By John Gregory/Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – Who Gov. Bruce Rauner’s friends are among Democrats seems to vary from day to day.

Speaking at the Capitol on Tuesday, Rauner implied House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) is the one to blame for the budget stalemate.

“I’ve got to focus where the problem is,” Rauner said. “The reality is if it were just our office working with (Senate) President (John) Cullerton, or (Chicago) Mayor (Rahm) Emanuel, or certain members of the General Assembly in both political parties, we would have this done. This would be done.”

But on Wednesday, while Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) was addressing the budget battle at the Thompson Center in Chicago, Rauner’s office issued a statement attacking him, saying “President Cullerton made clear today that his view of a balanced budget is a budget that makes no spending reforms, no pension reform and only raises taxes.”

Cullerton seemed surprised by the timing of the statement.

“Before I even finished? Wow, that’s…that’s not good,” Cullerton said.

Cullerton believes the problem with budget negotiations is Rauner’s insistence his legislative agenda must be passed along with it, which Cullerton says amounts to “holding the budget hostage.”