Crespo: Governor's Talk of Fiscal Discipline Nothing More than Political Rhetoric

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - State Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, issued the following statement after the Governor Rauner's State of the State Address:

"For three years, the governor has time and time again denied responsibility, and blamed everyone else but himself for his inability to work across the aisle. It took Democrats and Republicans to come together-despite the governor's objections-to pass a balanced budget that puts Illinois back on the right track.

"The governor's points on fiscal discipline were nothing more than empty political rhetoric because when it comes down to it what you do says a whole lot more than what you say. Governor Rauner vetoed commonsense legislation which has now uncovered that his administration accrued over $2 billion in unauthorized debt, and a recent audit uncovered that his administration cannot account for $7.11 billion in Medicaid spending.

"It's time for Governor Rauner to recognize that he is in charge, and start acting like it. Next month, when he presents his budget proposal to the General Assembly, he must lay out a plan to address how the state is going to deal with the billions of dollars in lost opportunity. But if he chooses to continue down his path of destruction, the General Assembly must move forward without him and continue restoring financial stability to our state."