Assemblymember Cahill’s Statement on the Emergency Expenditure Bill

June 14, 2010

Albany – Assemblymember Kevin Cahill (D-Ulster, Dutchess) issued the following statement on this week’s Emergency Expenditure Bill:

“Though the process of passing a budget piecemeal using extenders is not a good one, we cannot play politics with an issue as serious as shuttering State government. I support this week’s budget extender and urged my legislative colleagues to do so. The failure of this measure would have meant that state payments for core functions such as education, health care and unemployment benefits would cease. The impact on other vital government functions is unclear at best.

“We have a responsibility to protect New York’s most vulnerable citizens. A government shut down would do great harm to people who need services the most such as the unemployed, children and the elderly. It would also do extensive and lengthy damage to our economy at a time when we can least afford it.

“By taking on the issues of health care, mental health and environmental funding, we have already passed well over half of the budget for the fiscal year. In these difficult economic times, tough choices needed to be made and still do. Continuing to rely on budget extenders, however, is unacceptable. The time is long passed for us to finally bring the negotiations to a close and enact a complete budget plan.”

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