Under Bruce Rauner’s Failed Leadership, The State of the State is Worse

The Democratic Governors Association, through its spokesman Sam Salustro, releases the following statement on Governor Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address:

“The state of the state is worse under Bruce Rauner. While the Governor continues to pretend like he has not been in charge, voters will not forget how Rauner engaged in the worst kind of no-compromise, partisan politics that hampered economic growth and led an atmosphere of perpetual crisis. Rauner forced the state to suffer through a two-year budget crisis that crippled job creation, increased debt, slashed social services, and devastated the higher education system.  

“Three years ago, Rauner promised a turnaround, but he’s only made things worse.”

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Background:

UNDER RAUNER JOBS CREATION PLUMMETED, AND POPULATION LOSS ACCELERATED

Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune, Headline: “By Rauner’s Own Standards, He’s A Miserable Failure On Jobs.” [Zorn, Chicago Tribune, 1/30/18]

Zorn: Job Growth Dropped Under Rauner, And Illinois Lagged The Nation And Its Neighbors. “Job growth in Illinois, which in the last three years of the Quinn administration was 3.57 percent — compared with a 5.31 percent national job-growth rate over the same time — has fallen in the first three years of the Rauner administration to 2.29 percent — about half the 4.82 percent national job-growth rate. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows job growth in Illinois under Rauner has been lower than job growth in the neighboring states of Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin.” [Zorn, Chicago Tribune, 1/30/18]

2017: Illinois Loses More Than 33,700 Residents, Drops To 6^th Largest State, And Population Loss Was Accelerating. “Illinois declined in population again in 2017, losing its spot as the fifth-largest state in the nation to Pennsylvania, according to census data released Wednesday. Illinois lost about 33,700 residents, dropping the total population to 12,802,023, the greatest numeric population loss of any state…This is the fourth year in a row that Illinois’ population decreased, a troubling trend, according to William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution. ‘It’s not just a one-year blip,’ he said. ‘And the declines continue to get bigger from one year to the next.’” [Chicago Tribune, 12/21/17]

ILLINIOIS’ CREDIT RATING CONTINUED TO SLIDE, APPROACHING JUNK STATUS

Chicago Tribune’s Eric Zorn: Illinois Endured Eight Credit Rating Drops Under Bruce Rauner.  “One of the metrics that candidate Bruce Rauner used in 2014 when he was running for governor against incumbent Pat Quinn was the state’s alarming slide in bond ratings during Quinn’s administration. The three major credit-ratings agencies — Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service — had dropped Illinois’ rating a net 12 times since Quinn took the oath of office in 2009. More proof, Rauner said, that Quinn was a ‘failure.’ But the slide has continued under Rauner. When Moody’s and S&P both downgraded Illinois on Thursday, it marked the eighth such move during Rauner’s term.” [Chicago Tribune, Eric Zorn, 6/2/17]

ILLINOIS’ BILL BACKLOG TRIPLED DUE TO THE BUDGET IMPASSE, COSTING THE STATE $1 BILLION IN INTEREST PAYMENTS 

Reuters Headline: “Illinois Budget Impasse Cost State $1 Billion In Late Payment Penalties.” [Reuters, 1/22/18] 

Reuters Headline: “Illinois’ Unpaid Bill Backlog Hits A Record $16 Billion. [Reuters,  9/19/17]

Illinois’ Backlog Tripled Since 2015. According to an editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times, “$14.5 billion: Dollar damage of those unpaid bills. The backlog has tripled since 2015 and, at this pace, will reach $28 billion by 2021. At that time, it will consume 80 percent of the state’s budget.” [Chicago Sun-Times, Editorial, 6/1/17]

ILLINOIS’ COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SAW HUGE ENROLLMENT DROPS

Illinois Public Colleges And Universities Reduced Enrollment By 72,000 Students, And Eliminated 7,500 Jobs During The 2 Year Budget Impasse. According to the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, “The two-year Illinois budget stalemate reduced enrollment in the state’s public colleges and universities by more than 72,000 students, eliminated nearly 7,500 jobs, and cost the Illinois economy nearly $1 billion per year, according to a new study released today by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.” [Illinois Economic Policy Institute, 9/7/17]

TWO YEARS WITHOUT A BUDGET CAUSED 1 MILLION TO LOSE SERVICES

Budget Impasse Has Caused More Than 1 Million to Lose Access to Services. According to the Responsible Budget Coalition, “Illinois’ budget impasse has caused more than 1 million people to lose access to critical services – and that toll is increasing every day.” [Responsible Budget Coalition, Fact Sheet, 3/24/17]

Illinois Had The Longest Budget Impasse Since The Great Depression. “The Illinois House voted Thursday to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s vetoes of a budget package, giving the state its first spending blueprint in more than two years and ending the nation’s longest fiscal stalemate since at least the Great Depression.” [Associated Press, 7/6/17]