John Cullerton says only $15 billion is left to budget

Most of the public disagreement during lawmakers’ unproductive overtime sessions has been between Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan. The governor said no tax increase until lawmakers pass term limits and redistricting reform, a property tax freeze, workers compensation and lawsuit reform.

CHICAGO (AP) _ Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno says the budget stalemate could be easily resolved with Democratic engagement on reform issues, not another document.

Before Cullerton had even finished, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s aides had fired off an email to reporters ripping the Northwest Side Democrat as a politician who wants to raise taxes and take Illinois backward.

At a Chicago press conference in response to Rauner’s claim, Senate President John Cullerton accused the governor of waging a political campaign when he should be helping fix state finances and challenged the governor to deliver a balanced budget to the General Assembly. “I don’t know what he’s talking about”.

“The governor spent his time in office prioritizing a corporate agenda that will satisfy his corporate friends”, Cullerton said.

Republicans say the proposals need to include anti-union policies.

Cullerton blasted Rauner’s proposed budget in February as flawed, calculating cuts not allowed by law, among other things. Democrats say the budget is a separate issue and disagree with the reforms.

Rauner last month vetoed the Democrats’ full-year budget because it was short $4 billion in revenue.

In a Wednesday morning news conference, Cullerton said Rauner needs to send them a spending plan or risk another downgrading of Iliinois’ bond rating, which is already among the lowest in the country. “The budget piece of this is the easy part of the problem, that’s a math problem”.