"One of the reasons that we didn't get it done was that we didn't start early enough," Rendell said. "I'm sorry. Maybe I didn't push hard enough. I thought I did."
A shutdown means about 25,000 workers are temporarily laid off, but the state's five slots casinos will be open at least one more day. Shutting the casinos would cost Pennsylvania $1.7 million a day in lost revenue.
Most state offices and parks will be closed.
Roughly 52,000 employees in "critical" jobs with the state police, the National Guard, prison and parole offices, veterans services, and health and welfare departments will continue to work.
Senate and House Republican leaders early today said they were outraged that the furloughs had been ordered. "We look at this as a serious setback," said Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R., Jefferson). He said numerous issues remained to be settled.
Earlier last evening, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D., Greene) said "shuttle diplomacy" was going on for most of the day among his caucus, Senate Republicans and Rendell's office.
Senate Republican leaders, who hold a majority in that chamber, and have been unmoved in their pledge to hold down spending and impose no new taxes, were the most optimistic.
Rendell has maintained that he would not consider the budget until agreement was reached on his other budget priorities, including energy, mass transit and highway funding and a statewide ban on smoking in most public places.
House and Senate Republicans have urged Rendell to free the budget to move through the General Assembly, with the understanding that lawmakers will take up the other issues later this summer or in the fall.
