Pritzker releases ‘Day One Agenda’ for Congress, urging Democrats to move swiftly

Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) published a policy road map on Wednesday for Democrats to use as they prepare to retake both chambers of Congress following the blue wave in the midterm elections.The 75-page document, titled “Fighting for Illinois: The Day One Agenda,” names a number of different policies that the Illinois governor wishes his party to prioritize in the House and Senate starting next year. The road map includes policy and funding recommendations that could affect all states, not just Illinois.Immigration reform is one of the key topics mentioned in the document. Pritzker’s administration calls for legislative action on limiting “warrantless” civil immigration arrests, restricting immigration enforcement agreements between the federal government and local law enforcement, and barring federal agencies from withholding congressionally appropriated funds over immigration policy disagreements, among other action items. Artificial intelligence safety is another area in which Pritzker wants swift action. The road map proposes that Congress enact a “comprehensive digital protection framework” that would strengthen data privacy, set national AI guardrails, and promote “sustainable digital infrastructure” by ensuring data centers are using water and energy efficiently.Notably, Pritzker renewed his call for Congress to raise the federal minimum wage above $7.25 per hour. He did not say by how much it should be raised. In Illinois, the minimum wage is $15 per hour for employees at least 18 years old.There are many other policy areas addressed by the ambitious “Day One” plan, but the bottom line is that Pritzker is leveraging his standing within the Democratic Party to call for “real change” at the federal level. It remains to be seen how much change Democrats can accomplish, as President Donald Trump has threatened to use his veto powers to strike down any legislation he does not like.“It needs to be clear that this is the direction that the country wants to go, and if Donald Trump wants to stand in the way, that’s obviously on him. But we’ve got to pass these,” Pritzker told NBC News, which reported Pritzker’s agenda for Congress.Pritzker directed his deputy governors and state agencies over the summer to “analyze the most harmful and irresponsible federal decisions, funding cuts, and programmatic changes impacting how state government serves its residents” and to “identify immediate actions” for the 120th Congress to take, per the document.JB PRITZKER WINS REELECTION IN ILLINOIS AHEAD OF POSSIBLE 2028 RUNPritzker did his part to help Democrats win the midterm elections by using his Ready for the Fight PAC to dole out millions of dollars in support of the party. The group was launched in September with an initial $20 million investment, part of Pritzker’s broader midterm donations totaling $40 million. The political action committee primarily targeted House Republican seats, such as Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), who lost his reelection bid by nearly 10 points.In his own race, Pritzker won a rare third term as governor of Illinois on Tuesday. Though he is expected to be in office for the next four years, Pritzker is shaping up to be a contender for the 2028 presidential election. He has declined to rule out a future bid for the presidency.