An Illinois labor union is opening a new front in its fight with Governor Bruce Rauner.
SEIU Healthcare is running a pair of television ads. They criticize the governor’s cuts to a program that helps senior citizens live at home, instead of in nursing homes.
Voice 1: “People live longer if they’re allowed to remain in their homes."
Voice 2: “It’s independence, and I just want to have a little help."
Narrator: “Governor Rauner plans to cut healthcare programs targeting our most vulnerable."
Rauner says he has to cut because Democrats passed an unbalanced budget, though the governor’s own budget proposal was also out of balance.
Rauner says he will not negotiate on state finances until Democrats take up his agenda, which include business-friendly legislation and term limits on legislators.