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The mayor spoke Tuesday at City Hall and cited potential federal
funding reductions by President Donald Trump as a reason tax
increases are needed.
“I met with the speaker of the House, the Senate president. They
know that we’re going to have to do something to stand up to
Trump’s cuts,” Johnson said.
The mayor said Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris”
Welch, D-Hillside, and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon,
D-Oak-Park, know they have to stand up.
Johnson said Welch has proposed a “millionaire’s tax,” which was
proposed in 2015 and 2016 by Welch’s predecessor as speaker,
Michael Madigan. In both instances, the tax proposal failed to
clear the Illinois House.
The mayor said he would present a balanced budget for 2026, but
corporations receiving tax cuts from Trump enacted legislation
would have to put more skin in the game. Johnson said Trump
should spend money on the people of Chicago instead of sending
funds overseas.
“The fact of the matter is that the president of the United
States is spending billions of dollars to secure Argentina while
farmers are being undermined by the very investments he’s making
in other parts of the world,” Johnson said.
Chicago Flips Red founder Zoe Leigh said there is a reason
Chicago has an estimated budget deficit of $1.15 billion.
“In cities like Chicago, sanctuary city policies have drained
budgets, displaced citizens and undermined public safety, as
millions are spent on housing and benefits for illegal aliens
while American residents, especially Black Chicagoans, are
ignored,” Leigh said at a separate City Hall press conference
Tuesday.
Leigh said it is time for a federal crackdown to clean out the
political machine that has corrupted Chicago City Hall.
“Taxpayer funds are being laundered through nonprofits and
political contracts while citizens lose housing, safety and
voice,” Leigh said, adding that she herself is unhoused.
Chicago’s budget grew from $16.6 billion in 2024 to $17.1
billion this year.
The mayor is expected to present his 2026 budget proposal next
week.
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