Albany- State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) has issued the following statement in response to today’s State of the State speech by Governor Andrew Cuomo:
“Governor Cuomo has spoken to the people of New York State and has addressed some of the true concerns of this State. As we face nearly a $10 billion dollar budget deficit, we must reduce spending as the Governor is proposing, but we must make these cuts in areas where we have been wasteful in the past and where the cuts are most acceptable.
Past Governors have tried simple across the board cuts to balance budgets. These kinds of moves generally don’t get at the underlying programs of waste, fraud and abuse that reside in some government programs.
We have a $52 Billion Medicaid program in this state and as much as ten percent of it is due to Medicaid fraud. We need to focus on fraud and waste in the largest state program so that taxpayers are not stuck footing the bill.
It goes without saying that health care and education are two of the most important, as well as largest areas in our State budget and impact a great number of people. We must be mindful of the effects before cuts are made in these areas, especially as they relate to our schools and hospitals.
I commend Governor Cuomo for promising not to propose any new taxes and for recognizing the fact that a top priority of New York State must be the creation of jobs. The people of the Empire State are one of the most overtaxed citizens in our nation and the tax and spend policies of the past has been part of the effort that has left New Yorkers no other choice than to move out.
I look forward to working with the Governor and my colleagues in the State Senate to pass an on-time and fiscally responsible budget that works for the people of New York. It is my hope that the State Assembly leadership will join us in employing prudent measures that take into account the future of our State and the only special interests we should be accountable to, the citizens of New York State.”
