Just about nothing happened in the first week of veto session in the House and the Senate. The Democratic legislative leaders are still trying to figure out what their members want to do in the wake of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and whether that can be done.
Whether that action starts in the second and final week of the veto session, or in the lame-duck January session or in the regular spring session is still up in the air as I write this.
“We’re going to have to do something,” House Speaker Chris Welch told me, but he couldn’t say what that “something” was just yet. “I think it’s important that we let the conversations happen. Those conversations have to happen so that we come to alignment on that.”
Asked about Trump’s economic message of consistently railing against inflation and promising no income taxes on overtime, tips and Social Security, Welch said, “I think the economic message worked. I think the economic message and what we’ve been through in this country was very important, and we’re going to have to listen and acknowledge that. And as Democrats in Illinois, I think we’ve already done a good job of doing that, but we’re going to have to continue to listen to the voters when it comes to that economic message. Listen, Trump won, and he won in a resounding way. We have to acknowledge that, and we have to be responsible.”
Welch continued: “If we don’t listen to voters here and make the necessary changes, particularly on the national level, quite frankly, I think nationally, they can do a lot more of what we’ve done here in Illinois. If we don’t listen to the voters, we’re not going to reverse what happened here on Tuesday (Nov. 5).”
When asked about the projected massive budget deficit, the House Speaker said, “The governor and I need to sit down and have some serious conversations about how we’re going to approach next year’s $3.1 billion budget deficit and come to an agreement. I think it’s important that we be in alignment and walk in the same direction on that, and we’re prepared to do that.”
Welch recently hired a new appropriations staff director. While praising the outgoing director, Welch said his new director, Madeline McCune — a former House staffer who left to run the legislative shop for the Illinois Association of School Administrators — is drawing kudos from far and wide.
The House Democrats haven’t been able to draft a budget during the past two sessions.
“I think she’s going to take us to another level,” Welch said of McCune. “There’s a history there with the Senate team. There’s a history with the governor’s team. And one of the things that we’re going to have to do going into a very difficult budget year, we’ve got to work together. We have to all be clicking on the same page and on all cylinders, and with Madeline there, we’re not going to just not miss a beat, we’re going to elevate our game.”
Speaking of staff, Welch also acknowledged that he’s telling his members to expect some significant changes in his operations during the coming year. “I have to acknowledge that we have to do things a little bit different,” Welch said.
The House Democrats have had serious staffing shortages, under-qualified staff and major staff turnover problems. One of the reasons is a decades-old handshake agreement that the party caucus dollars are divided equally in both chambers, with the Senate getting more overall because their districts are twice as large as the House districts.
So, even though Welch has 78 members, his caucus is appropriated the same amount as the House Republicans, who have 40 members. And it receives less than the Senate Democrats, who have 40 members, and less than the Senate Republicans, who have a mere 19 members.
“We have to address that,” Welch said. “And I’m gonna fight like hell to address that, because that’s the way that I can address a number of my staffing issues.”
“Where’s the fairness and equity in that?” Welch rhetorically asked about the disparities. “And so, do know, as the leader of this chamber, that’s one of the things that I’m laser-focused on. And the voters have spoken. They’ve elected 78 Democrats twice now, possibly more, and we’re going to fight to make sure we have the proper resources to address the staff and the concerns.”
Welch also promised to make further “necessary tweaks to elevate our game,” in the coming spring session.
- Principal Skinner - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 8:50 am:
“We have to address that,” Welch said. “And I’m gonna fight like hell to address that, because that’s the way that I can address a number of my staffing issues.”
Fighting like hell to get more money is not going to help solve a culture problem that’s gotten the Speaker to this point. Especially when He’s competeing for staff against the Senate and Govenor. Not only is he putting his head in the sand over the fact as to why dozens of staff left. But let’s throw the current people hired to fill those vacancies, which have been vetted and hired by the Speakers senior staff under the bus.
Also, what happens when Welchs lose seats and thus additional allotment for the caucus, Are they counting on turnover to not have to fire people (which they are so adverse to doing)? Doesn’t that go against addressing the identified issue of short staffing/staff turnover?
This just feels like the Speaker is saying to his staff here’s $5, go play in traffic. He’s actually trying to address the core issues.
- thechampaignlife - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 9:34 am:
===If we don’t listen to voters here and make the necessary changes, particularly on the national level, quite frankly, I think nationally, they can do a lot more of what we’ve done here in Illinois.===
Joining 33 states to applying for a constitutional convention to address campaign finance and Electoral College reform would be a good start.
- Norseman - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 10:23 am:
Very interesting story. Definitely a new age. While their tactics weren’t beloved, the House Dem staff used to be a well-oiled machine. For all the bad you can say about Madigan, he ran a tight ship and minimized the goofiness of his caucus. Goofiness which is impacting IL Dem vote as well as the national vote. Welch has a lot of work to do.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 10:31 am:
===“We’re going to have to do something,”===
There’s a super majority in both chambers and Democrats hold all of the statewide offices.
They continue to hold a super majority in both chambers and all of the statewide offices.
Illinois Democrats won on Election Day. Did they expand their super majority? No. Did they need to expand their super majority? No.
Should they spend the next two years pursuing a strategy to expand their super majority? Does that assume that they can expand their super majority by abandoning the folks that gave them the super majority in the first place?
===If we don’t listen to voters here and make the necessary changes===
Hey, Mr. Speaker, we’ve given you a super majority.
===If we don’t listen to the voters, we’re not going to reverse what happened here on Tuesday (Nov. 5).===
Oh my God, Mr. Speaker, we’ve given you a super majority.
Take a victory lap. Democrats in Illinois won the election. You don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken.
- Peanut Gallery - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 11:53 am:
Madeline is top-tier. Kudos to her!
- Two Left Feet - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 12:02 pm:
“The House Democrats haven’t been able to draft a budget during the past two sessions”
I don’t know the history here, but this point is interesting to me. The Governor must do a budget. The General Assembly reviews the budget. They negotiate it and pass it out of both chambers. The budget passed out of the Senate is the Senate’s budget. And same for the House. Perplexity.ai wasn’t help. Any background appreciated.
- JS Mill - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 12:17 pm:
=Does that assume that they can expand their super majority by abandoning the folks that gave them the super majority in the first place?=
The thing I respect about the ILDP is they have a big tent. That is something the ILGOP does not get at all. I think the democrats can expand their margins without abandoning anyone and they should keep trying.
- SWSider - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 1:11 pm:
The current Democratic coalition is going to trickier for these guys to navigate than it was back in the day. Sure, there was a regional difference in the old days, but there was an economic/class divide which made things somewhat functionable.
As the suburbs have become part of the Democratic base, it’s going to become tougher for Democrats to deliver wins to their “historical” Illinois base of “non-rich-people.”
- supplied_demand - Monday, Nov 18, 24 @ 1:33 pm:
==it’s going to become tougher for Democrats to deliver wins to their “historical” Illinois base of “non-rich-people.” ==
I think this exposes how you see the world (rich/poor), but it doesn’t necessarily describe how policy works in the real world.
Does improved transportation help the rich, poor, or both?
Does access to abortion help the rich, poor, or both?
Do good schools help the rich, poor, or both?
Do balanced budgets, a rainy day fund, and extra pension payments help the rich, poor, or both?