Despite promising voters he had "no social agenda" to impose, Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed into law House Bill 40, which expands taxpayer funded abortions under Medicaid. Now, GOP legislators - one in particular - are forcefully speaking out against a man who has severely let them down.
House Republican Floor Leader Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) has given Rauner "every benefit of the doubt" - up until now. On Thursday, he released a statement that would wake up any governor.
I’ve heard Rauner promise the people of Illinois that he had “no social agenda” and as such firmly commit to legislators, the public, and even to Chicago’s Cardinal, Blaise Cupich, that he would veto taxpayer funding of abortions. But he has now broken that commitment, signing a bill that puts taxpayers on the hook to pay for an expected 20,000-30,000 aborted lives per year. And without any source of funding, in the throes of an unbalanced budget. Now, I’ve come to expect politicians to shade the truth, but what’s clear today is that Rauner’s promises were just flat out lies.
In his past three years observing Rauner, Breen has witnessed a history of "botched negotiations," and the governor's uncanny ability to render competent employees incompetent.
"I’ve had a front row seat to watch the performance and ability of Bruce Rauner over these past three years," Breen writes. "I’ve seen him rapidly hire and terminate numerous staff members, highly competent professionals who were proven successful in their prior roles. Inexplicably, they appeared incompetent while working for Rauner."
Because of the above, Breen can "no longer support" the governor.
Others are following suit. When it comes time for re-election, Republicans reportedly have a lengthy list of conservative challengers.