Write a comment "After six budget extenders and three weeks past the statutory deadline, the 2024-25 state budget has been delivered to New Yorkers.
Hardworking taxpayers will subsidize a record-high $237 billion spending plan. While the process is now final, it will take time before the public knows exactly what it's paying for. Yet again, the basic standards of public input, open government and transparency continue to erode in Albany.
A financial commitment of $2.4 billion for the migrant crisis is among the state's largest expenditures and illustrates the steep price we pay for misguided priorities. New York Democrats invited problems with sanctuary policies. President Joe Biden failed to secure the southern border, and now New York taxpayers will spend billions, including $500 million from our reserve fund, to clean up the mess.
The inclusion of Good Cause Eviction is a blatant assault on basic property rights. Even with an opt-in provision, this is the definition of government overreach and a dangerous step toward universal rent control. Property owners and small landlords will lose more of their rights and cede decision-making controls to the government as Democrats embrace a key component of the radical, socialist platform.
As usual, there are elements of the budget that help New Yorkers, including Assembly Republican proposals within the final plan. Some of these measures include:
A financial commitment of $2.4 billion for the migrant crisis is among the state's largest expenditures and illustrates the steep price we pay for misguided priorities. New York Democrats invited problems with sanctuary policies. President Joe Biden failed to secure the southern border, and now New York taxpayers will spend billions, including $500 million from our reserve fund, to clean up the mess.
The inclusion of Good Cause Eviction is a blatant assault on basic property rights. Even with an opt-in provision, this is the definition of government overreach and a dangerous step toward universal rent control. Property owners and small landlords will lose more of their rights and cede decision-making controls to the government as Democrats embrace a key component of the radical, socialist platform.
As usual, there are elements of the budget that help New Yorkers, including Assembly Republican proposals within the final plan. Some of these measures include:
- Defeating the governor's proposal to cut funding to half of the state's school districts;
- Making the overdue change in property law to distinguish criminal squatters from tenants;
- Increasing penalties and resources to fight rampant retail theft crimes;
- Expanding the eligibility and funding in the state's Tuition Assistance Program;
- Expanding programs and tax credits to address child care needs.
Ultimately, Democrats failed to exhibit fiscal restraint or focus on the most important issues on the minds of New Yorkers. Without a commitment to reduce the cost of living, a comprehensive strategy to improve public safety, or a willingness to rein in spending, New York remains on a path of unsustainability. But the end of the budget process does not mean the end of our work. In the upcoming months, I will join my Assembly Republican colleagues to continue to address the opportunities that were badly missed in this state budget."
