“There were parts of Gov. Hochul’s 2026 Executive Budget proposal I agreed with. For instance, her plan includes new details on a proposal to implement a “bell-to-bell no-phone-use policy” during class instruction in school districts statewide to keep children and teens off their devices during the school day. It is also refreshing to see the governor include plans for tax cuts and boosts in school aid in her budget, though we have yet to see these proposals in greater detail.”

“Despite these attributes, Hochul’s budget proposal for this year is

• $19 billion, or 8.3%, larger than her proposal in 2024;
• $36 billion, or 16.5%, larger than her first proposal in 2022; and
• $59.1 billion, or 30.6%, larger than the proposal introduced when I first took office back in 2021.

“At a quarter of a trillion dollars, Gov. Hochul’s current budget proposal for New York state is far from fiscally responsible, especially compared to other states in the U.S. California has twice the population of New York, yet our proposed budget is only 22% smaller. Florida’s state spending per resident is half of New York’s. More than once, members of the Assembly Minority Conference have proposed spending caps for state agencies, yet our state government is not held accountable for overspending.”

“It is time the governor chooses quality over quantity in her state budget proposal and reins in overspending before New York state goes over the looming fiscal cliff.”