Month: September 2022

It was another sky-high month for inflation in August as CPI rose to 8.3% from last year, while Illinois families and businesses were once again left to bear the brunt of price increases. Nationwide, grocery prices are up 13.5% from this time last year, the largest increase since March of 1979. The blame lies squarely on the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats who enabled the Biden-Pelosi spending binge at every turn.

“The Democrats own August’s devastating inflation numbers. Senator Duckworth, Congressman Casten, Congressman Krishnamoorthi, Congressman Foster, and Congresswoman Underwood, all must answer why they’ve supported the Biden-Pelosi inflationary spending binge every step of the way, despite dire warnings from respected Democrat economists that it would cause the very inflation that we’re seeing today,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “We need to elect responsible Republican leadership to Congress this fall and end the Biden-Pelosi inflationary spending binge.”

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Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings continues to blame everyone but himself for his problems, like the inexcusable domestic violence allegations and the taxpayer-funded defense of alleged discrimination and retaliation against a former staffer. Meanwhile, Hastings’ Democratic colleagues have been either completely silent on his alleged misconduct or, in some cases, have even come to his defense.

Senator Napoleon Harris went so far as to defend Hastings, saying in a statement he was, “one of the most upstanding, professional, and honest legislators in the Illinois Senate.”

According to the police report as quoted in WBEZ, Hastings’ wife, “advised on 11-09-2020, Michael battered her, by placing her in a chokehold/neck restraint, and slammed her body into a door multiple times.” What has Hastings himself had to say?

Instead of taking responsibility for these deplorable allegations, Hastings has attempted to deflect time and again.

According to WBEZ, “Records show Hastings called two different police departments and unsuccessfully sought to have his wife arrested and charged two months ago in a dispute over visitation rights. In addition to denying his wife’s allegations of domestic-battery, he also sued south suburban Frankfort for allegedly leaking the report containing those allegations.”

According to the Chicago Tribune last month, Hastings accused the police report of being, “intentionally leaked to the news media in a sinister attempt to influence the elections, hurt me politically by tarnishing my reputation, and turning the divorce around to blame the divorce on me by using these false domestic violence accusations.”

While Hastings and his colleagues dodge and deflect, Illinois taxpayers are left to pick up the tab for his state-funded settlement and legal fees, to the tune of nearly $150,000.

“Senator Hastings’ colleagues should be ashamed of their silence. He has lashed out against everybody while using our tax dollars to do so. It’s time for Illinois Democrats to step up and condemn Hastings for these allegations unbefitting of anyone, let alone a public servant,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.

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Candidate for the 13th Congressional District in Illinois Nikki Budzinski has spent her career championing policies that cause tax increases, higher gas prices, and inflation, all of which are the triple threat faced by working families today all across Illinois. Now, Budzinski wants to take her attack on middle-class families a step further, and repeal the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

According to Budzinski’s policy agenda, her top economic priority is repealing the 2017 tax cuts legislation that save Illinois families over $1,000 a year. 

“This is the absolute worst time to raise taxes on Illinois families,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “As families across our state grapple with Gov. JB Pritzker’s high taxes and President Joe Biden’s inflation, the last thing we need in Congress is another tax-and-spend-happy politician. Whether working for Pritzker or Biden, one thing is consistent about Nikki Budzinski – she’s made a career out of championing policies that have caused pain at the pump, higher taxes, and the generationally high inflation that we’re facing today. She will do even more damage if elected to Congress.”

In 2019, while Nikki Budzinski was serving as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor, JB Pritzker signed a $45 million package of bills that doubled the gas tax, while indexing annual gas tax increases to inflation. She was also in a senior role in advocating for Pritzker’s failed tax referendum that would have changed the Illinois Constitution to give politicians more opportunities to raise income taxes. 

In 2021, Budzinski joined the Biden Administration as Chief of Staff to the Office of Management and Budget to – you guessed it – advance higher taxes and higher inflation while turning a blind eye to skyrocketing energy costs. Budzinski led the office that was in charge of implementing Biden’s vision for America that included canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, which eliminated more than 1,000 great jobs and cut Americans off from much-needed additional energy resources. Budzinski continues to champion the American Rescue Plan, despite dire warnings from respected Democrat economists that it would cause the severe inflation that we are now seeing.

“Nikki Budzinski’s solution to solving the inflation problem she helped create is implementing higher taxes on working families. Central Illinois families cannot afford Nikki Budzinski,” said Chairman Tracy. 

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Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs has a long history of changing his facts. Last week, he lashed out against State Rep. Tom Demmer and the media for repeating comments he made about taxing retirement at the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce Forum in 2020.

FACT: Frerichs added one argument for the progressive tax is the consideration of taxing retirement income of those who can afford it. 

Daily Herald, June 17, 2020: “Frerichs added one argument for the progressive tax is the consideration of taxing retirement income of those who can afford it. He said he knows people who receive 6-figure yearly pensions and do not pay income taxes, but the current system doesn’t differentiate between them and retirees who barely get by on their savings or pensions.”

“One thing a progressive tax would do is make clear you can have graduated rates when you are taxing retirement income,” he said. “And, I think that’s something that’s worth discussion.”

FACT: Frerichs has been flip-flopping on whether he supports combining the offices of the Comptroller and Treasurer. 

Chicago Tribune, September 21, 2014: “I think his statements on Israel bonds weren’t carefully thought out. It’s been one of the better investments in the state treasurer’s office,” Giannoulias said of Frerichs.

Giannoulias also appeared critical of Frerichs’ back-and-forth on the issue of combining the offices of state treasurer and comptroller. Frerichs had supported the idea, later appeared to back off the position, but then said he was in favor of combining the offices.”

FACT: Rather than taking accountability for his statement on retirement income or repeated flip-flops on the Comptroller’s Office Frerichs said everyone else is lying.

Herald-Whig September 1, 2022: “It is good to hear that Tom Demmer agrees with me in that retirement income should not be taxed and that the comptroller’s office should be folded into the treasurer’s office,” Frerichs said, in an email to The Herald-Whig. “I’ve been saying the same thing for years. Anything that contradicts these statements simply is not true. Anyone who contradicts these statements should be asked, ‘Why are you lying?’

FACT: Frerichs has been supporting a progressive income tax as a way of raising taxes since 2007.

Frerichs introduced his own constitutional amendment to create a progressive income with SJRCA69 in 2007 and followed with two more amendments SJRCA92 and  SJRCA89 in 2008,  SJRCA101 in 2010, SJRCA17 in 2013.

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Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Kathy Salvi announced today that she has accepted the invitation to attend the first Senate debate, hosted by WTTW, WBEZ, and the Chicago Sun-Times. Kathy Salvi called for two additional debates with Senator Duckworth, consistent with the three debates held by Duckworth and then Senator Mark Kirk in 2016 as well as in keeping with Illinois’ “long tradition of monumental political debates,” as said in the Salvi campaign’s press release.

“Senator Duckworth should accept Kathy Salvi’s invitation to debate. Illinois families are facing a triple-threat from Washington; record inflation caused by out-of-control government spending, unprecedented pain at the pump from anti-energy policies, and looming tax-hikes at the worst time. The fate of the US Senate could very well hinge on this seat, and Senator Duckworth owes voters the same transparency that she demanded of her 2016 opponent. She must answer for her support of the reckless Biden administration policies that have fueled gas and groceries inflation, handcuffed US energy producers while enriching foreign energy producers, and hired 87,000 IRS agents to harass Illinois taxpayers,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.

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