Illinois is into its fourth week without a state budget --- and rather than coming together toward a compromise, political leaders’ blame game keeps escalating.
To hear Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner tell it, the Democratic House Speaker is single-handedly blocking a deal:
"The power the Speaker's got? Very strong. He doesn't want to give it up and he's ruling with a, an iron first, over the folks here in the General Assembly."
Madigan, Rauner says, wants there to be no budget, so people will feel the pain ... then legislators will take action.
That same accusation has been made about the governor, given Rauner's remarks that "crisis creates opportunity."
Rauner says he won't negotiate on the budget, until there's headway on long-term issues like term limits, significantly scaling back unions' power, and property tax relief.
Madigan's spokesman had no reaction to the governor's latest remarks, but the Speaker has said such accusations aren't helpful. Madigan says Rauner is acting in the "extreme" and recently suggested the governor may be left out of a deal.
