SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) released the following statement after the Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget:
“While the Trump Administration makes life impossible for those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, I’m proud that our budget ensures people can continue to access food when their federal SNAP is jeopardized due to new work requirements. No one in a country as rich as ours should be worried about how they will eat.
“For too many 7th District residents and folks across the entire state of Illinois, the dream of owning a home, building generational wealth, and establishing long-term stability has felt out of reach. I am proud to support investments that expand access to housing and help more families put down roots in their communities.
“This budget includes funding to support down payment assistance programs, making it easier for working families to become homeowners and helping address the housing shortages that continue to affect communities across our state.
“This budget also increased violence prevention and youth employment funding. Community-level violence prevention programs are working - shootings have decreased in areas where evidence-based programs have been launched including in the 7th District, and we must continue to prioritize this success.
“Continued investment in the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program is also included in the FY27 budget, which has already secured over $1 billion in debt relief for Illinoisans, because a medical emergency should never come at the expense of financial security.
“However, while I appreciate the investments made to address housing affordability and violence prevention, this budget ultimately misses an opportunity to pursue the kind of meaningful revenue reform needed to tackle our state’s challenges at their root. Illinois families deserve more than incremental progress, and I remain committed to building an economy where we ask corporations and the mega-rich to pay their fair share so that we can fully fund our schools, human services, housing, better pay for our community care workers, and so much more.”
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