SENATOR WALCZYK STATEMENT ON THE COMPLETED NEW YORK STATE BUDGET 

"The budget process has concluded, and unfortunately, the outcome is far from what I wanted for New Yorkers. The final New York State budget is nothing less than a big, bad, terrible spending plan that fails to meet the urgent needs of our residents.

At a staggering $254.3 billion—potentially exceeding $260 billion with additional funding—this budget exemplifies misplaced priorities. Instead of benefiting New Yorkers, it includes a $1 billion slush fund for NYSERDA that does nothing to address the rising costs of energy. Families will see their electric bills increase, receiving only a meager rebate check that may cover half of their first bill. This is completely out of touch with what New Yorkers truly need right now.

While families struggle to make ends meet, the budget allocates an astonishing $800 million in film tax credits—funds that will not directly help our communities. Instead of investing in programs that genuinely matter, the budget should have focused on essential services and support for the people of this state. We should have increased funding for critical programs, such as a $250 million increase for the CHIPS program, invested $5 million into YMCAs to support our youth, or provided $20 million for EMS Medicaid emergency reimbursement rates—services that are essential for our communities and the list could go on and on. 

Furthermore, the budget process has been marred by a glaring lack of transparency and public involvement. The use of a “message of necessity” to bypass our normal three-day review process undermined the democratic principles we are sworn to uphold. It limited essential scrutiny of the spending plan, and we owed it to New Yorkers to take the time necessary to understand the implications of this colossal budget.

New Yorkers deserved a budget that prioritized their needs. Instead, we are left with a disillusioned spending plan filled with pet projects and a lack of real investment in the future of New York. This budget falls extremely short of reflecting the values, needs, and aspirations of every resident in our great state, I am disappointed to say the least."