The Republican members of the House Revenue and Finance Committee, State Representatives Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore), Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) and Travis Weaver (R-Edwards), are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to prioritize state-level policies that directly benefit Illinois families and small businesses, rather than deflecting blame toward federal actions.
In recent hearings, Democratic members of the committee have repeatedly pointed to Washington and federal tariff policy as primary drivers of economic pressure in Illinois. The reality is that Illinois’ economy has been lagging for decades due to failed policies enacted under Democratic rule. While there is finally some acknowledgement of the current challenges facing our job growth and economy on all sides of the aisle, the Republicans said it is time for all Illinois lawmakers to take responsibility for their actions and control what they can control.
“Rather than using federal politics as a scapegoat, Illinois lawmakers should take ownership of the policies within our control,” said Keicher, Weaver and Sosnowski. “Illinois’ economic struggles predate current federal policy by decades, the result of burdensome regulations, tax hikes, and anti-business legislation championed by Democrats in Springfield. By acting responsibly and enacting better policies, our state can be set up to enjoy beneficial economic impacts once the federal trade deals and tariffs are negotiated and ironed out. While there is a lot of uncertainty going on at the federal level, no amount of blaming changes what can be done in Illinois.”
For example, Illinois has lagged behind the national average in home construction, with only a 3.4 percent change in housing units built between 2013 and 2023. That is only better than West Virginia and Michigan.
According to the latest WalletHub survey, Illinois families will pay the second-highest property tax rate in the nation in 2025, spending more than double that of the average American family. Illinois is also hamstrung by the nation’s largest unfunded pension liability, the third most outmigration, and the seventh-highest unemployment rate. This is all the result of bad public policy, not tariffs.
The Republicans concluded, “State lawmakers in Illinois can take this as a moment of unity to focus on cooperating with the federal government and enacting policies to lower taxes and strengthen our economy at home. It’s time to enact real pro-growth policy, and no amount of finger-pointing can undo decades of stagnation.”