Sen. Durbin: Madigan filing a ‘ bold move’ to force gov’s hand
Sen. Dick Durbin on Monday called Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s motion to halt state employee pay without a budget a “bold move” that will force Gov. Bruce Rauner’s hand.
Durbin— who last year opted not to run for governor — told the Sun-Times the budget impasse, which he said has shredded a safety net and cut off care for the most disadvantaged, hasn’t been enough to create a force for compromise.
“I think what she’s saying is ‘ Let’s face the reality.’ The [ Illinois] Constitution says you can’t appropriate it. You can’t spend it unless it’s appropriated. And if she tests that, and it comes through, it’s going to force the hand of the governor as to whether or not that the things he’s insisting on are so important that it would create an even worse situation in our state,” Durbin said.
Madigan last week filed a motion in St. Clair County, seeking to halt employee pay if Rauner and the Illinois General Assembly can’t approve a budget by Feb. 28. The state has been without a full budget since July 2015.
Durbin last year was a strong critic of Rauner’s leadership— leading some to believe he’d try to run against him. But the longtime senator in November was re- elected to the No. 2 Democratic Senate spot.
Still, Durbin — who lives in Springfield when he’s not in Washington, D. C. — is paying attention to the Democratic hopefuls for governor. He said he’s talked to a “field of six” potential candidates who are testing whether or not to run.
Among those in the mix are J. B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, U. S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, U. S. Rep. Robin Kelly, state Sen. Andy Manar, state Sen. Daniel Biss and Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar. Pawar has already announced he’ll run. And Pritzker has already started a gubernatorial “listening tour” throughout the state.