The third-largest Democrat-run city in the United States is expecting a nearly $1 billion deficit for its 2025 budget, with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) blaming the shortfall on low city tax revenue and higher spending on city workers.
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Johnson announced that Chicago expects a staggering $982 million deficit for next year’s budget, according to CBS News.
Chicago facing $982M budget shortfall for 2025 pic.twitter.com/0poZf06krz
— Matt Robinson (@dowop_robinson) August 29, 2024
“The size of the budget gap is significant. It’s going to require decisions that will speak to our overall collective desire to build an economy that works for working people. There will be sacrifices that will be made,” the Democrat mayor told reporters.
This is far from the first time Democrat-run Chicago had a massive budget deficit — disgraced former Mayor Lori Lightfoot presided over a staggering $1.2 billion deficit following COVID pandemic cost increases — and isn’t even the first massive deficit under Johnson’s watch despite only being in office since May 2023. Last year, Johnson announced a $538 million budget deficit for 2024, but he still refused to lay off city personnel, cut the budget, or raise taxes.
Johnson has still refused to reveal his plans to fight this financial crisis, declining to comment on whether he planned to raise taxes, reduce personnel, cut the budget or possibly legalize video gambling in the city and slot machines in the airport to increase revenue. However, CBS News noted that Johnson didn’t outright deny whether layoffs or a hiring freeze could potentially happen.
“There are a number of options that we’ll explore. What we’re working to safeguard against is harm to constituents, to everyday people,” he claimed. “We’re working to provide as soft of a landing as possible.”
Budget director Annette Guzman was asked whether the deficit had anything to do with the Democrat-run city’s insane spending on illegal aliens, but she denied the claim and argued that so-called “underperforming revenue” was the culprit, according to Axios. Meanwhile, it is clear to many commentators that the city’s embrace of illegal aliens over its own citizens is a large part of the problem.
Migrant crisis in Chicago has now contributed to an over $1 Billion budget deficit on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s watch… right after Kamala Harris left from the Democratic National Convention 🤔 pic.twitter.com/0cCS1Kp03u
— Anton Daniels (@1antondaniels) August 29, 2024
Nonpartisan government spending watchdog groups like Civic Federation have pointed out that Johnson must accept that he will need to take drastic steps to address the problem, with Civic Federation president Joe Ferguson stating: “The chickens have come home to roost. It is time to get busy.”
“There’s not a silver bullet here. There is not a one size takes care of everything in all situation. We have to open up the budget itself in ways that we haven’t done for many years,” Ferguson added.
