A number of local elected leaders and organizations have reacted to Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2025 proposed Executive Budget that she unveiled on Tuesday. Here are some of their takeaways:
State Senator Pamela Helming: (R, C, I-Ontario, Wayne, Livingston and Monroe)
“The Governor said, ‘We can’t spend like there’s no tomorrow.’ I agree!
Yet today, I heard a lot about spending and nothing about relief. And I do not support using our reserves to benefit migrants over taxpayers.
The proposed Executive Budget increases spending and expands the size of government. This, at a time when many of my constituents are struggling to pay their bills or buy a home, when small businesses are wrestling with higher unemployment insurance costs, and when our communities are contending with brazen crime and lagging infrastructure.
In Albany, the devil is always in the details.
I have put forth proposals to address many of our important issues, including affordability, public safety, mental health, and workforce development. I’ll keep working to be part of the solution.”
State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, on Tuesday, said that Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed 2024-2025 state budget “downplays the fiscal realities facing this state, ignores the burdens being shouldered by middle-class taxpayers, and refuses to take the steps needed to address affordability.”
O’Mara said, “It remains mind-boggling. This state already faces multi-billion-dollar deficits far into the future because the Albany Democrats can’t stop spending and Governor Hochul still proposes a spend, spend, spend strategy. The Albany Democrat appetite for spending over the past several years has been a one-party smorgasbord gobbling up billions of taxpayer dollars. It’s been uncontrolled spending to the point that having put in place massive, long-term spending commitments — and with massive commitments looming in the Democrats’ pursuit of a radical climate agenda and the provision of untold services to an ever-surging migrant population — New York State taxpayers already face multi-year, multi-billion-dollar deficits. It ignores the reality that New York remains one of America’s highest-taxed, least-affordable, most debt-ridden, and overregulated states that leads the nation in population loss. There’s nothing in this plan that seriously addresses the need for lower taxes across the board, less regulation, debt reduction, mandate relief, or any of the other strangleholds on state and local taxpayers, small businesses and manufacturers, and continually hard-pressed upstate communities, economies, and workers.”
Like he did following Hochul’s State of the State message last week, O’Mara warned that the state’s Democrat leaders, like they have for the past several years while increasing state spending by $60 billion, are once again eyeing even more long-term commitments for higher spending. Last year’s final $229-billion spending plan left New York with the nation’s second-highest state budget, behind only California.
O’Mara predicted that Hochul and the Democrat-controlled Senate and Assembly will enact a final budget that significantly increases New York’s spending again this year – including a starting point of an additional $2 billion to address a surging migrant crisis statewide — and leave state and local taxpayers shouldering a long-term, unsustainable burden.
He stressed that the governor’s proposed executive budget already calls for increasing the current state budget by more than $4 billion even before final negotiations with the “biggest-spending Legislature in state history.”
Assemblyman John Lemondes (R,C-LaFayette):
“Gov. Hochul has once again shown us she is not afraid to push through another radical budget proposal at the expense of taxpayers. Central New Yorkers are already dealing with an increased cost of living and the last thing they need to worry about is the fear of having their taxes raised. Mark my words: I will not vote for any state budget that promotes wasteful spending or puts taxpayers at risk.”
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning):
“The largest state budget ever, $233 billion, is what Gov. Hochul has proposed in her executive budget presentation. This appears to be yet another budget filled with bloated spending and misplaced priorities. New York is facing immense economic challenges. We must address a budget deficit of $4.3 billion this year and more than $21 billion over the next three years. Families and small businesses have to make difficult budget choices every day. New York state government must do the same and we simply cannot continue down this reckless path of unsustainable and out-of-control spending. My colleagues and the governor must remember this is the taxpayers’ money, not their money.
“Gov. Hochul constantly says she wants to make New York more affordable, yet under one-party Democrat rule our state budget has ballooned by a staggering 40% or $60 billion since 2019. This unprecedented level of spending will hurt families, small businesses and the economy in New York, making it harder to run a business and make ends meet for families. It is abundantly clear we cannot continue down this dangerous spending path and we must cut and control our spending and be careful stewards with the taxpayer dollars we spend.
“Unfortunately, once again, the governor is proposing to close up to five prisons in New York state, all with only a 90-day notice to employees, families and local communities. This is not only devastating to these impacted families and communities, but it is a tremendous insult to those dedicated correction officers and staff who work a very dangerous job to keep us safe. This, all while this administration continues its failure to address the rising and violent inmate-on-staff assaults happening inside our correctional facilities today. In addition, the administration has not just eliminated or restricted the use of important disciplinary tools to segregate the most disruptive, violent and dangerous inmates, but they continue to refuse to provide our correction officers with the adequate staffing, tools and resources they need to be safe. Their answer is to jam more violent inmates into fewer facilities. This is a dangerous plan and will just lead to even more violence inside our correctional facilities, putting our brave and dedicated correction officers and staff at greater risk.
“While the governor continues to say she supports critical transportation infrastructure investments, her budget tells a different story. Although her budget supports downstate funding for MTA operations and infrastructure, her budget includes a devastating $60 million cut to the important and successful Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), which provides critical funding to local municipalities to help improve their local roads, bridges and culverts. This $60 million cut is totally unacceptable and will especially hurt upstate communities and local property taxpayers the most, and it must be rejected.
“The governor’s budget prioritizes more than $2 billion in taxpayer funds to support migrants illegally coming to New York and also the Hollywood elite by continuing the costly, unacceptable and misplaced Hollywood Film Tax credit. This, while our most vulnerable citizens like the intellectually and developmentally disabled and the dedicated direct support professionals who provide their vital quality-of-life care continue to be a small blip on the radar screen of this administration.
“In addition, although the governor continues to claim she wants to address the affordability crisis in New York, she and the radical progressives in the Legislature keep insisting on pushing an unaffordable and unreliable energy plan of full electrification on New Yorkers. Their plan will take away consumer choice for how people heat their homes, cook their food, dry their clothes, power their buildings and the vehicles they drive. These types of costly mandates will hurt seniors, families, farmers, small businesses and manufacturers, leading to blackouts and jeopardizing the reliability of the grid, while resulting in even more people and businesses leaving the state.
“We have some of the highest taxes in the country and a rising cost of living, which has all contributed to New York leading the entire nation in outmigration, more than 500,000 since 2020. This is untenable if we want New York to be a great place to work and raise a family.
“I will continue to advocate for common-sense policies that prioritize public safety, crime victims and law enforcement over criminals; fiscal responsibility; lower taxes and regulations to help spur job creation and economic development; an energy policy that understands and addresses the importance of affordability and reliability, and not just “so-called” green energy; an equitable transportation infrastructure plan that invests in our local upstate roads and bridges, and not just the downstate MTA; and the care of our most vulnerable New Yorkers, the intellectually and developmentally disabled, and not just migrants here illegally and the downstate elite.”
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli:
“Governor Hochul introduced her Executive Budget proposal amid continued economic growth; however, as recent years have shown, the financial picture can change rapidly. As the state faces outyear budget gaps totaling over $20 billion through State Fiscal Year 2027-28, it is important that actions are taken to improve the long-term stability of the state’s finances, while ensuring adequate funding for our most important needs, including education, public safety, health and mental health care, among other priorities.
“The Governor and the Legislature have boosted the state’s rainy-day funds and other reserves for economic uncertainties, and these funds should be retained for emergencies. It is important to develop clear guidelines on the appropriate use of these reserves. In addition to protecting reserve funds, policymakers must ensure that this year’s budget decisions also improve the state’s structural balance.
“I remain concerned about the state’s debt burden, one of the highest in the nation and which continues to grow. I have put forth proposals to bring comprehensive and binding debt reform that will ensure more responsible debt decisions and, more importantly, greater accountability to the public. It’s time this issue is addressed before it hinders the state’s ability to adequately address future infrastructure needs.
“My office will release a more detailed analysis of the 2024-25 Executive Budget in the coming weeks.”
New York State Association of Counties President Daniel McCoy:
“The state budget proposal unveiled today is a positive step forward that delivers on several county government-related priorities. First and foremost, there do not appear to be any new unfunded mandates, which have burdened local taxpayers unnecessarily for decades. The budget also appears to finally enable counties to collect revenue that is owed but remains uncollected from vacation rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. This has been a priority for counties to close this loophole and bring parity amongst the industry. We are also encouraged by the Governor’s commitment of $135 million to partner with local governments on strengthening emergency communication systems and infrastructure.
“We also applaud Governor Hochul for her willingness to work with counties over the last several months to develop a workable framework to meet the requirements of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County regarding property tax foreclosures. As we delve into the budget details, we expect that many of our suggestions have been incorporated into her proposal, and we encourage the State Legislature to support its inclusion in the final budget.
“In terms of the over $1 billion in federal Medicaid funds that are still owed to counties and New York City, we remain committed to working with the Governor and Legislature to find a resolution to this.”
Marina Marcou-O’Malley, Interim Co-Executive Director, Alliance for Quality Education:
“Despite the Governor’s insistence that her executive proposal today is not a cut, it will likely mean less funding for some schools — not because it doesn’t keep pace with the historic Foundation Aid and federal aid increases of the past 3 years, but because it seems likely that the less-than-expected funding included in this budget for public schools will translate to fewer resources, programs, and supports for students in classrooms.
“Based on the State Division of the Budget presentation last fall, we were expecting a $1.3 billion school aid increase (4.8%), including a $927 million increase in Foundation Aid based on current law. Instead, the Foundation Aid increase in Governor Hochul’s budget proposal is only $507 million, or $419 million less than expected.
“What the Governor is changing in the formula to arrive at this lower number — including the impact of her vague proposal to end the hold harmless provision — will have to be unearthed from the budget bills, but it seems that she is adjusting the formula on her own simply to justify giving schools less money. We agree there needs to be an update to the Foundation Aid formula, but it must be a process involving the State Education Department and engaging communities, with the goal of more accurately capturing students’ growing needs, not as a penny-pinching budgeting strategy.
“What now remains to be seen is which districts the nearly half a billion dollars that we expected to see in the Governor’s proposal for schools were taken from.”
