Gov. Dannel Malloy says deep and painful cuts could be on the way if the state doesn't pass a new budget by the end of the month.

Lawmakers have nine more days to come to terms on a spending plan.

"These legislative members, Republican and Democrat, have jobs to do," Malloy says. "They should get them done."

Malloy would take direct control over most state spending with no budget in place, saying only "essential services" would receive funding.

The governor says Connecticut will still honor its obligations to state workers, SNAP food stamp recipients and Medicaid patients. State parks and beaches would also still operate but without a budget in place. Malloy says everything else is fair game for deep and immediate cuts.

"We will not spend money in such a way as we're predicting different revenue than we can assume we'll have," says Malloy. "Since we have no budget, then we don't know what that line, what that revenue number is."

The governor met with legislative leaders from both parties Wednesday as they expressed optimism but did not definitely say whether they would reach an agreement. 

"We probably had one of the most productive meetings we've had so far on the budget," said state Sen. Bob Duff (D-Norwalk).