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Another punt in the works?

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Illinois

* Yesterday’s Tribune…

In 2015, Rauner offered a budget that contained a $2.2 billion hole because of proposed pension savings that the governor eventually acknowledged might not pass constitutional muster. Last year, he offered lawmakers the choice of working with him to cut the budget or letting him do it himself. He did not spell out how he would close a hole of at least $3.5 billion.

* Today’s Tribune…

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner said Wednesday that he will offer state lawmakers this month a budget proposal in the same format that the Democratic-led General Assembly rejected last year — either work with him on crafting a balanced spending plan or give him more power to make cuts on his own. […]

Rauner’s decision last year to present a spending plan that included the option of letting lawmakers give him the power to make massive cuts was never really considered by Democrats in the General Assembly. They said Rauner needed to specify where he intended to cut spending.

“Either the General Assembly authorizes me to make cuts, not my first choice but I’ll do that, or let’s work together to do a balanced budget with cuts and, what I prefer is, a balance of cuts, some revenues and major structural change. The real important thing is the structural change,” Rauner said [to the Tribune yesterday]. […]

“I think a deal is more likely to happen if it’s organic, coming from the rank-and-file members of the General Assembly, and the important thing is to get a good compromise. I’ve been very clear. I mean, the good news and bad news is nobody’s wondering what I think is the right thing to do,” he said.

That last line was probably intended as a joke, but it is close to being true. And if it is true, that’s a pretty sad commentary on the governor’s tenure.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:00 am

Comments

Wouldn’t the whole ‘line item veto’ power give him the authority to make cuts as he sees fit anyway? Or couldn’t he just make the cuts before he submits a budget? Not sure why he needs to ask for expanded authority to do that (let alone that the legislature will never allow it).

Comment by First Gentleman Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:05 am
3 bad governors in a row.. a true lack of leadership starting with Blago.. Quinn and BVR lack the skill needed to lead

Comment by Wow Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:06 am
” The real important thing is the structural change.” Well, that pretty much says it all. Not education, not children, not social services, not even a disintegrating credit rating for the state. If we could just get those pesky structural changes done, everything will just fall into place. Here we go again.

Comment by Archiesmom Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:07 am
This is all silly talk. Rauner stepped outside this morning, saw his shadow…6 more weeks no budget.

*drops mic

Comment by New Slang Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:12 am
Last year the GOP accused Madigan and House Dems of violating the constitution by passing an unbalanced budget. If that is true, it’s also true that the Governor violates the constitution every time he fails to propose a balanced budget. They can’t have it both ways.

Comment by Anon Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:21 am
== Either the General Assembly authorizes me to make cuts…==

Huh? He doesn’t need anyone’s permission, the freakin’ constitution authorizes him to make cuts!

“Article VIII, Section 2. (a). The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the ensuing fiscal year.”

No surprise that his co-conspirators at the Trib edit board allow him to spew this victimization nonsense, but shame on the rest of the media for letting him get away with this unchallenged.

Comment by Roman Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:27 am
The Illinois Constitution requires that the Governor propose a balanced budget. That is all the authority he needs to submit whatever he wants. He won’t do his job though because he doesn’t want to take the heat for his cuts or take away his leverage of holding the budget hostage.

Comment by A Jack Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:28 am
===That last line was probably intended as a joke, but it is close to being true. And if it is true, that’s a pretty sad commentary on the governor’s tenure.===

With Rauner’s “structural changes” AKA the “Turnaround Agenda”, Illinois has nothing to laugh about.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:31 am
Give our billionaire governor some credit. He’s an unashamed ideologue; unlike our billionaire POTUS who is a demagogue masquerading as an ideologue.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:39 am
He sounds like a petulant adolescent when he pulls this “all or nothing” stuff.

News flash, the three branches of government are co-equal. The executive proposes, the legislative disposes, and the judiciary oversees.

Comment by Jocko Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:40 am
The Governor still isn’t serious about getting this state moving forward. The “structural changes being the most important thing” comment is just more of the same. One week he praises the Senate and speaks of compromise. The next week he’s back to the same old spiel that has left us without a budget for two years. He’s dug the state in a much deeper hole that it was already in when he assumed office. He has two years left, maybe it’s time to start digging out of that hole rather than continuing to make demands.

Comment by The Dude Abides Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:49 am
First Gentlemen and others - let’s not forget when the GA handed then Gov Blago the hot potato of making the cuts necessary to balance the budget, after he did so, the GA overrode the cuts without adding revenue to fund the override spending. The pension ramp started crowding out discretionary spending starting in 06, Blago offered a solution - the GRT - which was rejected by the House in the now infamous 106 - 0 vote. They laughed then, but kept the expanded spending without funding it. So Rauner is right not to trust the GA and its leaders.

Comment by old pol Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:58 am
“Either the General Assembly authorizes me to make cuts…”

Call. His. Bluff. Use the coming no-appropriation/no-state-worker-pay court decision as an excuse for a lump sum budget. Rauner would own the cuts and the public would learn (Jerry Brown-style) that $32 billion in GRF is not enough to fund the state government they want.

OW’s head explodes in 3,2,1….

Comment by Telly Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:58 am
== I’ve been very clear. I mean, the good news and bad news is nobody’s wondering what I think is the right thing to do ==

If we had actual journalist covering the governor in Illinois, the follow up question would be:

“We’ll take you up on that, governor. Here’s a chance for you to be very clear. What do you think of the bipartisan Cullerton-Radogno compromise? If those 13 bills — which are in the public domain and open to review — hit your desk next week, will you sign them? Yes or No?”

Comment by Ted Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 10:10 am
Rauner’s legacy will be that of an inflexible whack job who drove the state into the ground. He needs to go.

Comment by El Conquistador Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 10:44 am
So he is going to violate the constitution again.

Comment by TominChicago Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 10:44 am
Lather, rinse, repeat.

Here we go again with the budget stand-off. How long until the bond rating hit junk?

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 11:02 am
Governor Rauner—Profiles in Courage!

Comment by Ratso Rizzo Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 11:05 am
So, for the third year, Rauner will be proposing an approach to governing and constructing a budget, rather than proposing the budget itself. He can’t even fake it this time.

When do repeated failures to fulfill his clearly-stated Constitutional role, become impeachable? Why would he believe he can simply ignore the plain language of the Constitution, without legal ramifications?

Would love to hear one of his superstar lawyers argue this specific point.

Comment by walker Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 11:19 am
I read that Trib article and now I know the master plan has no chance of passing. He must have been reinvigorated at his 3 day Koch brother retreat.

Comment by oldman Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 11:55 am
- New Slang - Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 9:12 am:

This is all silly talk. Rauner stepped outside this morning, saw his shadow…6 more YEARS no budget.

Fixed it for you.

Comment by Little Rico Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 12:20 pm
The General Assembly should notify the Governor that if he doesn’t present a balanced budget, they will keep inviting him back every week until he does.

Comment by Anonymous Lee Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 1:09 pm
Rauner is proposing the same “budget” as he has for the last three fiscal years and is expecting a different result.

This defines our Governor.

Comment by Chicago 20 Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 1:17 pm
The GA will pass the same “unbalanced budget” as they have for the last 8 years and is expecting a different result.

This defines our GA.

Comment by old pol Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 1:54 pm
A clear case of “Everyone wants to go Heaven, but nobody wants to die.”

Comment by One to the Dome Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 3:04 pm
Any budget is better than no budget, but the Governor lacks a spine. You want to cut aging services? Then propose it and take the consequences instead of this nonsense of contracting with providers to take care of seniors and then refusing to pay.

Comment by CCP Hostage Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 4:45 pm
== Not sure why he needs to ask for expanded authority to do that (let alone that the legislature will never allow it). ==

At least three reasons.

1) If Rauner proposes a budget with cuts, it is his fault. It also allows the GA to override his cuts.

2) If Rauner just line item vetoes a GA created budget, the GA gets to take another look at what he does and decide whether to allow it

3) What Rauner also wants is unlimited power without oversight to shuffle state funds around between appropriations, agencies, boards, partnerships. etc. That’s what CEO’s in private businesses are used to doing, especially ones doing bust-out operations. I suspect he finds the legal limitations on his ability to move funds around very constraining.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Feb 2, 17 @ 5:45 pm