Cullerton: More Info Needed on Rauner Salaries

Illinois' Senate president says it's important to understand the context of higher salaries given to a number of new Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's top staff.

John Cullerton is a Chicago Democrat. He says he plans to "wait and see'' what the overall budget of Rauner's office is and "how it's balanced before we look to criticize.''

The Associated Press found annual salaries of 10 top staffers in Rauner's administration outpace those of comparable aides to former Gov. Pat Quinn by roughly $380,000 - or 36 percent.

Rauner says spending inside the governor's office overall is currently less than under Quinn.

Rauner has recently criticized spending and worker salaries while the state is in billions of dollars of debt.

But Rauner's office hasn't provided specific details on spending.