“This proposal is the next step on the road to a final agreement. Though it contains some noticeable differences from the budget that passed the House last week, there are also items in it that we agree with.
“There are some very tough decisions still to be made. Our budget team will begin going through this proposal in detail and decide what we can accept and what we need to keep working on before the final budget is adopted. It will require give and take on both sides, but I am hopeful we can get to a responsible agreement quickly.”