A lack of agreement among Illinois' top political leaders means the state cannot pay for subsidized day care, prison guards' salaries and other needs. Illinois is out of money for them, with months left in the fiscal year.
Last Wednesday, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner said he and the General Assembly's Democratic leaders were "days away" from a deal. A week later, Rauner said today they're "very close" to an understanding.
"We are working 24/7. We are very close and we'll get it done in the coming days. We're going to get a resolution so we can reallocate money out of non-essential programs and move them over into essential programs. 'Cause we've got to fund our daycare, we need to fund our corrections system, we need to fund our court reporters."
However, Senate President John Cullerton's office says it's waiting for the governor to offer specifics. Cullerton's spokeswoman says Democratic legislators are wary of giving Rauner expanded budget powers given his proposal to slash government programs.
