State budget makes NY more expensive without making it safer

Editor:

With millions of New Yorkers working harder than ever to make ends meet, state lawmakers enacted a $237 billion budget nearly three weeks past the constitutional deadline. This budget deal reflects the increasing divide between the priorities of Albany Democrats and the needs of average New York families.

 This fiscally irresponsible budget, which hikes spending by nearly $8 billion over last year’s spending plan, is filled with radical policies pushed by the socialist wings of the Democrat Party. It does nothing to make New York more affordable, safer or more free.

In a clear sign that the socialists have taken charge of the Democratic Conferences, this budget includes a radical housing policy that will eliminate the rights of small business landlords to control their private property. The housing agreement that Governor Hochul is trumpeting, which includes “Good Cause” eviction, is a giveaway to the socialist tenant advocates who believe in eroding private property rights.  This will ultimately lead to less construction of new housing and less rental units coming online which will only exacerbate the current housing crisis.

This brazenly out-of-touch budget also includes a whopping $2.4 billion in giveaways to migrants who continue to enter our country illegally. With families across the state grappling with the effects of rising inflation, Democrats rejected Senate Republican efforts to provide any budget relief to middle-class families. Instead, they sent billions of taxpayer dollars to New York City to hand out prepaid gift cards to illegal immigrants.

As this budget seeks to make our state more comfortable for illegal immigrants, it fails to do anything to protect the safety of New Yorkers. In the past month, our state has had to deal with the tragic deaths of three police officers killed in the line of duty. Yet, Albany Democrats continue to push policies and spew rhetoric that makes our state more hostile to law enforcement and less safe for New Yorkers.

Governor Hochul’s strategy to tackle retail theft is to establish a task force and throw money at the problem but criminals still are not held accountable. The real solution is to empower police officers to throw these criminals in jail and give our judicial system the discretion to keep them there.

The Democrats’ obsession with catering to the needs of criminals is the driving force behind the rise in violence against police, minority and religious groups, and everyday New Yorkers. This chaos will continue until Albany makes it clear that they stand shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement to keep the people of this state safe.

New Yorkers have made it clear they believe our state is heading in the wrong direction, and this budget will only turbo-charge our decline. I proudly voted no on this disastrous budget agreement and want to assure my constituents and the people of this state that I will continue to champion public safety, affordability, and freedom in New York.

State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

North Tonawanda