CHICAGO-Following is the statement of SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Keith Kelleher following breaking news Monday that Bruce Rauner had negotiated a deal to partially reverse his disastrous and arbitrary cuts to the Child Care Assistance Program:

“Now, at the 11th hour and ONLY AFTER bipartisan public outcry across Illinois over the pain and suffering caused by cuts that have kicked 70,000 kids off child care, Bruce Rauner comes to the table. His arbitrary actions, which should never have happened in the first place, show just why, deal or no deal, we still need Senate Bill 570 to pass tomorrow, to remove the ability for a governor, Democrat or Republican, to use unchecked executive power to destroy by rule those programs created by statute.

Since the governor apparently now realizes the needless pain caused by his actions, we call on him to expedite the rules returning children to the program instead of figuring out ways to use them as political pawns.”

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