SENATOR RHOADS RESPONDS TO GOVERNOR HOCHUL’S EXECUTIVE BUDGET

ALBANY, N.Y. — On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Hochul released her proposed $227 Billion behemoth Executive Budget for FY 24. That is a whopping $5 Billion increase from the previous year. I look forward to the process of digging through the details of her 2024 Executive Budget further, but at first glance, it looks like the Governor is piling on more spending and more taxes—particularly for Long Island residents. Her budget includes $1 Billion to the City of New York to offset a migrant crisis created by the federal government that the Governor refuses to address, increased tuition for SUNY schools, another $800 Million payroll tax – which is a 47% increase in payroll taxes for Long Island small businesses still recovering from the pandemic, in addition to the current tax on commuters known as “congestion pricing.” Governor Hochul has made it clear her priority is giving Billions of dollars to New York City at expense of Long Island taxpayers. Her attack on our suburban quality of life and heavy-handed policy approach is deeply concerning. 

The Governor should be more committed to providing real relief to all New Yorkers. New Yorkers need a rescue mission from her crushing policies. I would have liked the Governor to actively address the issues that matter most to Long Islanders and all New Yorkers – prioritizing public safety, supporting law enforcement, combating sky-high inflation, increasing efforts to combat the opioid and mental health epidemics, expanding economic opportunity, helping our veterans and seniors, and making it more affordable for residents to live, work, conduct business, and raise a family. New York is leading the Nation in residents fleeing the State and in the coming weeks, I look forward to doing a deeper dive into her Executive Budget to ensure there are no additional surprises for the hard-working resident of the Fifth Senate District lurking in the depths of her $227 Billion budget.