According to a report in Reuter’s, Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills has now topped $16 billion.

A provision in the budget, which was two years in making, authorizes the sale of up to $6 billion in bonds to help pay down the debt, some of which has been racking up interest at 12%.

However on Monday, Governor Rauner stated that lawmakers hadn’t set aside any money to make payment on the bonds. Adding that the state would have to cut roughly half a billion dollars from the budget just to be a position to offer the bonds.

A spokesman for Comptroller Susana Mendoza says that school aid and pension payments made this week will lower the bill backlog into the $15 billion range.