Albany, N.Y., January 13-—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats) today reacted to Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State message to the Legislature by warning that, despite the governor’s emphasis on addressing New York’s affordability crisis, she and the state’s Democrat leaders will continue to prioritize long-term commitments for higher and higher state spending that will continue to be unaffordable and unsustainable for taxpayers.

O’Mara released the following statement in response to the governor’s State of the State message delivered in the Empire State Plaza earlier today:

“The governor can’t preach ‘affordability’ at the same time she keeps looking to go on spending taxpayer dollars like there’s not a care in the world. You can’t keep trying to have it both ways and the governor knows it. Sooner or later the well runs dry and taxpayers can’t take it anymore. We’re already at that breaking point in New York State. We have the highest population losses in the nation. The continued decline of the state’s proud and vibrant manufacturing sector is alarming, including the recent announcement that Gunlocke in my legislative district, a manufacturing mainstay in the Southern Tier for over a century, is closing its doors and moving its high-quality, good-paying jobs out of Steuben County, out of the Southern Tier, and out of the state.  

“The Democrat tax-and-spend approach isn’t working. There’s an old saying that if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. We need to stop spending in New York. Albany Democrats have been digging the hole deeper and deeper in this state over the past seven years with their out-of-control spending. It’s time to stop this irrational and irresponsible spending spree. We need to stop policies that make everything more expensive and then turning to the hard-working taxpayers of New York to take more money out of their pockets to pay for it.

“New York State is not stronger, safer, saner, or more affordable under Governor Hochul and a State Legislature under all-Democrat control. There’s no true turnaround in sight. Governor Hochul puts forth an ‘affordability agenda’ chock-full of giveaways and higher spending commitments that will only keep making New York a more expensive state in which to live, work, do business, raise a family, and pay taxes. There will be no let up for the middle class under all-Democrat, one-party control of New York government. The Albany Democrat bottom line ignores the middle class in favor of a politically driven, hard-left roadmap continuing to mandate huge state spending handouts. It will only keep driving this state into the ground economically, keep increasing costs across the board, keep killing jobs and economic opportunities, and keep chasing more and more New York taxpayers and families out of the state because they can't afford to live here anymore."

O’Mara stressed that he looks forward to joining his Senate Republican colleagues throughout the new legislative session to put forth strategies to ensure that upstate regions don't get left behind. At the Capitol yesterday, Senate Republicans unveiled a “Save New York” legislative agenda to advance a range of policies focused on economic growth and job creation, tax relief and regulatory reform, commonsense energy policies, and other affordability initiatives.

O’Mara added that he would also work with his legislative colleagues across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions to keep attention focused on unfunded state mandates, job-killing state regulations, and a state and local tax burden that hurts family budgets and keeps New York’s business climate one of the worst in America for small businesses and manufacturers.

Hochul is scheduled to unveil her 2026-2027 proposed state budget next week after which O’Mara, the Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, and legislative colleagues will begin conducting public budget hearings on the governor’s spending plan.