Governor Bruce Rauner says his annual budget message this month will be similar to one he delivered last year, asking legislators to work with him on crafting a balanced spending plan or allowing him to make cuts of his own.
That’s what Rauner told the Chicago Tribune during a series of meetings with Illinois newspaper editorial boards this week. Rauner also re-emphasized his demand for “structural change” as part of budget negotiations.
“Either the General Assembly authorizes me to make cuts, not my first choice but I’ll do that, or let’s work together to do a balanced budget with cuts and, what I prefer is, a balance of cuts, some revenues and major structural change,” Rauner told the Tribune. “The real important thing is the structural change.”