Democrats making progress in Illinois

As we begin to emerge from this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, we should take stock of what we've been through and all we've accomplished. Without a doubt, Illinois was suffering before the pandemic even hit - as we worked to bounce back from the Rauner years that decimated the state's finances.

But there is good news and we should not ignore it. Because of the leadership of Governor J.B. Pritzker, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and our other Democratic leaders, we've made significant progress in righting the ship and getting Illinois back on solid financial footing.

Mendoza's office recently announced that the state's bill backlog has fallen from $16.7 billion in 2017 (under Rauner) to $3.5 billion as of the last week of April. Simply put, this means that for the first time in many years, Illinois can pay its bills as they come in.

Certainly there's more work to do. But this is an important milestone. This is real progress and it should be celebrated.

We're in a position to celebrate because of Democrats and their leadership. We've seen it in Lake County and Washington and across our state. Thank you, Democrats, for working to get Illinois and our economy rolling again. Let's continue to make real progress for the people of Illinois.