SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Three top Illinois politicians — all Democrats — are ready to draw up a state budget but the three can't agree on what should go into it.
Democratic state Senate President Emil Jones (search) and Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich (search) are largely in agreement on a $54 billion spending plan, which borrows money to increase spending on education.
But the Democratic speaker of the Illinois House disagrees.
"The governor would like to continue to borrow and spend money that the state doesn't have," said Speaker Michael Madigan (search).
The disagreement has led to a state budget now more than one month overdue. Paul Green, a professor of policy studies at Roosevelt University, suggested a deal would likely be done soon.
"They're simply going to go into a room and cut a deal and go home," Green said.
But no one seems to know when that will happen, and the deliberations have descended into name-calling.
Click on the video box near the top of the story to watch a report by Fox News' Steve Brown.
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