How Bruce Rauner’s Manufactured 736-Day Crisis Unleashed Long Term Damage on Illinois

Chicago, IL — Today, after 736 days, a bipartisan compromise budget passed into law. With the state on the cusp of junk status, Rauner continued to cling to his crisis with a desperate and reckless veto. But Republican and Democratic members of the General Assembly overrode the failed governor. Illinois now has a budget, but the damage is done and Bruce Rauner’s manufactured crisis will have long term ramifications for Illinois families.

In response to the override vote, JB Pritzker released the following statement:  

“Bruce Rauner manufactured a 736-day crisis to force his special interest agenda on our state. Today, Democratic and Republican members of the state legislature came together to say enough is enough, but Bruce Rauner’s damage is already done,” said JB Pritzker. “Rauner led the state to $14.7 billion in unpaid bills, interest on state debt continues to skyrocket, and local governments across the state have been forced to raise taxes to compensate for a lack of state funds. Social services agencies closed, impacting countless families across Illinois, students fled to go to college in other states, and we lost opportunities for job creation. The suffering of Illinois families can’t just be erased. It will take years to clean up the mess of this failed governor’s creating and it’s clear that getting our state back on track can only happen with a new governor next November.”

Let’s take a look at Bruce Rauner’s damage to Illinois:

• $14.7 billion dollars in unpaid bills piled up without a spending plan in place.
• $2 billion dollars is owed to Medicaid doctors and hospitals.
• 130,000 students’ MAP grants were jeopardized.
• 37,508 residents fled the state amid historic fiscal uncertainly.
• 20,000 workers’ paychecks were put in limbo after IDOT halted road construction.
• 22 local health departments were forced to reduce services.
• 5 state universities were downgraded to junk bond status.
• Countless social service agencies have drastically cut programs or closed altogether.

While passing a state budget marks an important first step in bringing our state back to fiscal sanity, Bruce Rauner’s damage is done. The wreckage from this over 700-day crisis will take years to address. This is what it looks like when a governor fails and it’s time Bruce Rauner was held accountable for the damage he’s inflicted on the people of Illinois.

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