Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider released the following statement in response to Governor Pritzker’s State of the State address:

“In his State of the State speech today, Governor Pritzker talked about his desire to reach across the aisle and find common ground to solve the enormous challenges facing Illinois. Republicans in Illinois stand ready to work in good faith with the Governor, but we will not solve the immense challenges we face by pushing the same tax-and-spend policies that created the mess in Illinois.

So far, Governor Pritzker’s priorities have been focused on adding to our financial crisis, not solving it. His priorities have made life more expensive for working families in Illinois, not more affordable. And in the midst of a mass exodus of people fleeing our state, Governor Pritzker’s priorities will only serve to speed up our decline as small businesses shutter, property taxes keep rising, and middle class wallets are hit up time and again.

Illinois is drowning under a tsunami of legal and illegal public corruption. I urge the Governor to follow through on his promises and act with leadership on substantive ethics reforms and non-partisan legislative redistricting. With three months to go on a Fair Maps Amendment deadline, nothing less than urgent action by the Governor is acceptable. 

But there is one person who stands in the way of these critical changes. Mike Madigan has slow-walked ethics reform and refuses to support the non-partisan redrawing of legislative maps. Now is the time for Pritzker to show Madigan that the status quo in Springfield must change. I hope the Governor has the courage to do so.”

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