Pritzker’s Budget Address: The Rhetoric and the Reality

Written by Kathy Valente

Referred to by the General Assembly doorkeeper as ‘His Excellency,’ Governor JB Pritzker and his entourage entered the House Chamber where he gave his annual Illinois budget address on Wednesday, February 18^th.

For the next fiscal year, Gov. Pritzker is proposing an additional $1 billion in spending — along with new taxes to pay for it. Don’t be surprised if the General Assembly adds even more to the budget — and the taxpayers’ tab.

Early in his speech, the governor said he was intrigued by former Illinois Governor John Altgeld, who in his 1895 State of the State address spoke about the importance of science guiding the practice of medicine and the need to revise election laws.

It did not escape my attention that Governor Pritzker highlighted science and medicine. I highly doubt Governor Altgeld’s understanding of medicine would have included the unscientific and horrific practice of surgically removing healthy body parts from children and adults — leaving many with lifelong medical complications — so they can attempt to present themselves as the opposite sex.

I am equally certain Governor Altgeld would not have signed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover prostate exams for women and pap tests for men. The word “scientific” likely would not have crossed his mind. Perhaps the word insanity would have.

Nor do I believe Governor Altgeld would have described the taking of an innocent preborn life as “healthcare.” Governor Pritzker not only signed legislation repealing Illinois’ Parental Notification Law — allowing a 13-year-old girl to obtain an abortion without her parents’ knowledge — he also signed the repeal of the state’s partial-birth abortion ban, permitting the destruction of a fully developed child up to the moment of birth.

He also approved policies forcing Illinois taxpayers to fund these procedures — including abortion and transgender hormone therapies.

I also wonder whether the election reforms Governor Altgeld believed were necessary resemble those Illinois leaders are advancing today: voting weeks before Election Day, mass mailing of ballots (including to individuals who have moved or died — which HB 3355 would expand if passed), same-day voter registration, and voting without proof of residency — much less proof of citizenship.

And, as expected, Governor Pritzker couldn’t miss the opportunity to blame Illinois’ fiscal woes on President Donald Trump.

The Governor said,

“It has also been a remarkable year for K through 12 education in our state. … The Nation’s Report Card compares all 50 states, and the results are clear. Illinois is among the best in the nation. Only one state outpaced Illinois in 8th grade reading scores, and only four states outpaced Illinois in 8th grade math scores. We’re leading the pack because of sustained investments in education.”

What the governor failed to mention is that Illinois lowered its reading and math proficiency standards last year. Predictably, reported proficiency rates rose significantly — doubling and in some cases tripling from prior years.

Even former Governor Bruce Rauner noticed when he recently wrote,

“Lowering the bar is not a strategy to improve student outcomes. It is a waving of the white flag.” 

Earlier data showed that in 2024 only 41% of students in grades three through eight could read at grade level — and just 31% of 11th graders. In math, only 28% of students in grades three through eight were proficient, along with 26% of 11th graders.

If those outcomes place Illinois “among the best in the nation,” we are in very serious trouble.

A closer look at 2025 proficiency rates remains deeply troubling — even though those numbers appear higher because the standards were lowered.

Since the 2018–2019 school year, English language arts proficiency has declined by 13.7%, and math proficiency has fallen 22.4% under Governor JB Pritzker.

Don’t be fooled by the political spin. Illinois taxpayers are not being told the plain, straightforward truth.