Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – House Republican budget negotiator State Rep. Amy Elik (pictured) (R-Godfrey) is no fan of Gov. JB Pritzker’s fiscal practices.

“Make no mistake about it,” Elik told reporters Tuesday, the eve of the governor’s State of the State and budget speech. “The governor has relied on tax increases and used smoke and mirrors to make previous budgets appear balanced, and I don’t suspect this year will be any different.”

Also deriding the governor is State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris). “Since the governor took office, state spending has increased forty percent,” said Rezin at a separate news conference Tuesday. “Think about that for a moment. Has your salary increased forty percent since 2019? For most Illinois families, the answer is No.”

Republicans criticized Pritzker for his approach toward President Donald Trump. But State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) would not evaluate Trump’s cancellation of grants to Democrat-led states. “I think the courts are going to address that issue,” said Windhorst. “There is an issue with government spending on the federal level: trillions of dollars of deficits, going up by the trillions every year. We have deficits here in Illinois that we have to address, and we can’t pass the blame for our deficits on what’s going on in D.C.”

Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) said he would love for the budget to reflect his caucus’ priorities: “I want to vote for a budget.”