“Millions of New Yorkers fleeing the state in search of affordability and good jobs hasn’t deterred the Assembly Majority from indulging their worst instincts. Their budget proposal features $5.7 billion in tax hikes over the next two years, shatters the spending cap and ignores our bipartisan proposal to deliver property tax relief to the middle class. Despite all of this new spending, they couldn’t find $3.7 million, a fraction of a fraction of a $175 billion budget, for the successful Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer to Peer Program. The Majority also rejected our proposal to make college more affordable for the middle class by expanding access to the Tuition Assistance Program.

“As negotiations intensify, I’ll continue fighting to make sure that our priorities, including new funding to increase pay for direct-care workers and more state aid for schools on Long Island are included in our final budget agreement with the governor,” said Ra.