Cook County commissioners unanimously approved a $9.94 billion budget on Thursday for 2025, including more money for reproductive health services as supporters prepare for a Donald Trump administration that could potentially roll back protections.
Democratic Commissioner Bridget Degnen spearheaded the effort to amend the budget to provide $2 million in grants to community organizations that provide wraparound reproductive health services. These organizations help cover the cost of everything from hotel stays and travel to medical bills for people seeking abortions.
The county health system believes this would be the first time in recent memory that funds like this are included in the county budget. Chicago and Illinois already provide financial support for people seeking reproductive care.
“This budget really reflects our moral compass, one centered in freedom, autonomy and equity,” Degnen said in the county’s downtown board room. “Reproductive freedoms are a human right, that women touch all of the men in this room. It’s not just an issue related to women. Women care for their families. Women care for everybody. … Anti-choice advocates with control of the federal government right now and with the reversal of Roe leave our reproductive health access under attack.”
Republican Commissioner Sean Morrison, who is the only Republican on the 17-member board, was the only “no” vote on Degnen’s amendment.
Degnen’s effort comes as abortion rights supporters prepare for a Trump presidency that could once again shake up where and how people can end a pregnancy, if they are allowed at all. Trump appointed justices to the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade more than two years ago, leaving abortion access up to individual states.
That led to a patchwork of state bans and other restrictions across much of the Midwest and the South, fueling a wave of people to Illinois, where abortion rights are protected. More people are traveling to Illinois than to any other state to end a pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights health policy and research organization.
Before the budget vote, abortion providers and advocates in Chicago laid out what’s at stake and how the county grants could help. They described their patients — a woman struggling in an abusive relationship, a single parent who works and goes to college and patients who show up bleeding early in their pregnancy or their fetuses won’t survive — and how this funding comes as providers struggle to keep up with bills.
“Along with other providers in Cook County, we are facing a significant budget deficit,” said Dr. Allison Cowett, medical director of Family Planning Associates, one of the biggest independent abortion clinics in the country. “This funding will not only support the cost of patient care, but also allow patients to reach our doors in the first place.”
Three major national abortion funds have cut back or ended financial support entirely. Organizations like the Chicago Abortion Fund, which is one of the largest of its kind in the country, could apply for the county grant funding. CAF has been trying to fill in the funding gap created by the national abortion funds. CAF covers everything from travel and child care to medical bills for patients.
The county budget also includes a $15 million homeowner relief fund to help people struggling to pay their property tax bills, and the county plans to expand access to mental health care for patients who speak Spanish. The wait to see a psychiatrist who speaks Spanish can be up to a year, Democratic Commissioner Alma Anaya said.
The county also plans to invest in generative artificial intelligence to help county workers do their jobs more efficiently, replenish a fund to help communities helping migrants or hit hard by flooding, and put solar panels on county facilities to ultimately lower energy costs and save the county money.
The county needs to have contracts in place by Dec. 31 to spend all of the $1 billion in federal pandemic relief dollars the county has received. Last month, the county had committed 84% of the money. County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and her finance team vow to hit the deadline.
After the budget vote, Preckwinkle touted that her latest financial road map after more than a decade as president comes with no layoffs, tax increases or cuts to vital public services.
“We’ve seen a pandemic, numerous economic risks and persistent budgeting challenges, but the county has been resilient,” Preckwinkle said.
Her budget team has put its foot down, she said, on not spending more than the county has.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who is a former county commissioner, and the Chicago City Council are still trying to figure out how to close a massive budget gap for next year.
The county’s 2025 budget starts Dec. 1.
Kristen Schorsch covers public health and Cook County for WBEZ.