Here We Go Again... Rauner and Madigan Resume War of Words

Like a reoccurring nightmare, Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan on Wednesday returned to their fierce fighting tactics over the state budget standoff.

Rauner initiated the latest back-and-forth in a speech to the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau in Oak Lawn, where he challenged the Democrats who control the General Assembly to pass reforms including term limits, legislative redistricting reform and a property tax freeze. If they do that, Rauner said he'll come to the bargaining table to help create a balanced state budget.

Otherwise, they should pass tax increases on their own to finance whatever spending they want.

"The time has come for legislators who support high spending in Illinois to make a decision: Join us in passing structural reforms and a balanced budget or continue to block structural reforms including term limits and fair maps," Rauner said. "But if you block reforms then use your super-majority to pass your own tax increase to pay for the spending level that you want. But please, choose now. Choose now. Time's up. Let's be reasonable here."

It's a theme Rauner has pushed ever since the state entered the 2016 fiscal year on July 1 with no budget in place.

Rauner says his reforms are needed to bolster the state's government and economy and that drafting a budget without them won't help the state's long-term job prospects.

He has clashed with Democrats partly because Madigan outright opposes term limits and redistricting reform but also because most of his reform legislation has arrived front-loaded with measures to deflate union strength. Rauner's reforms in workers' compensation laws and tort reform would, in Madigan's view, bring undue sacrifice to middle-class and low-income residents.

Madigan responded to Rauner's speech with a statement that easily was his strongest reaction yet to Rauner's position. Where in frequent press conferences throughout the summer Madigan has spoken in broad terms about protecting the "standard of living for middle-class families," his statement on Wednesday accused Rauner of putting Illinoisans in harm's way by not setting aside his reform demands and focusing on the budget:

Here's the statement Madigan released about Rauner.

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