Feb. 18--Gov. Bruce Rauner met with the four legislative leaders Tuesday, and they said the governor warned them he's prepared to deliver some "tough medicine" in the form of major cuts during his first budget address Wednesday.
The roughly half-hour, closed-door meeting apparently was in lieu of the traditional briefings governors usually hold to give lawmakers a glimpse of the budget before the formal speech.
"We had a very pleasant discussion," said House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. "The governor simply said that he's got some tough medicine to deliver tomorrow. He understands that some people will not be happy, but he's committed to reforming the finances of the state. And he has a program and an agenda to accomplish that."
Rauner faces a budget shortfall of approximately $5 billion in the spending year that begins July 1, on top of a nearly $1.5 billion hole he must grapple with immediately. The shortfalls follow the expiration of a major portion of the state's income tax increase at the start of the year, a rollback Rauner supported.
While Rauner previously has indicated he'd support expanding the sales tax to various services,
Madigan said he doesn't expect the governor to propose ways to raise new revenue but does anticipate at Rauner push for large spending reductions. Madigan indicated Rauner was in store for a tough fight on that front.
"I said 10 days ago, I don't think you can cut your way out of the problem," Madigan said. "I think you need some additional revenue, and that'll be my position tomorrow."
The Rauner camp has been tight-lipped on what the governor will say in his budget speech.
