Rauner and Democrats clash over State of the State
Against the backdrop of a sharply divided and dysfunctional state government, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner delivered his midterm State of the State address Wednesday saying he and other politicians have a "moral obligation" to fix Illinois.
But some Democrats, the majority party in the General Assembly that has opposed much of his agenda, questioned Rauner's morality in governing a state that has languished for more than 18 months without a full budget. In the meantime, safety net social programs have eroded at a time when gun violence in Chicago is rampant.
The governor addressed the city's violence in his speech a day after the issue was thrust further into the spotlight by a tweet from President Donald Trump. It warned if the city didn't get a handle on the problem, he would "send in the Feds!"
"The violence occurring in Chicago every night is intolerable. We cannot let it continue. We've got to bring it to an end," Rauner said.
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