September 16, 2020

Dear Members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation:

As Congress continues its legislative deliberations this week, I write to once again urge all
members of our Illinois Congressional delegation to come together in a bipartisan fashion to
provide critical support to states and local governments facing disastrous budgetary
consequences stemming from unanticipated revenue losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we sincerely appreciate the financial support to respond to the direct impacts of the
pandemic derived from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Families First
Coronavirus Response Act and other Congressional action, there is unfinished business to
address the effects of the virus. Forcing states and local governments to make massive budget
cuts is harming our nation’s economic recovery and will have devastating consequences on
businesses, schools, first responders, working families and everyday Illinoisans who are
already suffering.

This is not just an Illinois problem — or a Florida problem or a Texas problem — nor is it just
a red state or a blue state problem: According to estimates at Moody’s Analytics, state
governments collectively will have budget shortfalls of $312 billion through the summer of
2022, growing to $500 billion when local governments are included. Illinois alone estimates
general fund state revenue losses of over $6.5 billion over fiscal years 2020 and 2021 while
facing increasing demands for many health care and human service programs. Making sure
that government has the capacity to deliver basic services during these very challenging times
for Illinois families is essential to our recovery, and at the core of what it means to come back
in a strong fiscal position.

I have never pretended local and state governments don’t need new solutions. Indeed, I’ve
worked to deliver them myself. In my first year as Governor, we reduced health care costs to
Illinois taxpayers, paid down more than $1 billion of our bill backlog, and reduced taxes on
300,000 businesses. But I can also tell you that there’s a big difference between addressing
inefficiencies and cutting vital services for the people we serve. This pandemic has severely
reduced revenues to Illinois’ local and state governments, and bringing our budgets back into
balance without federal help will mean carving billions of dollars from K-12 education, higher
education, and public safety. It will mean slashing funding for our roads and bridges, our state
parks, crime labs and anti-violence programs, childcare providers, clean water and clean air,
and health care services. Literally millions of middle class, working class, and poor families in
Illinois will have their lives further upended by a failure of support from the Congress and the
President. And I want to again emphasize that this is not a blue state issue alone. Texas is
facing its biggest budget shortfall in history, and Florida’s governor likened their budget
situation to the Red Wedding scene in Game of Thrones. Similarly, cities and counties are
facing massive service cuts that will have immediate effects on residents.

Faced with uncertainty over what direct support it might get from Congress — but with hope
that a fraction of the trillions that went to supporting large corporations might come to states,
counties and cities — the State of Illinois was forced to pass a fiscal year 2021 budget with
zero general funds increases in early childhood, K-12 and higher education. We were able to
provide minimal increases to health care and human services. However, this budget scenario
is only affordable with nearly $5 billion in support from the federal government. Without
such support, the state would have no choice but to cut funding across the board to bring the
budget into balance. Setting aside mandatory payments and debt service, this could translate
into cuts as much as 15% to all programs and services. This could possibly include over a
billion dollars in cuts to PreK-12 schools alone, but also will lead to human services being
decimated and thousands of layoffs in state and local government, colleges and universities,
first responders, and among human service providers – potentially undoing many of the
stimulus benefits that the federal government has worked hard to achieve. Based upon
national estimates of Covid-related budget shortfalls for state and local governments, fiscal
year 2022 is unlikely to look any better.

As this virus rages on, the fiscal challenges have spread just like the virus. What seemed to
some like a problem only plaguing Chicago and Cook and the surrounding counties, now has
severely impacted every area of our state. Positivity rates outside of Chicago have been rising
at a quicker rate, and the virus’s deleterious effect on our people and our economy is still
unknown. But we know that the federal, state and local governments cannot let our people or
our economy down.

I do not want to overlook or understate how important the actions of Congress have been to
date. Enhanced Medicaid program funding, increased unemployment benefits, and CARES
dollars have been crucial to Illinois and its citizens during these unprecedented times. But just
as there was massive assistance to the biggest businesses and corporations in America during
this crisis – assistance that only the federal government has the power to offer – there must
also be funding to replace COVID-related revenue losses for states, counties and cities that are
on the front lines of helping working families and our most vulnerable residents.

I have spoken to the leaders of the Illinois General Assembly on multiple occasions about this
issue, and together we stand ready to work with you on providing information and support
for this undertaking. Many of you began your careers in state or local government, and I
know you share my belief that state and local government provide essential front line services
to citizens and power local economic activity in crucial ways. I implore you to assist all states
and local governments, and especially your home state and your home counties and cities.

I thank you for your hard work and offer whatever assistance you may need as you finish your
work for this congressional session.

Sincerely,

JB Pritzker, Governor
State of Illinois