Governor Bruce Rauner and Republican leaders inside the Legislature stated on Tuesday that Democrats are moving too slowly on budget negotiations, ahead of the General Assembly’s May 31st scheduled adjournment. Rauner met for an hour with 4 legislative leaders, before telling reports that Democrats are balking at an agreement on an estimate of state revenue for this upcoming budget year, which is set to begin on July 1st. A solid revenue number on paper is required by law, with Rauner saying that it’s a spigot to control runaway Democratic spending. Rauner stated, “There is a reluctance to being pinned down. Being pinned down and agreeing to a revenue number is key to having a balanced budget.” Democrats who control the General Assembly claim that it is a gotcha tactic, but say that more work needs to be done in part, since it is expected to shortfall. Budget analysts for both sides have come up with numbers that differ by less than $100-million, or about 3-percent in total. Emerging earlier from the same meeting was Senate President John Cullerton stated that he has a general understanding about how much money they have coming in, with him mentioning that they need a gap that needs to be closed without specifics. The Democrat from Chicago downplayed Republicans’ call for a revenue estimate. Cullerton stated, “I will not be hung out on that, since that get into somewhat of a gotcha game and a political fight, which is not what is holding us up.” The Legislature’s bipartisan financial analyst, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, estimated back in February that state revenue would be just under $38-billion in the 2019 fiscal year. That is with more than half from income taxes and including sales taxes, transfers from other state sources and federal grants. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budgets, estimate a number that is about $99-million less than the Legislature’s plan.