In his Feb. 18 address, Gov. Bruce Rauner opened by comparing to the occasion to president Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
“While the challenges before us are very different from those that faced our 16th president, here, in the land of Lincoln, we recognize that the road ahead—our road to a more prosperous future—is a difficult one, and, like President Lincoln’s call to congress, we too must think anew and act anew,” Rauner said. “We must be willing to take actions we’d rather avoid and make decision that seem unpopular in the short run, but serve the best interest of the people of Illinois in the long run. The budget outlined today is the budget that Illinois can afford, and that, in itself, is an example of thinking anew.”
But advocates and politicians, among others, registered concern about Rauner’s plan, which they insist comes at the expense of both the middle-class as well as the state’s most economically vulnerable. Large cuts would impact services that assist persons with HIV/AIDS and breast cancer. Services that help homeless youth would disappear.
“Anyone who hopes to send their child to college in Illinois should be afraid,” state Rep. Greg Harris said. “Anyone who has a child that suffers from a developmental disorder should be afraid as well.”
Ramon Gardenhire, vice-president of policy, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, said the organization was disappointed in “what was obviously Governor Rauner’s opening shot. Obviously the state needs to be good financial stewards of our resident’s money, but these cuts should not be made on the backs of the people who are the most vulnerable.
AFC will now work to restore about $15.8 million that had been going towards services for persons with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and cervical cancer. Of that money, the state expects to save about $6 million by shifting persons covered by the AIDS Drug Assistance Program ( ADAP ) to Affordable Care Act coverage.
According to Gardenhire, “The ACA is not a panacea for insurance coverage. We sent letters to four Illinois insurance companies questioning their pricing of HIV medications, which seems deliberately high. Just because they can be moved there does not mean that they should.”
Funding for the African American HIV/AIDS Response Fund was cut from about $1.5 million to $500,000. It’s a further slap to advocates who never received the funding that the state appropriated for fiscal year 2015 but, without explanation, never even forwarded to Illinois Department of Public Health to distribute.
“That’s perhaps the most unfortunate part of that, since that is intended for the population that is most vulnerable right now,” Gardenhire said.
Even agencies that had been receiving no or minimal funding from the state expect to be overwhelmed by new clients if they serve populations in need, added Anne Marie Murphy, executive director of the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force, who called the cuts “devastating.”
“Not only do cuts like this not save money, they ultimately end up being more expensive, both in terms of lost lives and increased treatment costs,” she added. “…We were surprised by these draconian cuts.”
In a statement at its website, officials of Chicago Coalition for the Homeless called the cuts “life-threatening,” and said more than 1,300 homeless youth stood to lose shelter and services. About 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT.
“This is a short-term solution to a long-term problem,” said Flora Koppel, chair of the CCH Youth Committee, comprised of 44 providers of homeless youth services in the state. According to CCH, a proposed $3.1 million cut to homeless youth shelters would put 1,316 youths back out on the street.
In a briefing shortly after Rauner’s address, Illinois Budget Director Tim Nuding said that youths who aged out of the system at age 18 would not be able to obtain further services through Department of Children and Family Services.
The advocacy group Fair Economy Illinois decried Rauner’s lack of new revenue generating proposals: “Fair Economy Illinois believes Illinois is in a revenue crisis, not a spending crisis. Governor Rauner’s proposals will devastate every community across the state and continue to hinder Illinois’ economic recovery. The Governor has called for ‘shared sacrifice,’ but vital services have been cut repeatedly in recent years. The people who depend on these services have already made deep sacrifices. They should not be asked to sacrifice even more.”
“The responsible solution to the state’s budget problem is to generate the revenue needed to put Illinois on a path to sustainable prosperity,” added John Peller, AFC’s president and CEO, in a statement. “We know there are many options for the state to generate adequate revenue. To say that there is ‘no choice but to make cuts’ is cynical and false.”
State Rep. Ann Williams said, “I appreciate and support the components of the proposal that increase funding for elementary and secondary education, as well as restore the Child Care Assistance Program. However, the Governor’s plan also includes severe budget cuts to health and human services, such as cuts to mental health, disability services and other areas which might “save” money in the very short term, but will cost us much more down the road both in human and financial terms. This might improve the bottom line, but at what cost to our most vulnerable citizens?”
State Sen. Heather Steans added, “As we know from experience, medical assistance cuts don’t keep people from getting sick; they force them to put off seeking care until their health is in jeopardy and they require much more expensive emergency room or inpatient treatments.”
The city of Chicago faces significantly decreased payments under Rauner’s budget. According to Chicago Sun-Times, in a Feb. 18 press conference, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, “You cannot balance the state budget on the backs of the children of the city of Chicago. I will not support that. … If you’re going to look for making major reforms and finding savings, I would suggest you look at the tax code where there’s a bunch of corporate giveaways and corporate loopholes. That’s a perfect place to start.”
Ald. Robert “Bob” Fioretti, who is running against Emanuel in the Feb. 24 election, said in a statement released the night before the budget release: “Last week, we saw the opening shot in what appears to be a war our governor has declared on working people in our state. Governor Rauner’s theft of ‘fair share’ fees undermines the collective bargaining power of unions, which represent thousands of working people in our city and state. His idea of ‘fair share’ seems to be that our state favor the wealthy elite rather than rank and file workers.”
Another mayoral candidate, Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, added, “This proposed budget is essentially Scott Walker’s Wisconsin agenda on steroids—one that protects wealthy corporations and individuals from paying their fair share of taxes while preserving their tax privileges by slashing services for ordinary Illinois residents.”
But Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger, who was appointed by Rauner, praised the governor’s work on the budget: “Today Governor Rauner offered a much-needed comprehensive approach to our state’s budget and fiscal challenges. … While there will be plenty of disagreement in the weeks and months ahead, it is abundantly clear that Illinois must change the way it does business and I am heartened to see a thorough approach to our fiscal issues. The Governor’s proposal provides a solid starting point for discussion.”
Harris nevertheless said that even some Republican colleagues were taken aback by the scope of Rauner’s cuts, adding that, “Substance abuse problems can arise in any corner of the state [and] issues like autism are dear to many people’s hearts. These aren’t just issues for Chicago.” Harris noted that many in the General Assembly were skeptical of Rauner’s initial plan to work through pension issues as well.
Steans said, “Crediting $2.2 billion in pension savings to Illinois’ account this year is dishonest, with a lawsuit that challenges the 2013 law still unresolved. Pension reform is a complex, long-term process, not a quick fix.”
In the meantime, concerned residents should contact their legislators and attend town-hall meetings they might hold during budget negotiations, according to Harris. “There are a lot of things in the crosshairs. Sometimes, the tendency is to just sit back and think these things will take care of themselves, but there is too much at stake here.”