As New Year’s Eve celebrations counted down the seconds to 2017, Illinois lawmakers found themselves once again facing the political stalemate that has prevented approval of a state budget for more than a year. A temporary budget approved by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and Gov. Bruce Rauner expired Dec. 31, meaning that the state government is once again operating without a budget, racking up a backlog of unpaid bills and accumulating a larger deficit. 

WBEZ state politics reporter Tony Arnold talks to Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia about the immediate and potential long-term consequences of the ongoing budget impasse.