In Chi-Town, G-Rod will cut budget, expand health care

Durbin and Obama need a serious talk with this governor about going around legislators. He sounds like a King George replica. What happened to the word: agreement?

August 14, 2007
By Christopher Wills

SPRINGFIELD -- Rejected by legislators, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said today he will go around them by taking $500 million from the state budget they approved and spending more on the health care programs he favors.

The Democratic governor said he would cut $200 million in "pork" projects and $300 million from unspecified places elsewhere in the budget. At the same time, he plans to expand state health programs to serve an additional 500,000 people.

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Blagojevich refused to answer any questions about the maneuver, which he announced in a brief appearance outside his state Capitol office."In short, I am cutting pork and special-interest spending and in its place I'm using the legal authority that I have to expand health care to more than 500,000 people," he said before turning and walking away. "I believe that's the right thing to do.

"The cuts he wants to make would have to go back to the Legislature to be accepted or overridden.Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, joined Blagojevich at the announcement and said he supports the governor's cuts and would not allow any Senate effort to override them."Case closed,"

Jones said.Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, questioned whether Blagojevich has the legal authority to make such a dramatic change in the $59 billion budget that lawmakers approved last week."I think it's unprecedented," Watson said. "To have a governor just totally disregard the legislative process with this type of initiative, I think creates more problems in the process."

The governor's announcement is just the latest twist in a remarkable legislative session that has left the state without a budget.In March, Blagojevich proposed the largest tax increase in state history to fund an ambitious agenda on health care, education and debt reduction. That launched months of bickering with lawmakers, who did not share his fervor for health care or his interest in a major business tax.Unable to agree, officials let the old budget expire July 31.

State paychecks are still going out, thanks to a court order, but the impasse is blocking payments to schools, Medicaid providers and companies doing business with the state.Jones gave little or no warning to his Senate members that he would help the governor eliminate the local projects they wanted, from fire department computers to street improvements to dance-related community programs.

Several seemed surprised by the governor's plan."God bless him, he was going to get health care no matter what," said Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete. "That's one way to do it."