There’s a standoff at the statehouse over next year’s state budget. Democrats accuse republicans of failing to properly finance education and health care, while republicans say democrats, including Governor Tom Vilsack, want to spend too much money. Senate Democrat Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says Vilsack will veto the G-O-P budget plan. Gronstal says the “Republicans have made a partisan assault on Iowa’s priorities. Any budget that continues to hit education, health care and human services is dead on arrival, period.” He says unless republicans work to change that, then the budget is “doomed to failure.”Gronstal suggests the impasse won’t be resolved in the next two weeks and Vilsack will call lawmakers back in special session in May or June to spend more money on priority items. Gronstal says republicans will eventually “budge” but Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson of Dows says the Governor’s spending proposals are irresponsible. Iverson says they all know that the “revenue is in the tank.” He says you cannot borrow your way to prosperity, and in government you continue borrowing until you have to raise taxes.Iverson says it’s Vilsack who’s unwilling to budge from a spending plan that’s too expensive. Iverson says the governor feels he has an obligation to spend more money, and republicans think they have an obligation to stay within the budget.House Republican Leader Christopher Rants of Sioux City says it’ll be extremely difficult to bridge the gap between republicans and democrats. Rants says they’ve put together a budget they think is balanced and reasonable. He says democrats keep thinking that money is going to fall outof the sky.Today, the Senate is debating a two-point-seven billion-dollar bill which outlines a spending plan for much of state government, including education.