CHICAGO (AP) — The Democratic leader of the Illinois Senate says Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget is “as unworkable as it is unconscionable.”

Senate President John Cullerton spoke today in Chicago. He says the new Republican governor’s spending plan would hurt the middle class by cutting programs such as public transportation, higher education and substance abuse treatment.

Rauner has proposed big spending cuts to close a more than $6 billion budget hole in the fiscal year that begins July 1 without raising taxes.

Rauner says raising taxes isn’t the answer and will hurt economic growth. He says the state must fix “structural issues” with the budget, such as too much government bureaucracy and a too-cozy relationship between unions and legislators.

A spokesman for the governor didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.