With Democrats poised to take control of Congress with a resounding mandate for change, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is urging his party to move quickly — with Trump’s speed — to advance an aggressive legislative and oversight agenda. To help them, he offers a road map for what Congress should address when they are sworn in.
Fresh off winning a third term as governor and eyeing a possible run for president in 2028, Pritzker is set to release a detailed 75-page plan on Wednesday, with ideas on everything from raising the federal minimum wage to restoring SNAP and Medicaid cuts. The plan, which the governor spent months developing, was first shared with NBC News.
“I think from day one – and I mean literally day one – they should start introducing legislation. … I’m looking for very quick action,” Pritzker said in an interview. “I believe there are big and small things to do, and they need to be done quickly. »
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Pritzker’s release of a comprehensive policy initiative in the wake of the midterm elections sets off what will be an intense fight among potential 2028 candidates to stand out in what is expected to be a crowded field. And it sets a milestone for Pritzker, taking on policy at a pivotal moment as the party considers its next steps.
Pritzker, 61, spent millions on battleground races in the midterms. Recently, he gave $1 million to Democrat Gina Hinojosa in her bid to oust Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. It was a move that won Pritzker goodwill with Hispanic political leaders.
With two months until the new Congress meets, Pritzker has 200 issues he says Democrats should address immediately. He underscored the urgency of Trump’s first days in office in 2025, when the president issued a series of executive orders and imposed sweeping agency policies. Now that voters have spoken, Pritzker said, Democrats must demonstrate that they have heard the call for change and are capable of taking action that does not drag on into drawn-out battles.
“Even if Trump vetoes the restoration of these programs, they should pass it,” he said. “It needs to be clear that this is the direction the country wants to go, and if Donald Trump wants to stand in the way, it’s obviously his fault. But we need to embrace them.”
Although the road map Pritzker developed is titled “Fighting for Illinois: The Day One Agenda,” it contains federal policy and funding recommendations that could affect all states. He told NBC News that some important issues, like comprehensive immigration reform, were not on the list because they were complex issues that would involve longer-term discussions. But Pritzker’s plan calls for ending “the indiscriminate and disproportionate immigration raids and mass deportation program, strengthening oversight, pursuing accountability, and advancing common-sense immigration reform.”
Pritzker is also pushing for an increase in the federal minimum wage, which now stands at $7.25 an hour, as a candidate for one of Democrats’ first measures. How much to reach is a question lawmakers should determine, he said. In Illinois, the minimum wage is $15 an hour, and Sen.-elect Juliana Stratton — who served as his lieutenant governor and received his heavy support in the Senate race — has called for a minimum wage of $25 an hour.
“This should be proposed right away, and there should be committee hearings and votes on this almost immediately. It’s been too long,” Pritzker said. “This is something we can achieve in a relatively short period of time because I believe all Democrats agree that the minimum wage is too low.”
Also on Pritzker’s list is passing the Consumer Rate Relief Act, which would require large companies that received refunds to show how they passed them on to consumers.
The governor began preparing the agenda over the summer, when he ordered state agencies and deputy governors to review the cuts to federal programs and grants under Trump that had the greatest impact on Illinois residents and outline how the 120th Congress could undo the damage.
Among Pritzker’s other recommendations: giving states more authority over betting markets, restoring temporary protected status for immigrants and producing E15 gasoline (a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline) year-round. Pritzker said this would increase demand for ethanol, helping Illinois’ agricultural sector while lowering prices at the pump.
Asked how Democrats, if they take power, should balance holding administration officials accountable and trying to advance new initiatives, Pritzker said committees could take the lead on any investigation.
“There are committees that can expose corruption and oversee the executive branch. These are specific committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and I think they should do their job,” Pritzker said. “But there is work to do for America’s working families to undo the damage that Donald Trump has done to them. And I think this Congress needs to get to work on that immediately.”
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