Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) today gave the following statement following Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget proposal:
“Governor Hochul started the year by announcing that affordability would be the defining term of her agenda this year. With this year’s Executive Budget proposal, the governor has shown how unserious she is about making our state more affordable.
“This year’s plan is $260 billion – $6 billion more than last year. New York State headed into the new fiscal year with a projected $4.2 billion deficit. Even with increased revenue projections, this exorbitant spending doesn’t make sense and frankly, it doesn’t work.
“Governor Hochul’s continued insistence on flouting federal immigration law in order to court support from the radical progressives in New York City puts the state at risk of losing federal funding. If that comes to fruition, New York State would face financial collapse. At the very least, cooperating with federal authorities would ensure this needed funding source would continue as-is.
“If the governor wanted to get serious about affordability, this budget proposal would take on the issue I’ve heard about the most from my constituents in recent months: the continually escalating cost of energy. A repeal or delay of the Green New Deal mandates as laid out in the CLCPA and a reduction in the taxes and fees that make up 1/3 of the costs on energy bills is necessary in providing needed relief to all ratepayers.
“The lack of addressing energy costs is a hallmark of everything that’s missing in the Executive Budget proposal. Rather than use this plan to exercise caution, restraint and engage in sound financial planning, Governor Hochul has put forth a budget that doesn’t make it any easier for families, seniors or small businesses to make ends meet. In fact, it just creates an even larger financial burden for all New Yorkers and will only further the outmigration crisis that’s plagued our state for more than a decade.
“I’ve repeatedly noted that you can’t spend your way into affordability. If you could, New York would be the most affordable state in the nation. Instead, it’s the most expensive to state in which to work and live. It’s frustrating that the governor used the Executive Budget proposal to treat affordability as a buzzword instead of an opportunity.”