|
|
|
ALBANY -- For the first time in 5 years, the legislature has passed an on time budget.
Just shy of pulling off an early budget like his father, Andrew Cuomo, and legislative leaders, closed a $10 billion deficit, and slashed next year’s deficit from $15-billion to $2-billion – but it's not going to be an easy budget to digest…
Protestors packed the Capitol throughout the week – at first, educating lawmakers about the impact of the budget on their communities.
By the end of the week, protestors promised to hold lawmakers accountable for what they have called "drastic" cuts to education and social services, and the failure to continue a millionaire's tax.
The Governor deflected a lot of the blame by turning the argument around, blaming schools for lax oversight and frivolous spending, and repeating that most schools have reserves to cover his cuts…if they're not located in upstate.
By midweek, the governor had not only added to the number of prison beds to be eliminated, but somehow finessed both legislative leaders into agreeing that he, Cuomo, gets the final word on which beds will have to go…
With three more months to go in the legislative session, the Governor will have to use all the political capitol he has in the bank to tackle issues such as rent regulations, UB2020 and marriage equality.
Popular Stories
|
