Illinois Democrats head to Springfield ready 'to fight Trump even harder' in second term
Illinois lawmakers head back to Springfield next week with a renewed sense of urgency to potentially lock in some of the state’s progressive policies that could face threats under a second term for Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
Leaders of the state Capitol’s Democratic supermajorities say they could advance additional protections for abortion rights, environmental protection measures and health care access — all of which could be vulnerable as Trump returns to Washington, potentially with the GOP controlling both the House and Senate.
Those legislative topics and more are already under discussion heading into the statehouse veto session scheduled over the next two weeks, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, told the Sun-Times. The session begins Tuesday.
Lawmakers will also have a lame-duck session in Springfield prior to Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
“We really are a beacon here, not just in the Midwest, but in the country when it comes to women's reproductive rights. Are there some things that we can still do? Those are the conversations that are happening,” Welch said. “I think the answer is it’s possible, and if there's some things that we can get done, we'll get it done here in the next couple sessions.”
Illinois has become a growing destination for people from other states seeking abortions since a conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, prompting a wave of statewide bans on the medical procedure.
Over the summer, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the state’s latest abortion access measure, expanding insurance coverage for services. Welch said “conversations are still happening” about potentially pushing for a state constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights.
The speaker also pointed to the Democratic-led General Assembly’s track record on environmental legislation, including the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that aims to phase out fossil fuel energy sources in the state by 2050.
Trump has vowed to roll back some federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations, which could end up leaving Illinois without clean air and water protections if the state doesn't act.
“We have an energy group that is actively having conversations right now,” Welch said. “We have things in place and the ability to do some things before Trump takes office, if we see the need to do so.”
Welch, who has secured votes from his caucus for a third term as speaker in 2025, also highlighted diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
“Those things are very much at risk with Trump in the Oval Office, and the Supreme Court giving him unchecked authority to do the things that he wants to do. We're going to have to continue to fight Trump even harder in a second term than we did in his first term,” he said.
“Exactly what we’ll get done in a very short, quick two weeks, we don't know. What we do know is that the work ahead of us is bigger than just Donald Trump. We're committed to defending the rights of Illinoisans,” Welch said.
In a statement, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said “voters are tired of politicians fighting with each other.
“What they want is for us to fight for them, and that’s what the Senate Democrats will keep doing. These are ongoing conversations we are having as a caucus. We want to make sure that at the state level, all the rights and protections people in Illinois have today they will still have tomorrow,” Harmon said.
At a Thursday press conference, Pritzker said his staff is compiling a list of legislative priorities heading into a second Trump administration, including reproductive rights and health care access. Trump has said he wants to replace the Affordable Care Act.
“We have a lot of work that we're looking at doing," Pritzker said, "but I feel like a lot of that work has been done over the last five and a half years, to protect the people of Illinois from something terrible happening at the federal level, or some attack on Illinois residents.”