Sangamon Sun

Republican state Sen. Steve McClure is blasting the new $42 billion state budget rammed through by Democrats during a special session of the legislature as doomed from the start.

“It’s a budget that’s $6 billion out of whack and a budget where there is no stopping the automatic payment increase for lawmakers while people all across the state are losing their businesses and struggling to feed their families,” McClure told the Sangamon Sun. “It’s unfathomable that they would use this moment to pass a totally partisan budget that allows for lawmakers to get a raise.”

The plan that sailed through both chambers of the legislature on the final day of the four-day gathering relies heavily on funding from the federal government to plug holes made even deeper by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. As part of the package, lawmakers also approved a measure that allows for the borrowing of up to $5 billion from the federal government, which legislators hope will eventually be repaid with more funds allocated from Washington.

“Besides the numbers being way off, I think it’s a huge gamble to be sitting around hoping that all this magic money will suddenly appear from out of state when there are no guarantees,” McClure added. “This really didn’t have to be done now, but with all their supermajorities I think Democrats are feeling like they can do whatever they like whenever they want.”

As for the $1,800 raise lawmakers granted themselves as part of the package, McClure said it’s just another instance of Democrats throwing their weight around.

“Just like we haven’t been able to have a say in all the executive actions the governor has imposed to deal with the virus, Republicans really didn’t have a say in that,” he said. “It’s just more business as usual, with the crisis still being a concern making it all harder to accept.”