP leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) expressed concern about the size of the budget, being the largest in Illinois history, and suggested that it could lead to future tax hikes.

The healthcare program for undocumented immigrants was appropriated $550 million, prompting Republican lawmakers to call for a pause and audit of the program. State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) and other Republican leaders expressed concerns about the program's expansion without adequate funding, Peoria Standard reported. 

Spain introduced House Resolution 220, which urges a moratorium on enrolling new beneficiaries and expanding Medicaid services for undocumented immigrants, along with a performance audit by the Auditor General to assess the program's administration. The program, implemented in 2020, has seen substantial cost increases and has been projected to reach $990 million in the upcoming fiscal year. 

While Democrats defended their budgeting decisions, pointing to their track record of balancing the budget and improving state finances, Republicans emphasized the need for fiscal responsibility and sustainable budgeting. Former state representative Delia Ramirez, now a congresswoman, advocated for the initial program, initially estimating its cost at $2 million per year but failed to foresee the significant cost increases. The program's expansion has sparked debate, with Democrats seeking to extend coverage to individuals ages 19 and above. 

Pritzker has been traveling throughout the state to promote increased taxpayer funding for education, infrastructure, and new initiatives such as early childhood education and programs addressing homelessness and areas lacking grocery access. During a stop in Quincy, the governor defended the pay increase for legislators, acknowledging that the 17% raise implemented last year may seem substantial but was partly due to previous pay freezes, according to The Center Square.