Through November, New York State faced a $3.9 billion budget shortfall. Balancing the budget requires cuts in spending, and this means we had to make difficult and painful choices. And though the deficit presented us with serious challenges, the Assembly has worked successfully with the governor and the Senate to close budget gaps before and once again secured a plan to close the gap by $2.7 billion.

The Assembly Majority has consistently fought to ensure that New York State provides its citizens with quality public schools, affordable housing, affordable college education and accessible and affordable health care. We need to make cuts with these priorities in mind to ensure that the choices we make truly help New York get back on track.

We are committed to making the necessary and very hard decisions to put the state on secure financial footing, and we will continue to work with the governor and the Senate to further cut spending and meet our goals. Please be sure to check this Web site regularly for 2009-2010 deficit reduction updates.

Sincerely,

Speaker Sheldon Silver