McHenry Times

Illinois State Senator Craig Wilcox aimed harsh criticism toward Democrats this week for the party's handling of COVID. 

In a Facebook post, Wilcox said, "During the budget debate for the FY23 spending plan (increases operational, year-to-year spending by almost $3 billion) we urged Democrats NOT to rely on one-time COVID relief funds and associated revenues for ongoing spending. They passed the budget anyway. Now a report has been issued that says the same thing: states need to be careful not to use COVID-related funds for operational expenses. This is the exact kind of irresponsible spending habit that has driven Illinois' finances into the ground."

A report conducted by the Volcker Alliance seems to confirm the concerns that Wilcox has. In the report, Volcker Alliance said that Illinois "has a potential for a fiscal cliff", thanks to the consequences of using one-time revenue sources to pay for what are sure to be recurring expenses.

The report specifically cites $2 billion in funds allocated by Governor Pritzker in the American Rescue Plan Act "to replace lost revenues to the State to fund essential government services", without specifying what the government services are. 

In 2019, Illinois had the fourth highest outstanding government debt in the entire country. The figure stood at $165.1 billion, which is less only than California. 

According to Forbes, governments with large debts and deficits pose a risk of increasing inflation. Inflation is already a concern, so Illinois citizens could be even more drastically affected by the rising costs of everyday goods and services. 

A report by WalletHub confirmed that this is already the case, as Illinoisans currently shoulder the highest tax burden in the nation.