* I just don’t see how he could do this without an appropriation…

Gov. Rauner tells students at Auburn HS he may pitch in & help pay for special session if needed to get #Illinois budget standoff resolved

— Ivan Moreno (@IvanJourno) April 27, 2016

Rauner says he does not want to have to call lawmakers back in special session but looking how to pay for own his own if needed.

— Monique Garcia (@moniquegarcia) April 27, 2016

Also, hasn’t he said many times that special sessions don’t work?

#Grandstanding?

* Meanwhile, the governor said last week’s higher education funding bill was “only a stopgap,” and “a short-term solution to this crisis,” adding, “It is not the only money I want us to put into for higher education.” His comments appeared to directly contradict Leader Durkin’s remarks from last week which set off Speaker Madigan.

Rauner said he wants a “long-term solution and a grand compromise” for both this and next fiscal years on higher education and everything else.

* As far as a social service stopgap spending bill, “I do believe that there might be a short-term solution there,” Rauner said. The governor said he naturally prefers not to do a short-term crisis bridge like the higher ed bill and prefers to focus on the long-term, but he left the door open for a stopgap.

Rauner also said he would negotiate reforming the state’s school funding formula, but again insisted that a K-12 appropriation be passed at the end of May if negotiations come up with nothing.

* Listen to the raw audio…

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