IL GOP House Leader Jim Durkin lost 15 GOP members in tax hike vote
SPRINGFIELD - Despite the outrage expressed by Republicans and non-partisan income taxpayers on social media over Friday's budget vote with 23 Republicans joining all Democrats in voting "Yes," that vote turned out to be a hoax.
All the time - evidently unbeknownst to Republicans and their chamber leadership, House Speaker Mike Madigan was working behind the scenes to come up with the state budget he really wanted. He rolled out the real budget just minutes before the House was called into session Sunday afternoon.
The real Madigan budget offers no substantive government reform - keeping Illinois on its downhill slide that benefits Illinois' Democrat political machine alone.
Madigan tested the waters with Friday's controversial vote, and when he saw that numerous Republicans would support whatever he proposed, he moved ahead, needing only two Republican votes to gain the needed super majority.
On the revenue bill that required a 32% permanent income tax hike, so many Republicans voted with Madigan that he was able to allow his members that could face tough challenges in 2018 for supporting a tax hike to vote "no" - a huge embarrassment to Republican Leader Jim Durkin.
The Republican Party covered for its House members in response to the debacle - and misled taxpayers.
In a rare statement, the Illinois Republican Party chairman Tim Schneider blasted the budget - even though 15 Republican House members supported Madigan's budget while Madigan's own members in swing districts were allowed to oppose a tax hike.
"Today, Springfield politicians led by Speaker Mike Madigan voted to permanently raise taxes by 32% on the hard-working families of Illinois without passing property tax relief for homeowners, job-creating reforms, or term limits on politicians.
"Make no mistake about it - this historic vote was not the product of negotiation and compromise focused on pro-growth, citizen-empowering reforms. Last night, Madigan broke away from good faith budget negotiations with the intent of pushing his own plan to protect the broken status quo. Today, Madigan then introduced his massive 1,241-page tax-and-spend plan and gave lawmakers only hours to read, debate, and vote on the package."
Schneider, who rarely makes public statements against the Democrats with which he serves on the Democrat-controlled Cook County Board, blasted Madigan's budget forcing a substantial income tax hike.
"This 32% permanent tax increase, the largest in Illinois’ history, was the product of insider deal-making between special interests and entrenched politicians," Schneider said as IL GOP Chairman. "Next year, voters will hold those politicians accountable for choosing Madigan over the people of Illinois."
Schneider chose to not criticize his Republican Party members that supported Madigan's budget: Andersson, Bryant, Cavaletto, Davidsmeyer, Fortner, Hammond, D. Harris, Hays, Jimenez, Meier, B. Mitchell, Phillips, Pritchard, Reis and Unes.
Instead, Schneider insisted Republicans were "standing with" the governor.
"Now more than ever, Republicans across Illinois are standing with Governor Rauner and redoubling our efforts to end Madigan’s corrupt status quo."
The 35 GOP House members that opposed Madigan's budget were Batinick, Bellock, Bennett, Bourne, Brady, Breen, Butler, Cabello, Demmer, Durkin, Frese, Halbrook, Ives, Jesiel, Long, McAuliffe, McCombie, McDermed, McSweeney, Morrison, Olsen, Parkhurst, Reick, Sauer, Severin, Skillicorn, Sommer, Sosnowski, Spain, Stewart, Swanson, Wehrli, Welter, B. Wheeler and K. Wheeler.
The bills passed Sunday will now move to the Illinois Senate, where Democrats hold a super-majority.
