Michael Madigan can’t attend budget summit
“Poe’s experience as a legislator, as a businessman and as a farmer makes him the ideal choice to lead the agency”, reads a statement from governor’s office.
After a bunch of posturing and political hand-wringing about how it would go, and what would be discussed, Rauner sent an agenda late Friday, calling for a portion of the summit to be public, with the rest to take place behind closed doors. The change came shortly after Madigan, released a statement saying he needed to attend an out-of-state family funeral next week.
Rauner’s deputy chief of staff, Mike Schrimpf, said the meeting was delayed “out of respect for the speaker’s family obligations and to help facilitate the attendance of all”.
By then, IL would start its sixth month without a budget. House Speaker Michael Madigan has said he wants to see an agenda before committing to attend, but he is planning on attending.
Democrats – including Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, also a Chicago Democrat – say Rauner is holding the budget hostage to that itinerary but needs to deal in dollars and cents to remedy a deepening budget hole. The state has been locked in a budget stalemate since July as Rauner refuses to sign a spending plan that doesn’t include his pro-business reforms.
“Good government groups last month suggested hosting a sit-down to get the two sides talking”.
Attempts to reach Madigan’s spokesman Friday evening were not successful.