Rauner shouldn't delay borrowing money to pay Illinois' bills, comptroller says

Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza is again raising the pressure on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, calling on him to move forward with a proposal that would allow the state to borrow $6 billion to begin paying down Illinois' massive pile of unpaid bills.

Lawmakers signed off on the plan last month when they put in place a budget and tax increase over the governor's objections, but it's up to Rauner's budget office to put the borrowing wheels in motion.

Mendoza said Monday that she has reached out to the Republican administration several times but hasn't heard back whether Rauner's office will move forward. A spokeswoman for Rauner countered that the comptroller "isn't telling the whole story."

The back and forth is the latest in an ongoing feud between Rauner and Mendoza. As the keeper of the state's checkbook, Mendoza has great leeway to decide who gets paid when, and in some cases whether to stop payments altogether. She's been unafraid to make decisions that have angered Rauner, including suspending funding that the governor wanted to upgrade the state's aging technology systems.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-susana-mendoza-met-0808-20170807-story.html