State Representative Regan Deering voted against the Fiscal Year 2027 Illinois state budget, which was approved by a partisan vote and includes $55.9 billion in spending funded by approximately $800 million in new taxes and fees, according to a June 1 statement.
Deering said the budget contains at least $220 million for projects in Democrat districts, $410 million for immigrant support services, and a 3.2% pay raise for legislators. “Families are being crushed by higher taxes, higher utility bills, higher grocery prices, and rising property taxes,” Deering said. “Instead of delivering relief, Democrats passed another record spending plan with benefits for non-citizens and pay hikes for politicians. This budget shows exactly where their priorities are, and working families are not at the top of the list. That is not affordability. It is the opposite.”
Deering said that families, seniors, farmers, and small businesses across Central Illinois needed real help but received more of what she described as ineffective policies from this budget cycle. “Families needed change. They needed real property tax relief, a state government willing to live within its means,” Deering said. “Instead, Democrats chose more spending, more taxes, and more of the same broken policies that help politicians and the powerful while hurting people.”
She added that she will continue advocating for lower taxes and responsible spending while seeking reforms to make Illinois more affordable without reducing essential services.
“Illinois does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem and a priorities problem,” Deering said. “A responsible and compassionate state government should help families afford to live here, protect important services, and stop wasting taxpayer dollars on the wrong priorities.”
Deering was elected as a Republican to represent Illinois’ 88th House District in 2025 after succeeding Dan Caulkins in office, according to RepDeering.com.
