“New Yorkers are dealing with a real affordability crisis, but the Assembly Majority’s one-house budget resolution reads more like a wish list than a solution. Instead of tackling the policies driving up costs, Albany is once again applying a bandage while doubling down on the same approach: more spending and more taxes.

This proposal increases taxes on businesses at the exact moment we are watching companies pack up and leave our financial district for states like Texas and Florida. The industries that helped make New York the economic engine of the country are essentially being told to pay up or get out, and many are starting to take that message seriously.

At the same time, the budget falls short on priorities that communities are actually asking for. Local governments have made it clear they need a $250 million increase in Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program funding just to keep up with rising construction costs, yet the Assembly Majority is offering only $50 million. That leaves towns and counties struggling to maintain roads and infrastructure while Albany spends billions elsewhere.

The proposal also fails to address the long-term utility rate increases that families and small businesses are already bracing for. New Yorkers are opening their energy bills and wondering how much higher they can go, but this budget offers little relief.

Year after year, Albany celebrates bigger budgets, but bigger spending does not mean we are solving the problems people actually face. If we are not prioritizing affordability, infrastructure and economic opportunity, then we are simply missing the mark.”