In Genoa, GOP lawmakers talk state budget, bipartisanship

GENOA – State House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, and state Sen. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, bemoaned Democrats on Wednesday, but also highlighted areas where they said they still can reach across the aisle.

SMcCombie told an audience of about two dozen at a Genoa Area Chamber of Commerce legislative luncheon that as the House Minority leader she represents elected officials from all 102 counties in Illinois.

“Which is pretty cool. And so when people say ‘Well, how are you relevant?’ that’s how we’re relevant,” McCombie said. “We have even parts of Cook County, and so I always remind the governor [JB Pritzker] of that. And this year, when we sat down with the four leaders and him and his staff when talking about the budget before the budget vote, he reminded me. He said, ‘So I ask you, leader, for your participation in the budget vote because you represent parts all 102 counties.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m glad you’re listening to that part, but I have a few questions.’”

Despite speaking on the other side of a super majority in the Illinois House of Representatives, McCombie said state lawmakers more often than not are able to come to a consensus and approve legislation with unanimous, bipartisan support.

Chesney, who was a state representative from 2019 to 2023 before he was elected senator, revealed he’s not voted for the state budget in any of the six years he’s spent as a state legislator.

He said it’s because of what state Democrats put in the budget.

“It’s not because we don’t believe in funding our libraries or our school systems. It’s because ... they put in place a lot of what we call poison pills of government,” Chesney said. “They’ll put in $100 million for taxpayer-funded abortions, or a billion dollars for migrants, and so they know Republicans will never support these positions.”

Pritzker in June signed Illinois’ largest-ever fiscal spending plan, a $53.1 billion state budget, which included increases for education, human services and infrastructure.

[ Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget ]

Despite the political divide between Republicans and Democrats, McCombie said she respects and works with state Democrats.

“The political side is easy to ramp up and talk about, but it doesn’t have to be this hard, and we have really good colleagues on the other side of the aisle,” McCombie said before calling Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, “probably one of the most progressive” legislators in the House.

“However, we agree on a lot on victim advocate issues and work together on policy,” McCombie said. “It’s really cool to do that, and because we can do that on that issue, we don’t bash each other on other issues, and that’s what it should be about.”

Unlike most Democrats, Chesney said he’s in favor of a flat state income tax to incentivize workers to move to Illinois, but he said there’s other areas of fiscal politics he finds himself in agreement with progressive Democrats.

“Going back to talking about the business climate, where conservatives and progressives kind of come together is maybe incentives for the Bears stadium,” Chesney said. “It’s widely unpopular with the progressives and widely unpopular with the conservatives because my position would be, we don’t need to be giving billions in dollars in tax incentives to wealthy corporations, and then progressive Democrats feel the same way. So there are issues that conservatives and progressives kind of come together on in just unique ways.”