00:00Okay, happy to take any questions from members of the media.
00:06Oh, my gosh, we don't have enough time for me to list everything the legislature needs to do,
00:16but the very most important thing the legislature needs to do is pass a balanced budget.
00:21And while that may seem like something that just happens every year,
00:26as you know, we had years in the past before I became governor where no budget was passed.
00:32It's very important for us to balance the budget because it lowers the cost for the state,
00:37for the taxpayers when we do that because we get higher credit ratings.
00:42And so that saves us hundreds of millions of dollars when we do that.
00:47Other than that, you know, there's a whole long list.
00:49I mean, housing is a hugely important issue.
00:51I think we've raised that issue.
00:53Lots of bills that are running through the Senate and the House right now,
00:57and we're hopeful to see some of those pass and end up on my desk.
01:01And then I guess the last part is, look, the federal government has taken away food support,
01:10medicine, I mean, literally pharmaceutical support, as well as Medicaid.
01:16We've got real challenges in the state to make sure everybody gets covered.
01:20And so we're going to continue to look at ways that we can address this,
01:24knowing that we don't have the billions of dollars to replace what the government in the Washington has taken away
01:30from us.
01:31So we're doing everything we can from supporting our food pantries
01:35to making sure that we've got free clinics that are available across the state.
01:40Here in Champaign County, they've enacted a one-year moratorium on large field data center development.
01:44Is that something you think the state should look into?
01:46And do you think that the Power Act has any opportunity to pass this year?
01:50So as you know, I propose taking away all the incentives associated with data centers
01:56because at this point, what we need to make sure happens is that anybody that wants to build a data
02:01center
02:01has to bring their own power, pay for it entirely.
02:04It can't affect the electric prices for residents.
02:08And then, of course, water.
02:11You know, we are one of the best states in the entire country for fresh water.
02:1420% of the world's fresh water is attached to the state of Illinois.
02:1920% of the world's fresh water, including the aquifers that run underneath our rivers, our lakes.
02:25And then 80% of the United States' fresh water.
02:30I mean, that's very important.
02:32It's a hugely valuable commodity, but more important than that, it's what gives life.
02:38And so we've got to preserve that, make sure that it's not getting polluted,
02:41make sure it doesn't get overused by businesses.
02:43On the other hand, it's an enormous asset for our state,
02:46and we should make sure that we husband those resources.
02:49Do you support the Power Act?
02:51Sorry, you did ask about the Power Act.
02:53Yeah, there are aspects of the Power Act.
02:55They're still negotiating them in Springfield.
02:56My team's been there from the start to negotiate that.
03:00We'll see what happens.
03:01I think there are aspects of it that some people don't like and others like.
03:06And so, you know, we'll have to take a look at it.
03:08I'm going to monitor it and, of course, consider it when it gets to my desk.
03:11There's been calls for temporary suspension of the gas tax.
03:15What do you see as maybe some pros and possible cons of doing that as a governor?
03:20And, you know, you can look at the welfare of the entire state.
03:21Yeah, it's a good question.
03:23First of all, Donald Trump has added about $1.50 a gallon to every gallon of gas that you fill
03:30your tank with.
03:30$1.50.
03:32It's a war of choice that's led to that.
03:35He took us into that war.
03:37He should get us out of that war.
03:38So that's the very first and most important thing that we can do to lower gas prices.
03:42I think, secondly, we in the state can look at doing what I already did a few years ago, which
03:48is to suspend the increase in the gas tax, the automatic increase, and look at other ways to lower gas
03:55costs.
03:56For example, I authorized E-15 as an additive in our state.
04:03That's something that really hadn't ever been done before.
04:05It lowers the cost of gasoline by about $0.15 a gallon.
04:10So that's something that can be done.
04:12And, look, anything that we can do to lower the costs, the high costs that are being imposed on families
04:17across our state,
04:18to make sure that we're addressing affordability, like lowering the cost of homeowners insurance, auto insurance, and the rest,
04:25those are all things that we're focused on.
04:27But we for sure should be looking at what can we do to diminish the impact of high gas prices.
04:35We can't do anything about ending the war here in Illinois other than protest and make our voices heard.
04:40But what we can do is also consider the impact of whatever changes we make on building roads and bridges.
04:49As you know, we now are one of the best states in the country for infrastructure,
04:53but that's because we're making the investments that come from the motor fuel tax that gets imposed.
05:01I think we have enough here so that we could make some sort of pause.
05:06But I think that's something the legislature is going to consider over the coming week.
05:10We'll see.
05:26Well, when we're following the law, which is what I'm focused on doing, then, you know, there shouldn't be any
05:32retaliation.
05:33We're simply following the Constitution, both the Illinois Constitution and the federal Constitution.
05:38And to be honest, you know, the attacks that have come from Washington on Illinois are not unusual.
05:45They've happened in states all over the country.
05:47Now, it's true that Donald Trump has chosen to attack blue states run by Democratic governors and not red states.
05:57And I think, you know, it's too bad that we have a leader that's like that.
06:02I think that when you get elected to office, this is how I've done as governor, when you get elected
06:07to office, the campaign's over.
06:09You serve the interests of people in both parties, people who may belong to neither party.
06:13You serve the interests of all the residents of your state, in the case of Donald Trump, of the United
06:18States.
06:18That doesn't seem to be his philosophy.
06:21So I'm going to do everything I can to protect the people of Illinois, whatever that may mean, even when
06:25it means personal attacks on me or threats, as he has to jail me, to jail the governor of California,
06:32to jail the mayor of Chicago or others for no reason.
06:36They've literally got, you know, no reason to threaten that.
06:39But he thinks that, you know, he can be a wannabe dictator, and we're just not going to let him
06:45do it.
06:47Oh, hi.
06:51I appreciate your asking.
06:53Listen, addressing the challenges that people with disabilities have and making sure that people of all abilities are able to
07:00play together in common space, and particularly our children, may be one of the most important things that we can
07:06do, right?
07:07Bringing people together, and this community has done this.
07:09Yes, the state is funding it, but you saw, you know, Champaign and Urbana officials and people who live in
07:15the communities come together to make this happen.
07:17We're doing this kind of thing all over the state, building more parks and making them more accessible.
07:23And so I'm very proud to live in a state where that matters.
07:26You go to a lot of other states, they're not focused on this at all.
07:30They're not going to spend the money to help people who, you know, may have a disability to be a
07:35part of what, you know, the fun and enjoyment that comes with a park and recreation area.
07:42And so I live in a state, we all live in a state that I think we should be proud
07:46of because we bring people together and allow them all to enjoy it together.
07:50Last year, we're here.
07:52Absolutely.
07:53What are your thoughts on budget negotiations and where they are now?
07:55Yeah, so, you know, we're continuing the dialogue with members of the House and the Senate, listening to all parties.
08:04There are some ideas that Republicans have come forward with that are helpful.
08:08Look, what I want most of all is for us to be able to provide the services that governments should
08:15and, importantly, balancing the budget.
08:17Because that's something that didn't get done for 25 years before I became governor.
08:22I insist on it being balanced.
08:24It's got to be balanced.
08:25We're not going to deficit spend in this state.
08:27People are hiding those deficits over the years.
08:30We're not doing that anymore.
08:31We've had a couple youth involved gun violence shootings in Campaign, Urbana and in Danville.
08:38With summer approaching, how are you working with local governments, local organizations to try and create that?
08:44So there are a couple things that I've done since becoming governor that are assisting.
08:49And you've seen that across the state, we actually have brought down the crime rates.
08:55Illinois, I'd like to be, I'd like to have the lowest crime rate in the entire country.
09:00We're 19th out of 50 states.
09:03So I think we should be proud of that, but also focused on doing better.
09:09I funded community violence intervention programs that were never funded before I became governor.
09:16In fact, they were defunded.
09:17That has helped us address the underlying causes of crime in communities, bring down violent crime in particular.
09:27So what I can say is that we need to make sure that we're providing summer and year-round jobs
09:34for kids so that after school they can be engaged in something that's meaningful and earn something for doing it.
09:41We've done that, of course, and then we, of course, provide peacekeepers in some areas where these are people who
09:49know how to intervene, where there are gangs who are fighting one another and try to stop that kind of
09:55violence happening between the gangs and affecting our communities.
10:00Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it.
10:02Thank you all very much.
10:03Appreciate you.
10:04Great time.
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