“Gov. Hochul’s more than $200 billion budget only perpetuates the problems we have seen for decades in New York — bloated spending plans negotiated behind closed doors and sweetheart deals for private industry using public funds. This is on top of a problematically late approval, requiring messages of necessity which force the Legislature to read the budget bills sometimes minutes before voting. The governor promised a retooling of bail reform, but what was delivered was little more than window dressing. The only part of the budget I could approve of was tax relief, which includes suspending the Motor Fuel Excise Tax and the state portion of the Gasoline Sales Tax, as well as $2.2 billion in homeowner tax relief and the Farmer Investment Tax Credit. But overall, this week-late budget is no victory for New Yorkers.”