State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D–Oswego, is making a plea for the state to release the remaining 2% of higher education funding that she said is “money that was already promised.”

In June, the Illinois General Assembly passed a 1% operational increase for higher education in the FY 2026 budget, short of the 3% proposed by Gov. JB Pritzker. The governor’s office has previously said a discretionary provision allows for an additional 2% increase if federal funding is cut to the state, according to Capitol News.

“Withholding these critical funds jeopardizes academic programs and places an even heavier burden on students already struggling with the cost of education,” Kifowit said in a release. “I voted against this year’s state budget for exactly this reason. It failed to make the necessary investments in our future and is constantly making getting a degree more and more expensive.”

Kifowit said she stands in solidarity with the University Professionals of Illinois union, students, and fellow lawmakers, in demanding the funding’s immediate release.

She said the General Assembly needs to get behind their cause, arguing that today’s students are being deprived the same academic opportunities that she herself experienced as a college student.

“Our institutions of higher education are funded at below what they were when I was a college student,” Kifowit said in the release. “It is insulting to approve these reduced resources for our universities, but then withhold them when they are needed most, leaving students and colleges to struggle more than they already are.”

Kifowit urged Pritzker to take immediate action to release the education funds.