Pritzker, Illinois leaders react to Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ megabill passing in House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WGN) – As the “big, beautiful bill” heads to President Donald Trump’s desk, Illinois leaders reacted swiftly, slamming the GOP’s effort, while raising concerns about the bill’s effects on spending and program cuts.

Medicaid covers more than three million people in Illinois, and nearly two million receive the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

With the bill’s signing imminent, rural hospitals are concerned that cuts to Medicaid and Medicare payments could hurt them financially, to the extent that they may have to close. 

Illinois is also expected to experience the second-highest increase in electricity bills nationwide. 

Following Congress’ 218-214 vote in favor of the bill, Illinois leaders sounded off:

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker:

The Big Ugly Bill in Congress just passed, and that means hundreds of thousands of people in Illinois are going to lose their healthcare and hundreds of thousands more are going to lose food assistance for their families, for children. I don’t understand the thinking of people in Congress who voted for this, but we’re going to do everything we can to protect people in the State of Illinois. And I just want you to know we’re hard at work trying to figure out how to deal with the problems that Washington has now foisted upon our state. But thank you for standing strong, all of you, and we’ll keep working hard for you here.”

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Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton:

There is nothing beautiful about a bill that was written to crush the poorest people under the boots of the wealthiest.

“It is an ugly act to take healthcare away from more than 17 million Americans—one that will lead to preventable deaths and meaningless pain. It is an ugly act to take food out of the mouths of children—one that will lead to avoidable starvation. And it is an ugly act to force this bill on Americans who have made it undeniably clear that this is not what we want.

“The passage of Trump’s budget is not a surprise, but it is a confirmation of the GOP’s values. This is the same party who looked their own constituents in the eyes and said, ‘we’re all going to die.’ The same people who told us that our health is ‘immaterial’ and we’ll ‘get over it.’

“Do not expect this administration to fight for you—expect them to fight against you. Here in Illinois, the Pritzker-Stratton administration is full steam ahead, fighting to protect our people from the cruelty and chaos coming out of this White House.”

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House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch:

The true cost of Donald Trump’s big betrayal bill—whether in terms of dollars taken from working families, in jobs lost and opportunities denied, and in human lives—will take years to fully realize. What we do know is that on our most American of holidays, Trump and his Republican allies will tell millions of our neighbors that they have no right to healthcare, that their next meals are less important than tax breaks for billionaires, and that everything will become even more expensive. While no state can backfill the devastating cuts being forced on our communities, in Illinois we will continue to work toward decisions that are responsible and compassionate—because it’s clear the decisions made in Washington are neither.”

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