AUGUSTA — Negotiations between Maine legislative leaders over the state budget ended abruptly on Wednesday, with both sides blaming each other for the breakdown that could lead to a state government shutdown if a deal remains elusive at the end of the month.

The leaders of the House and Senate have been meeting behind closed doors for days to try to hammer out a budget agreement with income tax cuts and welfare changes sought by House Republicans and Gov. Paul LePage.

But Democrats said Wednesday that House Minority Leader Ken Fredette continues to “move the goal posts” and bring new demands to the table, causing an impasse. They’re now pledging to move forward with a budget plan passed out of committee last week that House Republicans have vowed to defeat.

“We’re going to keep working with the president of the Senate and we want to make sure that we get a budget done,” said Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond. “But when the governor and Rep. Fredette seem like their only goal is to force our state to shutdown, we’ve got to change course and that’s what we’re doing today,” he said.

Ken Fredette said Democrats are misrepresenting the facts and that his caucus remains willing to negotiate. He criticized Democrats for trying to lay the blame of a potential government shutdown at the feet of House Republicans, who have remained firm that a final budget must include their priorities of lower taxes, less spending and more limited welfare.

“Those are things that we believe we got elected on and if we are not willing to stand up for those principles now, then when do we stand up for those principles?”

A spending plan must be in place by June 30.

LePage has floated the idea of a passing a temporary budget that maintains spending at current levels and keeps government open so that legislative leaders can continue negotiating into July. But Attorney General Janet Mills has said that a continuing resolution is not an option because Maine law requires a biennial budget.

The legislative leaders have refused to discuss in detail the issues that remain sticking points, saying they don’t want to negotiate through the press.

Alfond said that before negotiations broke down, they had been close to striking a deal that would keep the sales tax at 5.5 percent and expand it to cover more services to pay for a small income tax cut.

Republican Senate President Mike Thibodeau urged legislative leaders to return to the table, stressing that time is running out.

“We have an opportunity and a responsibility and that window of opportunity and responsibility is closing fast,” Thibodeau said. “We don’t have days and days to do this before we get ourselves in a situation where we don’t have a budget and people aren’t going to work.”