Chicago – February 17, 2026
One year ago, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker used his annual State of the State and budget address as a national platform to warn Illinoisans about President Donald Trump’s threats to democracy, likening Trump’s leadership to that of Nazi-era Germany.
On the eve of his next statewide address in an election year where both he and Democrats hope to retake Congress, Pritzker is expected to deliver a speech shaped as much by political crosscurrents as by fiscal math. It will likely present a more optimistic picture of Illinois’ finances than last fall’s estimate that the state faces a $2.2 billion budget gap. It’ll also almost assuredly feature the governor doubling down on Trump, saying the Republican president’s first year of his second term only proved his predictions were accurate.
