Hundreds protest Illinois state budget cuts (VIDEO)

Hundreds gather at the Thompson Center to protest state budget cuts. (Anne Arntson/Medill)

By Anne Arntson and Angela G. Barnes

Hundreds of people gathered at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago this morning to protest state budget cuts.

July 1 is the first day of the new fiscal year; however, Gov. Bruce Rauner and state lawmakers could not agree on a state budget.

Gov. Rauner said in a June 12 press release that if lawmakers failed to agree on a budget he would suspend funding for social programs, as well as capital projects. Protestors fear that the budget cuts will drastically impact their communities, and want Gov. Rauner and state lawmakers to find new solutions to the budget problem.

Photo at top: Childcare assistance programs, senior programs and immigrant services all face budget cuts. (Anne Arntson/Medill)