Gray Reacts to Assembly Wish-List Ahead of Budget Negotiations

Statement from Assemblyman Scott Gray (R-Watertown)

“Today we voted on the Assembly Majority’s One-House Budget Proposal, which acts as a counteroffer to the governor’s proposal released last month. The Assembly-proposed budget had a lot of positives, including increased funding for nursing homes, agriculture, the ombudsman program, hospitals, fire departments, schools, libraries, Pave New York and it rejects the governor’s Medicaid intercept.

“With this said, all we voted on today was a wish-list. Now come the tough negotiations to determine which programs will be included and which will be left out before the final budget is passed by April 1. I look forward to analyzing the final package and accounting for how all of these various proposals are going to be paid for. We are already projected to spend $11 billion more in 2024 than we are projected to close at in 2023. With the largest One-House and Executive Budget Proposals on record, we must be mindful of the fiscal implications on senior citizens, businesses, families and all New York state taxpayers.”