It's less than two weeks before the March primary election. Illinois lawmakers want to show voters they are working to resolve the state's financial issues. But the House recessed yesterday until early next month.
Democrats and Republicans left the capitol for the month with no bipartisan agreement on the budget. But before they did ... Republicans called for staying in session to keep working for one more day.
Democrats, who control the House, overruled them. Steve Brown is the spokesman for Speaker Michael Madigan. He says it was a ploy to help GOP representatives in the primary.
"We know they're trying to cover up some of the people who are involved in difficult elections. But, we're ready to have agreements when we can get agreements."
The lack of progress on a budget could also hurt Democrats running for re-election. One lawmaker cracked that Mickey Mouse could run, and beat some incumbents.