Pritzker Rarely Uses Veto Power as Illinois Governor

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has rarely used his veto authority during his time in office, signing most of the legislation that reaches his desk. In 2025 alone, he issued just four vetoes while 436 bills were passed. That pattern continued in 2026, when nearly 400 bills passed during the General Assembly’s second regular session and Pritzker issued only one item/reduction veto. That veto primarily corrected errors in the state budget rather than rejecting a policy decision by lawmakers. One of those errors would have appropriated more than $500 billion to the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP when the intended amount was $250,000.

The Illinois Constitution provides governors with several ways to object to legislation. A governor can veto an entire bill, return it with recommended changes through an amendatory veto, or reduce or eliminate individual appropriations in a spending bill. Despite having these options, Pritzker has generally allowed almost all legislation approved by the General Assembly to become law.

His limited use of veto power comes as Democrats maintain control of both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. More than 90% of the nearly 400 bills passed during the most recent session were introduced by Democrats. Pritzker also approved a state budget that increased lawmakers’ base salaries to $101,450. Rather than using his veto authority to challenge that spending, he signed the measure into law.

Pritzker’s record illustrates how infrequently the veto has played a role during his administration. With the governor’s office and both legislative chambers controlled by the same party, disagreements between the executive and legislative branches have rarely resulted in Pritzker rejecting any legislation sent to his desk. For some observers, Pritzker’s limited use of veto authority raises concerns about the level of executive oversight in Springfield.