“Even during times of relative calm, budgets should be spending plans. Budgets should never be the governor’s blunt instrument to beat complex policy issues into law without public input, robust debate and expert testimony. That Majority is contemplating allowing him to do so in the middle of an epidemic is truly insane. Haphazardly passing a state budget that includes a litany of controversial, partisan policy proposals in just a couple of days under the guise of responding to a global pandemic would be a new low for Albany.

“Every single New Yorker, Minority and Majority, has a role to play in containing the coronavirus. Every single New Yorker, needs to know state government has their back, now more than ever. Let’s make a bipartisan commitment to funding our government through the end of this crisis and save the time-consuming political debates for after we’ve gotten through this together,” said Ra.