Pritzker Says Illinois’ Budget Deficit is Higher Than Estimated

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration estimates Illinois faces a more-than $3 billion deficit in its next budget year.

A report Friday by the Democrat indicates the June 2020 shortfall will be 16 percent higher than former Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration estimated without more revenue or cuts.

It comes less than two weeks before Pritzker proposes his first budget. The report notes that debt associated with the state's unpaid-bill backlog sits at $15 billion and it blames Rauner's stubbornness for hundreds of millions of dollars in penalty and otherwise unanticipated bills.

There have been more than 40 mayoral forums across the city, but only two of them televised so far. FOX32 and the Lincoln Forum invited five candidates for Thursday’s session but less than two hours before the “live” event Bill Daley cancelled. Mary Ann Ahern reports.

Rauner had a hand in a two-year spending dispute with Democrats which led to billions of dollars in overspending. But Democrats have virtually controlled the entire budget process since approving an income-tax increase in July 2017 over Rauner's objections.