After Governor Bruce Rauner unveiled a new campaign ad this week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted his political rival for trying to capitalize on the budget stalemate still gripping Springfield.
“The last thing Illinois needs is the only thing we’ve gotten since Bruce Rauner took office: more TV ads and still no budget,” the mayor said in a statement. “The governor isn’t having a policy debate, he’s playing politics, and the entire state is suffering as a result.
“The Governor needs to take the ad down, and finally put a budget up,” he added.
The ad debuted this week, and criticizes the handling of the state’s budget impasse by House Speaker Mike Madigan and Illinois Democrats.
Governor Rauner has called lawmakers back to Springfield for a special session, the first of his term as governor, next week to deal with the crisis.
“Everyone needs to get serious and get to work,” Rauner said in a video announcing the special session.
Illinois has been without a budget for two years, and if a deal isn’t reached by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, then lawmakers are predicting massive cuts and potential shutdowns to help deal with the financial shortfall.
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“I don’t know what part of ‘we are in a massive crisis mode’ the General Assembly and the governor don’t understand,” Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. “This is not a false alarm. The magic tricks run out after a while, and that’s where we’re at.”
