FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 2024
Governor Hochul presented her executive budget today. In response, Carolyn Martinez-Class, Campaign Manager of Invest in Our New York, issued the following statement:
“Governor Hochul has spent months trying to convince New Yorkers that our state is facing a major budget gap that would force spending freezes and cuts to essential programs. Today, however, the governor’s executive budget proposal shows a surplus once again. Despite this, the Governor is leaving billions of dollars on the table that can help New Yorkers afford to stay here. If she is serious about addressing outmigration, affordability, and funding ‘our New York’ Governor Hochul must reconsider her position on making millionaires, billionaires, and highly profitable corporations pay what they owe.
“While Governor Hochul pays lip service to addressing New York’s affordability crisis, the proposals highlighted during the budget speech did not touch on the need for meaningful investments to keep people in their homes or a real plan to stabilize the state’s long-term fiscal health. The Governor’s constituents overwhelmingly support making the ultra-rich pay their fair share; for the Governor not to consider raising taxes on New York’s wealthiest is deeply out-of-touch.
“New York is the most economically unequal place in the country, and the Governor’s approach is only going to deepen the divide, driving more Black and brown families out of our state. We urge Speaker Heastie and Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins to stand with working-class people, take steps to right NY’s runaway inequality, and pass much-needed tax reform so we can finally invest in our New York.”
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