To many Statehouse types, some of last week’s news out of Washington, DC felt eerily familiar.
Last Monday night, the White House announced a sweeping new policy that would’ve at least temporarily defunded trillions of dollars of government spending on everything from the National School Lunch Program, to Head Start, to cancer and sleep disorders research, and on and on through 50 small-print pages.
So, some Illinoisans rightly pointed out that former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner also tried crashing government spending by defunding vital social services and other programs.
But what the White House attempted last week differed from Rauner’s misrule in a very big way: Rauner thought he could use massive funding cuts resulting from a budget impasse as “leverage” (his word) to force Democrats to break their ties with labor unions.
The Trump administration offered no such “grand bargain.” Instead, they ordered the complete funding cut-off of some two thousand government grants and programs until they could be assured that none of them conflicted with their ideological demands, including, “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,” “gender ideology,” etc., all with the end result of “ending ‘wokeness’ and the weaponization of government,” according to a memo issued by the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget Matthew Vaeth. The examination process had no stated end date, so some or even most of those programs could’ve been suspended indefinitely.
As we learned during the Rauner years, providers typically have very little cash on hand, and that’s mostly by design. The federal government, for instance, doesn’t just hand out a year’s worth of funding to some small social service group. The providers get their money in small bites, often around payroll dates. So, even a two-week funding halt could seriously harm many of these organizations.
The president didn’t actually need to halt a dime of funding to examine these programs for ideological conformance, of course. He could’ve just, you know, had his people look at them, which gives you a big clue that this action was much more than just some limited “anti-woke” ideological policing (along with the mysterious and highly suspect cut-off of certain states’ access to the Medicaid computer portal).
Opponents of the order rightly pointed out that Congress long ago passed a law protecting its strong constitutional appropriations powers by mandating the executive to spend the money it appropriates, with very limited exceptions. And, by late afternoon a federal judge paused the cuts until a temporary restraining order hearing could be held on Monday.
Again, the Rauner specter re-emerges. The courts back then forced the state of Illinois to pay its employees and fund certain vital programs even without a budget. So, the state limped along for two years while non-Medicaid human service providers, contractors and others slowly died on the vine. The horror (state funding for things like a program to help teenage rape survivors was eliminated) finally ended 793 days after it began, when Republicans joined Democrats to increase taxes and pass a budget over Rauner’s vetoes.
The White House withdrew the order, but then the White House press secretary insisted that the cuts would still happen even without the directive. Another lawsuit, filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and several colleagues from across the country, began to move forward.
That process came to a head on Friday when a federal judge issued a sweeping temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from doing anything that could reduce spending already approved by Congress. Judge John J. McConnell even quoted a ruling that Trump-appointed US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh handed down when he was a circuit court judge, “even the President does not have unilateral authority to refuse to spend the funds.”
The state could similarly be in for years of court fights over this current federal spending battle, and likely more in the future, while, as under Rauner, the institutions and people down below try to survive.
There’s no way that this state government can adequately plan for what might happen next because nobody knows what will happen next. I mean, who could’ve predicted perhaps the most aggressive challenge ever to the US Congress’ constitutional appropriations powers would be launched last week?
Really the only thing the state can do now is to be even more prudent with its budgeting. President Trump wants to cut programs that deviate from his ideology. If he can convince Congress to go along, a judge won’t be able to step in. He could also try another way to get around the court’s mandate (and the US Constitution).
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 9:01 am:
What Trump is going to find out - just as Rauner did - is that Red States depend heavily on those federal funds.
Within Blue States, rural red counties depend heavily on those federal funds.
CPS will take a big hit if the US Dept. of Education is eliminated.
But what will schools in Schuyler county do?
- dtownresident - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 9:03 am:
Looks like they are trying to halt lots of funding still but having DOGE do it such as currently halting all payments to contractors which really feels like Rauner.
- anon2 - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 9:07 am:
It’s remarkable the GOP members of Congress support the emasculation of the congressional power of the purse.
- Steve Polite - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 9:23 am:
“He could also try another way to get around the court’s mandate (and the US Constitution).”
Ignore them. As I stated last week, what’s to stop someone who believes they are above the law, righteous in his cause, and has loyal yes people in positions of power (including all three branches of government). This is the possible beginning of an authoritarian takeover of our country.
- CentralILCentrist - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 9:34 am:
The deja-vu was palpable and remains a threat with a fleeting heartbeat, just waiting for a jolt from somewhere sinister…
- Norseman - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 9:35 am:
Normally, I would say great article Rich. While the quality of writing was still its fine self, the news is far from great. Not only are we talking appropriations, but we’re also seeing massive breaches in security around Treasury systems and personnel databases by Musk employees with questionable legitimacy.
With respect to Rich’s admonishment:
=== be even more prudent with its budgeting ===
I wholeheartedly agree, with one exception. They need to beef up the litigation section of the AG’s Office.
- DougChicago - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 9:55 am:
==be even more prudent with its budgeting==
Full stop. Not sure how prudent they have been to date, but certainly the time is now. Less TDS, more at-home responsibility.
- Jim Siegel in Chicago - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 10:00 am:
Bruce “No Budget” Rauner became Governor to manipulate the Illinois municipal bond market. Millions were made and no one will ever write about this. It was pretty shameful when City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools were issuing bonds he deliberately made statements no one should buy them because they are bankrupt.
- White Roses - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 10:05 am:
There is no doubt in my mind that they are going for a blitzkrieg destabilization of the entire country. The crisis to follow is being sown today.
- ChicagoVinny - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 10:25 am:
I think what is different from Rauner is Musk and his young adult charges illegally taking over government systems, including the treasury payments system. Musk is running his Twitter playbook on the US government.
Trump from his interview today doesn’t seem to have a clue what Musk is doing. This seems like a much more serious problem.
Wired has the best coverage of what Musk is doing.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 10:42 am:
Trump, to Rauner: hold my beer.
- illinifan - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 11:13 am:
What is sad is the number of people who will be hurt. I have no doubt Congress will make significant changes to programs as that is their goal for supporting Trump. A segment of Trumps supporters will continue to praise what he is doing as this is the level of disruption they sought. In the meantime the rest of us are along for the wild ride and hope when the ride ends we can pick up the pieces.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 11:58 am:
Why am I not surprised that the worst president in US history would imitate the worst governor in IL history?
- Sir Reel - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 12:40 pm:
On the one hand you could say this is a calculated reign of terror being executed by smart, methodical ideologues. On the other it could be the floundering acts of a bunch of ignorant, stupid morons. I don’t know which is worse.
- Anyone Remember - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 12:49 pm:
Can’t help but think part of using an axe instead of a scalpel is to appease the US House’s version of the “Eastern Bloc” (Chip Roy et. al.) so they won’t reject Trump’s spending proposals for Homeland Security.
- Julie in Glen Carbon - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 1:55 pm:
The admission fee for Adult Entertainment Clubs and Casinos should be increased from $3 to $15. Rather than only the first $25,000 going to Battered women’s shelters the entire feed should go to the State’s General Revenue Fund.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Feb 3, 25 @ 1:56 pm:
===Rather than only the first $25,000 going to Battered women’s shelters the entire fee===
Great idea, Julie. Defund women’s shelters. That’ll surely get 60-30-1