A Statement from Senator Pam Helming On the 2019-2020 New York State Budget

“The Democrats who control every level of state government missed an opportunity today to lead and put an end to partisan politics. They missed an opportunity to make NY more affordable and help average people. Instead, they took the budget as a chance to use middle class families, seniors, and small businesses as their piggy bank to pay for a laundry list of progressive policy ideas, rather than investing in the basics like infrastructure, education, and public safety. The budget process should be about revenues, expenditures, and providing basic government services, not policy.

“When I conducted my 2019 Legislative Questionnaire, my constituents said making New York more affordable and cutting wasteful spending were their top budget priorities. The budget passed in Albany does the exact opposite. It’s packed with billions in new taxes, fees, and spending that will drive even more people out of our state. Funding for vital programs that support veterans, breast cancer survivors, workforce development, volunteer fire departments, and first responders were dramatically cut, if not completely slashed. Instead, New York State will now be covering the legal defense of illegal aliens and paying the college tuition of DREAMERS. This budget puts taxpayers on the hook to pay for political campaigns aka “welfare for politicians,” to the tune of $100 million a year while they struggle with some of the highest taxes in the nation. The budget included a $420 million tax credit for movie producers, but missed the mark on education. Local students, teachers, and their families will continue to be shortchanged by New York’s broken education aid formula while hollywood movie producers rake it in. The budget process was a shameful charade that will do little to benefit the people I represent.”