Illinois Thanks Trump: Balances Budget With Gas Tax Windfall From Rising Prices

[jotathought]

Well, who would have thought that Donald Trump would be the white knight Illinois needed to balance its budget? Illinois was able to close their entire budget shortfall with increased revenues from gas taxes due to the sky rocketing price of gas. The state owes Donald Trump a thank you for the revenue. Not only does Trump make oil companies rich he is MIGA.. Make Illinois Great Again.

Illinois lawmakers pass $56B budget deal backed by gas tax windfall and some election-year tax breaks

Democrats’ plan calls for diverting $150 million of gas sales tax windfall — money that otherwise would flow to mass transit — to help fund day-to-day state operations and stave off cuts.

www.chicagotribune.com

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers went into overtime and worked into the early morning Monday to send Gov. JB Pritzker a nearly $56 billion election-year state spending plan that was balanced, in part, with an anticipated windfall of sales tax revenue resulting from soaring gas prices.

Pritzker and fellow Democrats are building their November general election campaigns around the issue of affordability, blaming Republican President Donald Trump and his allies for cuts to social programs and for rising prices on necessities — most notably gasoline, which has jumped from an average of about $2.91 per gallon in Chicago to $4.82 since the Iran war began in late February.

Calling Illinois financially healthy because it passed a "balanced budget" is like calling someone wealthy because they managed to pay this month's bills while carrying six figures of credit card debt.

Illinois can legally balance its annual budget. What you keep ignoring is that Illinois is still sitting on roughly $144 billion in unfunded state pension liabilities, with some estimates exceeding $200 billion when broader state and local pension obligations are included. The state's pension systems remain among the worst funded in the nation. It's a mid-term election talking point.

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Letter-to-JD-Vance-to-accompany-MN-report.pdf

The Feeding Our Future Scandal

• Mastermind Sentence: Aimee Bock, founder of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, received a 500-month (nearly 42 years) federal prison sentence. She was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery in what federal prosecutors labeled the single largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country. [1, 2, 3]
• Scale of Theft: The scheme stole over $250 million in federal child nutrition and food program funds, with only about $50 million recovered. [1]
• Pleas & Convictions: Dozens of individuals and business owners have pleaded guilty to running fake meal sites, submitting fraudulent claims, and paying kickbacks. [1, 2, 3]

Recent Medicaid & Social Service Takedowns
Federal authorities and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have significantly expanded their Midwest Strikeforce to target systemic abuse across seven state-managed Medicaid programs: [1]

• $90 Million Takedown (May 2026): The DOJ announced federal charges against 15 defendants targeting over $90 million in taxpayer dollars. The schemes include the largest autism fraud bust in U.S. history and major fraud against programs for the homeless and disabled. [1, 2, 3]
• $21 Million Medicaid Arrests (May 2026): Two Minnesota residents were arrested for an alleged $21.1 million Medicaid fraud scheme operating false claims through personal care and health care benefit programs. [1]
• Housing Stabilization Fraud (September 2025 – May 2026): Multiple individuals, including operators of North Home Health Care LLC and South Home Health Care LLC, were indicted for multi-million dollar schemes targeting Minnesota Medicaid's Housing Stabilization Services. [1, 2]
• Child Care Assistance Fraud: Separate ongoing actions include a $4.6 million fraud case targeting the federally funded Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). [1]

You can track ongoing case summaries and updates directly via the Department of Justice Minnesota HCF Case Summaries page or view the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) reports detailing how the state's social services infrastructure was exploited. [1, 2]
10 sites

• Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges ...
  May 21, 2026 — The Department announced charges against two defendants in connection with defrauding state and federal programs designed to subsi...
  Department of Justice (.gov)
• Defendants Charged in First Wave of Housing Stabilization Fraud ...
  Sep 18, 2025 — * Defendant Moktar Hassan Aden, age 30. * Defendant Mustafa Dayib Ali, age 29. * Defendant Khalid Ahmed Dayib, age 26. * Defendant...
  Department of Justice (.gov)
• Five More Plead Guilty in Minnesota Feeding Our Future Fraud ...
  Mar 20, 2026 — As part of the scheme, Osman also paid a $7,500 kickback to Ikram Mohamed's IM Consultation. Osman pleaded guilty to one count of ...
  Department of Justice (.gov)

============================================================================
At least 52 individuals have been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego since 2023 for multi-million dollar EBT and CalWORKS theft rings targeting low-income families. [1]
Recent Indictments & Major Busts

• San Francisco SNAP Fraud (Feb 2025): 11 individuals connected to 5 separate businesses were charged in a $4 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh) fraud scheme. [1]
• Southern California EBT Thefts (Mar 2026): Four defendants (Razvan Balu, Juan Trandafir, Hassib Baraekzay, and Veronica Ochoa) appeared in federal court for stealing over $345,000 from CalWORKS benefit accounts via organized EBT skimming. [1]
• Homeless Charity Fraud (Jan 2026): The executive director of the Abundant Blessings charity was arrested for allegedly misspending $23 million meant for nutritious meals for the homeless, providing cheap ramen instead and buying luxury properties. He faces up to 17 years in prison. [1]
• Riverside EBT Convictions (June 2025): Nicholas James Hooper and Kenneth Acton were convicted of illegally accessing the EBT system to steal $330,000, thwarted by the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services. [1]

Prosecution Trends & Penalties

• Statewide Scope: Historically, out of 75,000 annual fraud investigations, fewer than 700 result in criminal prosecution or administrative hearings. Between 2012 and 2021, the state saw roughly 24,000 arrests and 11,000 convictions, split evenly between misdemeanors and felonies. [1]
• Legal Framework: Under California Welfare and Institutions Code 10980, fraud is a "wobbler". Minor false statements carry up to 6 months in jail, while fraudulent applications using fake or stolen identities can result in felony convictions carrying multi-year prison sentences. [1, 2]
• Recent Legislation: Lawmakers have advanced bills in the Senate aimed at decriminalizing attempted welfare fraud for thresholds under $950 to redirect focus toward large-scale, organized rings rather than minor administrative errors. [1]

If you would like, let me know if you are looking for information on:

• Unemployment/EDD fraud specifically versus traditional welfare (CalFresh/CalWORKS)
• Detailed breakdown of federal vs. state sentencing guidelines
• Statutes of limitations for welfare fraud [1]

How would you like to proceed?
8 sites

• Staff Memorandum 2023-04
  Jun 16, 2023 — Page 3. Committee on Revision of the Penal Code. Staff Memorandum 2023-04. than 75,000 fraud investigations pending or concluded o...
  California Law Revision Commission (.gov)
• than 50 Charged in Thefts of Millions of Dollars in California ...
  Mar 10, 2026 — Four of the most recent defendants appeared in federal court last week to face charges that they each stole public assistance bene...
  Department of Justice (.gov)
• Press Releases - San Francisco District Attorney's Office
  Feb 27, 2025 — ELEVEN CHARGED IN CONNECTION TO $4 MILLION BENEFIT FRAUD SCHEMES. February 27, 2025. San Francisco, CA –Today, San Francisco Distr...
  San Francisco District Attorney's Office

Show all

You're missing the point. There is not ONE swamp creature in there.
These are guys and chicks that got pinched just like they get pinched every year for doing this shit.
Where's Tampon Timmy? Where are the Georgia politicians? Where is Fauci? Where are the names?
Not these rats scramblin' for crumbs. This is not new. This is not 'the system'.
For every one of these agencies, there are hundreds of government apparatchiks and politicians signing off and approving these BS scams.
Where are they in cuffs?
That's why Trump was hired. Not this run-of-the-mill bullshit that they are calling groundbreaking.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Congress writes the bills? Well no shit Sherlock...who signs the MFers into law?
Are you actually trying to clear Trump of all responsibility for the
BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!
HIS bill? That HE signed?

I bet you didn't take a two-minute break away from slappin' Trump's hog on your cheek to watch that informational video our government produced for us, did ya?


Sad. A lazy electorate.

/----/ How stupid. You think the president, any president, gets to change the bill before he signs it? He has to take it as he gets it. If it has most or all of what he wants, he has to settle.

1. A High-Stakes Debt Ceiling Crisis​

​

The OBBBA served as the vehicle that officially raised the U.S. debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Had the bill been rejected, the federal government would have slammed directly into the debt limit. This would have forced an immediate, chaotic scramble in Congress to pass a clean debt ceiling extension to prevent a historic U.S. default, severely rattling global financial markets.

2. The Dissolution of Core Campaign Tax Promises​

The massive package of tax deductions that went into effect would have vanished. Without the bill, we would not see:

• The "No Tax on Tips" provisions or the Overtime Pay Deductions designed for working-class voters.
• The creation of tax-deferred "Trump Accounts" for parents.
• The extension and expansion of the Section 199A Pass-Through Deduction for small businesses and the 100% first-year equipment expensing rules.

• What Trump Wanted: The administration strongly favored keeping the rigid $10,000 cap to keep pressure on blue-state budgets and avoid giving what they viewed as a tax break to wealthy suburbanites.
• What He Had to Accept: Blue-state Republican lawmakers in the House threatened to kill the entire bill unless the cap was raised. Trump was forced to concede, allowing the SALT cap to temporarily skyrocket to $40,000 for individuals making under $500,000 before eventually phasing back down.

​

• What Trump Wanted: A clean, broad exemption that workers could easily see on their paychecks.
• What Congress Delivered: Fiscal conservatives in the Senate feared massive corporate tax fraud (such as high-earners reclassifying their income as "tips"). Congress forced aggressive income caps ($150,000 for single filers) and strict phase-outs into the text. Trump openly grumbled about these complicated guardrails and eligibility restrictions, arguing they diluted the punchiness of his campaign promises.

• What Trump Wanted: A robust, universal program with heavy federal backing to serve as a cornerstone of his populist family agenda.
• What He Had to Accept: Senate deficit hawks severely shrank the scope of the program. They restricted the $1,000 federal contribution window strictly to babies born between 2025 and 2028 and heavily limited the types of eligible investment choices compared to what the White House originally envisioned.
• What Trump Wanted: The House proposed a sweeping credit of up to $5,000 or 10% of a taxpayer's adjusted gross income.
• What He Got: The Senate gutted the dollar amounts. To secure the 51st vote, the credit was permanently shrunk to a maximum of just $1,700 per year, much to the frustration of the White House’s education policy team.

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Letter-to-JD-Vance-to-accompany-MN-report.pdf

The Feeding Our Future Scandal

• Mastermind Sentence: Aimee Bock, founder of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, received a 500-month (nearly 42 years) federal prison sentence. She was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery in what federal prosecutors labeled the single largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country. [1, 2, 3]
• Scale of Theft: The scheme stole over $250 million in federal child nutrition and food program funds, with only about $50 million recovered. [1]
• Pleas & Convictions: Dozens of individuals and business owners have pleaded guilty to running fake meal sites, submitting fraudulent claims, and paying kickbacks. [1, 2, 3]

Recent Medicaid & Social Service Takedowns
Federal authorities and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have significantly expanded their Midwest Strikeforce to target systemic abuse across seven state-managed Medicaid programs: [1]

• $90 Million Takedown (May 2026): The DOJ announced federal charges against 15 defendants targeting over $90 million in taxpayer dollars. The schemes include the largest autism fraud bust in U.S. history and major fraud against programs for the homeless and disabled. [1, 2, 3]
• $21 Million Medicaid Arrests (May 2026): Two Minnesota residents were arrested for an alleged $21.1 million Medicaid fraud scheme operating false claims through personal care and health care benefit programs. [1]
• Housing Stabilization Fraud (September 2025 – May 2026): Multiple individuals, including operators of North Home Health Care LLC and South Home Health Care LLC, were indicted for multi-million dollar schemes targeting Minnesota Medicaid's Housing Stabilization Services. [1, 2]
• Child Care Assistance Fraud: Separate ongoing actions include a $4.6 million fraud case targeting the federally funded Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). [1]

You can track ongoing case summaries and updates directly via the Department of Justice Minnesota HCF Case Summaries page or view the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) reports detailing how the state's social services infrastructure was exploited. [1, 2]
10 sites

• Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges ...
  May 21, 2026 — The Department announced charges against two defendants in connection with defrauding state and federal programs designed to subsi...
  Department of Justice (.gov)
• Defendants Charged in First Wave of Housing Stabilization Fraud ...
  Sep 18, 2025 — * Defendant Moktar Hassan Aden, age 30. * Defendant Mustafa Dayib Ali, age 29. * Defendant Khalid Ahmed Dayib, age 26. * Defendant...
  Department of Justice (.gov)
• Five More Plead Guilty in Minnesota Feeding Our Future Fraud ...
  Mar 20, 2026 — As part of the scheme, Osman also paid a $7,500 kickback to Ikram Mohamed's IM Consultation. Osman pleaded guilty to one count of ...
  Department of Justice (.gov)

============================================================================
At least 52 individuals have been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego since 2023 for multi-million dollar EBT and CalWORKS theft rings targeting low-income families. [1]
Recent Indictments & Major Busts

• San Francisco SNAP Fraud (Feb 2025): 11 individuals connected to 5 separate businesses were charged in a $4 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh) fraud scheme. [1]
• Southern California EBT Thefts (Mar 2026): Four defendants (Razvan Balu, Juan Trandafir, Hassib Baraekzay, and Veronica Ochoa) appeared in federal court for stealing over $345,000 from CalWORKS benefit accounts via organized EBT skimming. [1]
• Homeless Charity Fraud (Jan 2026): The executive director of the Abundant Blessings charity was arrested for allegedly misspending $23 million meant for nutritious meals for the homeless, providing cheap ramen instead and buying luxury properties. He faces up to 17 years in prison. [1]
• Riverside EBT Convictions (June 2025): Nicholas James Hooper and Kenneth Acton were convicted of illegally accessing the EBT system to steal $330,000, thwarted by the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services. [1]

Prosecution Trends & Penalties

• Statewide Scope: Historically, out of 75,000 annual fraud investigations, fewer than 700 result in criminal prosecution or administrative hearings. Between 2012 and 2021, the state saw roughly 24,000 arrests and 11,000 convictions, split evenly between misdemeanors and felonies. [1]
• Legal Framework: Under California Welfare and Institutions Code 10980, fraud is a "wobbler". Minor false statements carry up to 6 months in jail, while fraudulent applications using fake or stolen identities can result in felony convictions carrying multi-year prison sentences. [1, 2]
• Recent Legislation: Lawmakers have advanced bills in the Senate aimed at decriminalizing attempted welfare fraud for thresholds under $950 to redirect focus toward large-scale, organized rings rather than minor administrative errors. [1]

If you would like, let me know if you are looking for information on:

• Unemployment/EDD fraud specifically versus traditional welfare (CalFresh/CalWORKS)
• Detailed breakdown of federal vs. state sentencing guidelines
• Statutes of limitations for welfare fraud [1]

How would you like to proceed?
8 sites

• Staff Memorandum 2023-04
  Jun 16, 2023 — Page 3. Committee on Revision of the Penal Code. Staff Memorandum 2023-04. than 75,000 fraud investigations pending or concluded o...
  California Law Revision Commission (.gov)
• than 50 Charged in Thefts of Millions of Dollars in California ...
  Mar 10, 2026 — Four of the most recent defendants appeared in federal court last week to face charges that they each stole public assistance bene...
  Department of Justice (.gov)
• Press Releases - San Francisco District Attorney's Office
  Feb 27, 2025 — ELEVEN CHARGED IN CONNECTION TO $4 MILLION BENEFIT FRAUD SCHEMES. February 27, 2025. San Francisco, CA –Today, San Francisco Distr...
  San Francisco District Attorney's Office

Show all

You're missing the point. There is not ONE swamp creature in there.
These are guys and chicks that got pinched just like they get pinched every year for doin this shit.
Where's Tampon Timmy? Where are the Georgia polkticians? Where is Fauci? Where are the names.
Not this ratds scramblin for crumbs.

/----/ How stupid. You think the president, any president, gets to change the bill before he signs it? He has to take it as he gets it. If it has most or all of what he wants, he has to settle.

1. A High-Stakes Debt Ceiling Crisis​

​

The OBBBA served as the vehicle that officially raised the U.S. debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Had the bill been rejected, the federal government would have slammed directly into the debt limit. This would have forced an immediate, chaotic scramble in Congress to pass a clean debt ceiling extension to prevent a historic U.S. default, severely rattling global financial markets.

2. The Dissolution of Core Campaign Tax Promises​

The massive package of tax deductions that went into effect would have vanished. Without the bill, we would not see:

• The "No Tax on Tips" provisions or the Overtime Pay Deductions designed for working-class voters.
• The creation of tax-deferred "Trump Accounts" for parents.
• The extension and expansion of the Section 199A Pass-Through Deduction for small businesses and the 100% first-year equipment expensing rules.

• What Trump Wanted: The administration strongly favored keeping the rigid $10,000 cap to keep pressure on blue-state budgets and avoid giving what they viewed as a tax break to wealthy suburbanites.
• What He Had to Accept: Blue-state Republican lawmakers in the House threatened to kill the entire bill unless the cap was raised. Trump was forced to concede, allowing the SALT cap to temporarily skyrocket to $40,000 for individuals making under $500,000 before eventually phasing back down.

​

• What Trump Wanted: A clean, broad exemption that workers could easily see on their paychecks.
• What Congress Delivered: Fiscal conservatives in the Senate feared massive corporate tax fraud (such as high-earners reclassifying their income as "tips"). Congress forced aggressive income caps ($150,000 for single filers) and strict phase-outs into the text. Trump openly grumbled about these complicated guardrails and eligibility restrictions, arguing they diluted the punchiness of his campaign promises.

• What Trump Wanted: A robust, universal program with heavy federal backing to serve as a cornerstone of his populist family agenda.
• What He Had to Accept: Senate deficit hawks severely shrank the scope of the program. They restricted the $1,000 federal contribution window strictly to babies born between 2025 and 2028 and heavily limited the types of eligible investment choices compared to what the White House originally envisioned.
• What Trump Wanted: The House proposed a sweeping credit of up to $5,000 or 10% of a taxpayer's adjusted gross income.
• What He Got: The Senate gutted the dollar amounts. To secure the 51st vote, the credit was permanently shrunk to a maximum of just $1,700 per year, much to the frustration of the White House’s education policy team.

A bill is a legally binding document. You sign it, you own it.
"Oh but but but..he didn't read it all...but but but...he had a cold that day"
Don seems to run into these problems A LOT..Tariffs, ICE, Iran.
Stop trying to be his life partner and cover for him all the time.
It's creepy bro.

 

[Cellblock2429]

You're missing the point. There is not ONE swamp creature in there.
These are guys and chicks that got pinched just like they get pinched every year for doin this shit.
Where's Tampon Timmy? Where are the Georgia polkticians? Where is Fauci? Where are the names.
Not this ratds scramblin for crumbs.


A bill is a legally binding document. You sign it, you own it.
"Oh but but but..he didn't read it all...but but but...he had a cold that day"
Don seems to run into these problems A LOT..Tariffs, ICE, Iran.
Stop trying to be his life partner and cover for him all the time.
It's creepy bro.

/-----/ "he didn't read it all.."
Nobody said that except you, jackass. Of course he knows the bil lline by line.