The state legislature has passed another temporary extension on the budget. Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt believes it’s for a multitude of reasons.
“I think it would be wrong for your listeners to think that this had to be the way it is right, because it doesn't have to be. It is a combination, I think, of a failure of leadership. I think the Governor is the one who really has to drive this negotiation to get it done in a more timely way. She has failed to do that. She has not had an on-time budget ever in her four years as governor.”
Despite blaming Hochul for a lack of leadership. Ortt did admit she is open to compromise -- but blames Senate Democrats for holding things up. Including on items Hochul herself backs.
“The reality is, the Senate Democrats and Assembly Democrats are pushing back on what I would call very common-sense proposals. The governor wants to revert to prevent people from using masks to to obscure their face and identity when they commit crimes. The Senate, assembly, Democrats have pushed back on that. The governor wants to make changes as it relates to [the] discovery [law]. Our conference actually supports those changes. District Attorneys support those changes, and yet, the Democrats are fighting over those changes.”
Ortt also says the Senate is at odds over tax relief, claiming Democrats have minimized Hochul’s proposed inflation refund checks to just go to seniors. Ortt says Republicans want more widespread relief.
Ortt doesn’t believe the state budget will be completed for another 2 weeks, which would cause a downstream effect for public entities trying to make their own budgets.
“Because not having a budget does affect school districts. It affects any entity that relies on state funding, because even though we're doing these extenders, they have no fiscal certainty about what they might get for the rest of the budget year.”
The state budget was originally set to be due April 1st.
