No agreement after meeting between Governor and Republicans

Republicans met privately with democrat Governor Tom Vilsack over the noon hour to talk about cuts in this year’s state budget, but no agreement was reached. This morning, Vilsack said he was like the Maytag repairman, just sitting in his office waiting to work with Republicans to resolve the budget dispute. House Republican Leader Christopher Rants of Sioux City says cuts must be made, at a level Vilsack has yet to accept. Rants says Maytag washing machines may not break down often, but Iowa’s budget is definitely broken. Vilsack has said Republicans “don’t understand” the chaos their proposed cuts would create in state government services. House Speaker Brent Siegrist a republican from Council Bluffs, says Republicans understand the situation perfectly. Siegrist says they should act on the problem now and not later.