Assemblyman Dave McDonough released the following statement after the release of Governor Paterson’s budget to lawmakers this afternoon:

“Unfortunately, the budget presented today was what we have come to expect from the governor in that it fails to show leadership or a plan for the future. Despite the consequences of a budget that spent well beyond our means last year, this budget once again increases spending without focusing on how to encourage job creation throughout the state. I appreciate the fact that the governor incorporated ideas advocated by the Assembly Minority Conference, such as agency consolidation, into his budget. There is still much room for improvement. I look forward to working with my colleagues to reduce the size of this budget while re-appropriating money into programs that will kick-start this state’s economic engine and put people back to work.”