By Hank Russell
April 1 has arrived and, once again, the state budget has not passed on time and some GOP members of the Assembly are furious.
Rather than pass the budget — which could go up to $260 billion — a budget extender was passed. This allows the state to be funded for the week. In the meantime, state legislators are calling for the deadline to be extended to April 7 so they can work some of the more contentious parts of the budget such as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a proposal to “tax the rich” and whether the state should work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to News 12, the state has not submitted an on-time budget in seven years.
“We obviously still have a lot of work to do,” Senate Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D,WF-Yonkers) told The New York Times. “Any time there is a significant amount of policy in the budget, things do seem to take longer. So we really haven’t started on the money part yet.”
Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) said the passage of the budget extender “epitomizes the dysfunction that surfaces whenever Albany Democrats are forced to complete the most important part of their job. While New Yorkers are demanding relief from cost-of-living pressure, high taxes and runaway spending, Democrats delivered an extender rather than an answer.”
Assemblyman Keith Brown (R,C-Northport) added, “An extender means more uncertainty for families, small businesses and local governments who are trying to plan ahead but still don’t have a clear picture of what’s coming out of Albany. … For Long Island, these delays are more than procedural; they have real consequences. From school funding and local aid to infrastructure investments and public safety resources, our communities are left in limbo while negotiations drag on.”
In a statement, the Citizens Budget Commission’s (CBC) president, Andrew S. Rein, said, “Deciding how New Yorkers’ money is spent is one of elected leaders’ most important responsibilities. We are disappointed that missing this deadline has become the norm.”
The CBC also offered a list of recommendations to Albany when negotiating the budget. These include holding the line on spending and taxes, offsetting additional spending with savings elsewhere, rejecting “costly, unnecessary” enhancements to the Tier 6 pension system and bolstering and protecting reserves.
“A good budget would curb ballooning spending growth, focus on affordability and program quality, and hold the line on New York’s nation-leading taxes,” Rein said. “This would increase New York’s ability to attract and retain residents of all incomes and businesses that create jobs and put the State on the path to fiscal stability.”
Ra said “it’s anyone’s guess” how long the budget negotiations will “drag on,” adding, “To date, there’s been little reason to believe a deal is imminent. Let’s hope in the immediate future New Yorkers receive a budget that shows a commitment to fiscal discipline and improving affordability—not another week of kick-the-can politics from the governor and Albany Democrats.”
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the governor’s office. “Governor Hochul is committed to passing a budget that delivers real relief for New Yorkers,” said spokesperson Gordon Tepper. “She will continue negotiating in good faith with legislative leaders to enact a budget that makes New York safer and more affordable for working families.”