Borrello calls New York’s $254 billion budget a 'missed opportunity'

Press Release:

“This year’s budget was a missed opportunity -- a chance to confront New York’s affordability crisis, restore public safety, and rebuild public trust. Instead, Albany delivered more of the same.

At $254 billion, this is the largest and one of the most irresponsible budgets in state history. While families struggle with rising costs and small businesses fight to survive, this plan adds to the burden. Modest wins like a small tax cut and one-time ‘inflation refunds’ will be quickly offset by the long-term damage of the runaway spending. You can’t fix affordability by growing government at such a scale.

The failures extend beyond the bottom line. The Governor promised meaningful discovery reform to fix the flood of criminal case dismissals under the 2019 law and the resulting harm caused to public safety. Instead, we got a watered-down tweak that won’t make a real difference. Her proposed mask ban, meant to deter masked agitators and criminals and aid law enforcement, was similarly gutted. The kind of lawless takeover we saw this week at Columbia University will happen again and again. Once again, public safety took a back seat to political appeasement.

There are a few bright spots. The budget finally expands involuntary commitment standards and strengthens Kendra’s Law—provisions similar to legislation I’ve championed for years. These changes are overdue and may save lives. It also pays off the state’s $7 billion unemployment insurance debt, offering long-awaited relief for small businesses. But let’s not forget: those same businesses have spent the past five years unfairly footing the bill while Albany failed to act.

Any goodwill is undermined by one of the most outrageous provisions in the budget: $10 million in taxpayer funds set aside to cover the private legal fees for state officials, including Attorney General Letitia James, if she faces federal prosecution for mortgage fraud. The actions being investigated involve a personal financial transaction and have nothing to do with her role as Attorney General.  She should pay for her own defense. Taxpayers should never be forced to bankroll the personal legal troubles of political elites.

This budget is a monument to mismanagement—a missed opportunity to deliver real reform, real relief, and real results. Every year, Albany excuses a late budget by promising it will be ‘worth the wait.’ This year, once again, it wasn’t.”