“Although Gov. Hochul touted being ‘fiscally prudent,’ her $216 billion budget, the largest in our state’s history, was anything but.

“New York families statewide are dealing with the highest spike in inflation in nearly 40 years – and as representatives, we need to address that with a responsible fiscal plan that helps taxpayers and works toward making day-to-day expenses more affordable. We need to get back to the basics, and that means smart spending that doesn’t depend on federal bailouts or include bloated funding for frivolous programs or projects.

“I appreciate the efforts to provide more funding for our schools and the desperately-needed repairs to our roads and bridges. However, the precedent for enormous budgets is not one to celebrate, given the extreme financial burdens placed on New York taxpayers long before the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to adopt a budget that offers solutions, not one that continues to add to problems perpetuated by increases in spending year after year.”