Crespo: Billions in Debt and Governor Fails to Lay Out a Path Forward

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

“After auditors revealed that his administration could not account for $7.11 billion in Medicaid spending, and the first Debt Transparency Report uncovered that his administration accrued over $2 billion in unauthorized debt, it was my hope that Governor Rauner was going to present the General Assembly a responsible path forward. Yet, his remarks didn’t even coincide with the findings of the audit on his administration. The governor gave legislators nothing more than empty political rhetoric

“There is too much at stake for political games. Middle-class families cannot afford another 700 day Rauner budget crisis. In those 700 days, Illinois’ debt climbed to over $16 billion, forcing the state to pay more than $1 billion in interest payments alone. That’s billions of dollars that could have gone into our schools, health care, services for our seniors and more.

“It is my hope that the governor will change course and work with us in good faith to address the many problems facing our state. But if not, we’re prepared to continue working cooperatively with legislative Republicans to invest in our schools, create jobs, and provide real property tax relief for middle-class families.”