Rauner, Madigan Trade Blame Over Damage From Budget Impasse
(CBS) -- Governor Bruce Rauner has levelled another broadside at Democratic lawmakers, blaming them for the budget impasse that has caused suffering and cuts in social services across the state, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Governor Rauner was in Oak Lawn speaking to a tourism group and he says lawmakers' refusal to agree to what he calls compromise on issues like collective bargaining for state workers, term limits and redistricting are preventing agreement on the budget. He says the resulting suffering is unacceptable.
"The longer the legislature takes, the more people will suffer, the bigger the deficit will grow because there are court-ordered spending at high levels inside many departments inside the government that we can't control, I cannot control," Rauner said. "That's causing the deficit to be even bigger."
But Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has issued a statement saying all of the destruction caused by the current impasse is due to the governor's decision to veto the spending plan approved by lawmakers. He says the governor can end the damage he has done by turning his focus away from issues that would hurt middle class families.