House Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement after Fitch Ratings downgraded Illinois’ credit rating Monday:

“As I’ve been telling Governor Rauner for several months, the number one problem facing Illinois is the state budget. The lack of a resolution on the state budget and Fitch Ratings’ downgrade are direct results of the governor’s continued focus on issues other than solving our budget crisis. It’s time we put aside the governor’s list of issues that Democrats and Republicans believe will hurt middle-class families and instead focus on a budget that helps all Illinoisans. “Fitch Ratings agrees with my view. Nowhere in Fitch’s statement does it suggest that the state needs to follow the governor’s agenda by weakening collective bargaining rights, reducing workers’ wages and hurting the middle class. “I continue telling the governor we need to take a balanced approach to the state’s financial challenges, one that includes some cuts, like those included in the budget passed by the Legislature in May, and new revenue. The credit rating downgrade is another reminder to the governor that it’s time to focus on our budget.”