Executive orders strike sharp contrast between Quinn and Rauner

Within hours of being sworn in as governor, Rauner offered a stark contrast by issuing a freeze on all non-essential spending, immediately followed by ethics and transparency executive orders aimed at deconstructing the disappointing status quo of Springfield politics.

In the days surrounding Illinois’ gubernatorial inauguration, both the incoming and outgoing governors filed a flurry of legally binding executive orders. Most of Quinn’s final executive orders, which Rauner ultimately rescinded, were politically motivated parting shots. Gov. Bruce Rauner’s orders, on the other hand, got to the point of dealing with the state’s fiscal crisis.

In the hours leading up to Rauner’s inauguration, Quinn appointed more than 100 people to various boards and commissions. In January alone, two months after being voted out of office, he issued seven executive orders. The unilateral orders from the Quinn administration dealt with a variety of issues, from an expansion of the Affordable Care Act and the state’s broken Medicaid system, to financial disclosure requirements for governors, to forcing a $10-an-hour minimum wage on all vendors and state contractors.

Within hours of being sworn in as governor, Rauner offered a stark contrast by issuing a freeze on all non-essential spending, immediately followed by ethics and transparency executive orders aimed at deconstructing the disappointing status quo of Springfield politics.

Rauner’s spending freeze is more than a symbolic first step toward changing the culture of our state and enforcing a new and needed attitude of fiscal responsibility. This decision offers a critical and refreshing alternative to the insidious tax-and-spend philosophy that has been at the heart of Illinois government for decades.

In the final days of his tenure as the head of Illinois government, Quinn used his power largely to promote his political ambitions: hiring his friends, advancing his allies and expanding our already-gargantuan government. Since Rauner has taken over, he has made real steps toward bringing fiscal responsibility back to Springfield.

Thus far, Illinoisans should be pleased with the direction of his administration’s stride.