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* From an op-ed by Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland)…
Our governor signed a budget into law based on the hope that voters would approve his tax hike scheme. He authorized spending based on revenue that was not real. Budgeting based on fairy dust and unicorns is not the way to run a state of nearly 13 million people.
The governor has also said since the spring that he is counting on money from the federal government.
* How’s that working out?…
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement in support of the $748 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation that includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, health care providers, housing and education assistance, and more:
“Today, the U.S. hit another grim milestone—300,000 lives lost to COVID-19. My heart goes out to the family and friends of those dealing with grief and sadness. It is clear that we are at a critical moment. I’m hopeful that with the first shipment of a vaccine arriving today at hospitals across the country, we will be able to turn the corner on this pandemic. But we also know that it will take time and resources to vaccinate enough people, and the winter is going to be hard for many families and businesses.
“With this in mind, a group of Democrats and Republicans—including myself—came together and worked on compromise, emergency relief legislation totaling $748 billion in the areas where we could agree. This package does not include everything I think we need. But, it is an honest compromise.
“I’m disappointed we haven’t been able to bridge our differences on several other matters, including Republicans’ proposal to give corporations federal liability immunity during the pandemic. We negotiated on this issue for weeks, and my Democratic colleagues and I put forward a variety of alternative proposals. Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach an agreement.
“I’m also disappointed that we weren’t able to agree on including much-needed funding for states and localities in the larger bipartisan package. I want to be clear: I’m not giving up on funding for states and localities. This funding is essential in our fight against the pandemic and for our economic recovery.
“While the fight continues over these issues, we must provide some emergency relief for the American people before we go home for the holidays. I support the $748 billion bipartisan package. I urge my colleagues to support this package, and I call on the Senate Majority Leader to bring it to the floor for a vote this week.”
Congressional Democrats had an opportunity in the fall to cut a deal on state and local aid, but got so over-confident about their November prospects that they wanted to talk about packing the US Supreme Court and other fairy tales and decided to wait until their big wins strengthened their hand.
Heckuva job.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:12 am
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The big difference between Republicans and Democrats seems to by the color of the fairy dust and the number unicorns necessary to balance the budget.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:24 am
*be
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:24 am
They turned down 90% of what they asked for to deny a Republican President they despise a win in an election year. Now they are paying the price.
“Democrats ultimately settled for less than a third of what they had set as a baseline for state and local aid, accepted a package without any $1,200 direct payments, and signed off on a plan that, after offsets, includes less than $350 billion in new money, well below a slew of pre-election proposals rejected by Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer as being too low.”
https://taibbi.substack.com/p/amazing-hypocrisy-democrats-make
Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:24 am
Can we get to the LGDF cuts yet.
please.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:32 am
==Congressional Democrats had an opportunity in the fall to cut a deal on state and local aid, but got so over-confident about their November prospects that they wanted to talk about packing the US Supreme Court and other fairy tales and decided to wait until their big wins strengthened their hand. Heckuva job.==
Thank you for the needed truth bomb, Rich. I wish more people understood this. When it’s more about the political messaging than about the governing, or about the constituents’ needs this is what happens.
Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:47 am
==Congressional Democrats had an opportunity in the fall to cut a deal on state and local aid, but got so over-confident about their November prospects that they wanted to talk about packing the US Supreme Court and other fairy tales and decided to wait until their big wins strengthened their hand.==
Can someone point to the specific rejected deal “in the fall”? Because Sen. Mitch McConnell has opposed state and local aid since April and the Senate hasn’t passed a relief or stimulus bill out of committee versus the House, which passed numerous bills, included a comprehensive one in May.
Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:47 am
Ok, where is Ruch today and who is writing for him?
Comment by Stritz Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:51 am
=== The governor has also said since the spring that he is counting on money from the federal government.
How’s that working out?…===
The colossal failure of the “Fair Tax”, that flop, and the waiting with baited breath for money from the feds… all during a pandemic…
Tough road ahead.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:56 am
PC: Since the House pork-laden HEROES Act first passed in May 15, negotiations with the Senate and the White House been ongoing. Don’t look for specific votes in the Senate, that is how it works in DC. Any votes on compromise were filibustered by Senate Dems. Pelosi came out recently saying she purposely held up deal to help Dems in elections.
Comment by John Lopez Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:58 am
If this were a hand of black jack, JB would have 18 and be forced to say “hit me”.
Comment by don the legend Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:00 am
== based on the hope that voters would approve his tax hike scheme.==
As opposed to writing “𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 “𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯” on the ledger?
Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:02 am
“got so over-confident about their November prospects that they wanted to talk about packing the US Supreme Court”
I believe that the rush-job replacement of RBG on the Supreme Court may have played a bigger role in any such talk than electoral over-confidence.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:02 am
I don’t think McConnell was prepared to let federal funds go to “blue” states. He said so several times. Not sure what deal was turned down.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:04 am
- John Lopez -
I’d talk to Congressman-Elect Oberweis about this very thing.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:07 am
Democrats at the federal level are some of the most incompetent negotiators I’ve had the misfortune of witnessing. They have literally settled for less than the Republicans’ initial offer. Wow. Just wow.
Comment by Techie Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:09 am
The original House legislation, passed last May, contained around $1.1 trillion for state and local aid out of a total of $3.4 trillion.
Currently it looks like the Senate version - if passed - will be split into two parts, with the second part to contain around $160 billion for state and local aid (Dems) and substantial liability protection for employers which goes way beyond Covid-19 liability protections and infringes on OSHA protections for workers.
Around $738 billion is included in the current Senate compromise first bill, with weekly payments of $300 to workers (no one-time stimulus check), aid for small businesses, vaccine distribution/delivery, schools (badly needed), etc. - sort of an omnibus aid bill.
The $1.1 trillion voted by the House in May was based on economic projections of budget shortfalls in the states through the rest of 2020 and 2021 - which is close to what will be the actual shortfall nationwide for states/municipalities.
Covid-19 liability protections (and much more)were McConnell’s red line; aid to states and cities was the Democrats’ red line.
It’s a poor compromise for the Dems - or for states and municipalities - given that only about 15% of the officially-anticipated revenue shortfall over the next 18 months will be made whole.
OTOH, it’s the only compromise on offer by McConnell.
Comment by dbk Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:17 am
“got so over-confident about their November prospects that they wanted to talk about packing the US Supreme Court and other fairy tales and decided to wait until their big wins strengthened their hand”
Or maybe they didn’t want to offer American corporations blanket liability protection during a pandemic of unknown duration before any vaccines were confirmed. I don’t know, I guess it could be read either way, but one of those ways you have to accept the reality that Mitch McConnell and republicans in general have agency, and that’s no fun for people in the politics reporting game.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:35 am
No Willy, this is 116th Congress business and Oberweis does not apply. Government shutdown looming if Congress doesn’t pass spending bills by Friday, so COVID relief takes back seat. Veto on NDAA could disrupt COVID relief, too.
Comment by John Lopez Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:46 am
===Or maybe they didn’t want to offer American corporations blanket liability protection during a pandemic ===
An important thing to consider when recalling that there are people who died in this state at a marshmallow plant or the Tyson plant in Iowa where the managers were literally gambling on which workers would catch COVID-19 and instructing people to continue to work when they’re sick.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:49 am
===Government shutdown looming if Congress doesn’t pass spending bills by Friday, so COVID relief takes back seat. Veto on NDAA could disrupt COVID relief, too.===
The override of the NDAA will be fast and painless.
If the White House wants Covid-relief, why can’t the Senate pass that?
The House passed CARES in May.
The Senate has yet to get anything out of their chamber?
With the next Congress around the corner, Congressman-Elect Oberweis should weigh in… or did he concede… again.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:51 am
All our recent governors have made the same mistake. Instead of running the state without a budget, Rauner (supposedly a conservative) should have spent every dollar appropriated by the general assembly and not a penny more. Pritzker should have adopted the same approach. It’s far past time that the citizens of this state start to receive the state services they are willing to pay for. Instead governors continue to ignore the expressed will of the people and their elected representatives.
Comment by striketoo Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 11:51 am
He also could have borrowed basically the entire ‘21 deficit balance from the federal liquidity fund. Instead he chose only to borrow 1/2 that. now I don’t want to borrow one penny more than necessary, but in a pandemic some amount is probably inevitable. Why would you not borrow the full amount for immediate cushion, then negotiate cuts (or, for Pritzker, his more preferred route: tax increases) and then immediately repay the part you don’t need. Or, smartly, use it create a “float” through future budget years, by using the borrow to pay off ‘21 bills, reserving state tax collections in the remainder of ‘21 for future budget years to help with the payback? Just didn’t make any sense at all and almost appeared to be a completely arbitrary amount to borrow. Either take all or none, but this “halvesies” thing doesn’t work either way.
Comment by Contrarian Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 12:00 pm
What’s the hurry? Our visionary leaders will kick the can down the road until some federal election allows Democrats to nationalize the pension and other State debts. Yes, they envision those parsimonious Hoosiers and others to pay for three decades of budgetary partying. Just sharing opinion from the rail.
Comment by Chad Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 12:17 pm
Willy, CARES passed both House/Senate in March and signed by the President. HEROES Act passed House in May. Senate Dems filibustered Senate answer to HEROES multiple times, and been talking since May. Durbin bi-partisan effort best chance, but gov’t shutdown looms on Friday w/o spending bills passed & signed.
Comment by John Lopez Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 12:20 pm
My apologies, you are correct…. HEROES
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 12:26 pm
==they envision those parsimonious Hoosiers and others to pay for three decades of budgetary partying.==
…like having the Feds clean up their coal ash sites?
https://tinyurl.com/ybnlpjot
Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 12:27 pm
“until some federal election allows Democrats to nationalize the pension and other State debts.”
Yet there’s bi-partisan support to bailout the Central States Pension Fund. Republican Senate passed a bill in November 2019 and the Democrat house passed a separate bill in July 2019. Partisans going to partisan….
https://www.startribune.com/central-states-pension-fund-recipients-would-see-19-benefit-cuts-under-senate-gop-proposal/565624822/
Comment by 1st Ward Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 12:35 pm
was there really ever a deal that could have been cut with the senate GOP? An October article suggests no:
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected the most generous Trump administration plan to date as “one step forward, two steps back.” The Republicans who control the Senate dismissed it as too expensive and a political loser for conservatives.”
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/10/10/white-house-covid-19-aid-offer/
Comment by pc Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 1:04 pm
Yeah, add me to the chorus that really doesn’t see this deal about state and local aid the Dems could have cut. Repubs in DC are very good at killing ideas in their tracks and then pledging how much they really wanted to reach a “deal,” if only the Dems could have “compromised.”
Comment by ZC Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 1:46 pm
The comments seem to focus on the Feds not giving us money we hoped for but the real tragedy is a gov that spent money assuming a tax increase that failed so miserably there was no reason to take such actions.
Comment by Lurker Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 2:13 pm
@Lurker is not wrong. This approach by Illinois governors seems to be pretty standard- banking on something that hasn’t happened- whether gop or ildp.
I am getting a bit tired of the “blue state bailout” nonsense. There are dozens of ways we “bailout” red states. From increases personal and corporate welfare due to regressive state labor laws, to massive bailouts after the annual hurricane season. It goes both ways. The democrats just cannot figure out how to message that effectively for some reason.
Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 2:32 pm
Willy - for future reference the phrase is bated breath, not baited breath. Bait is something used to lure or tempt prey in a trap. Bated is a shortening of the word abated, which means halted or held. So waiting with bated breath means to hold one’s breath in anticipation of an event. I know you appreciate accuracy so you are welcome. We don’t want anyone to think you are a maroon.
Comment by Captain Obvious Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 8:46 pm
- Captain Obvious -
Auto correct will change words. So excited you caught it.
=== We don’t want anyone to think you are a maroon.===
Meh. I’ve been called worse
Your phony concern to my… spelling and bruised feelings did make me giggle.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 8:49 pm
“The people get the government they deserve, good and hard”. JB should cut the government down to a Libertarian paradise of just police, fire and privatized prisons. With the savings he can pay an insurance company to assume pension liabilties. Problem solved.
Comment by Bruce Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 8:54 pm
OW - Think the Captain was just sad and disappointed that you didn’t catch the automiscorrect because he thinks so highly of you.
Comment by West Side the Best Side Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:37 pm
- West Side the Best Side -
Ah. Now it makes sense.
Thank you. It’s like a fog lifted.
:)
Be well.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 15, 20 @ 10:42 pm