Two hundred days into a state budget impasse, Rep. Brian Ellis insists there’s no impasse at all.

“We finished the budget,” the Republican from Butler told a Harrisburg TV station Wednesday.

Ellis is the House Republican caucus administrator, meaning he’s in charge of shaping and shepherding the House GOP agenda, along with Speaker Mike Turzai and Majority Leader Dave Reed.

Ellis’ reasoning: The House and Senate both approved a $30.3 billion budget, HB1460, and sent it to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk on Christmas Eve. Wolf had 10 days to sign or veto the budget, or line-item veto parts of it; after 10 days it becomes law without his signature — all but the line-items he crossed out.

Wolf went the line-item route on Dec. 29. He wasn’t happy about it.

“In doing this, I’m expressing the outrage that all of us should feel about the garbage the Republican legislative leaders have tried to dump on us,” Wolf said at the time.

But Ellis contends the fact of a line-item veto is that the parts that weren’t crossed off remain valid.

“In our minds, we’ve passed a budget that funds government, funds all the services,” Ellis said. “Money’s being pushed back out to the schools and social services. The ball’s in the governor’s court.”

Wolf is still pushing a $30.8 billion plan that relies on an increase in sales and personal income taxes. Most of the additional $500 million would be for public education.

On the same day that the governor rendered his line-item veto, Ellis, Turzai and Reed issued a joint statement implying that the budget work was incomplete.

“While it is important needed funds are finally being released to schools and human service providers, a full spending plan is necessary,” their statement read. “We understand that compromise is a two-way street, but it needs to be based in reality. It is time to reset the chess pieces and work together to move this state forward and bring about a long-term budget solution. We will continue conversations with the governor and Senate — Republican and Democrat — to come to a reality-based budget solution.”

That statement doesn’t jibe with Ellis’ contention this week that we have a state budget.

It’s disappointing to say it, but there’s still work to be done. The uncertainty and tension that remains across the government sector tells us the budget work is undone.

And the electorate doesn’t care about the nuanced finger-pointing — who’s to blame and who’s court the ball is in.

Democrats are not the problem.

Republicans are not the problem.

Budget politics is the problem.