DRP Not Enough to Shrink the Cost and Size

“The Deficit Reduction Plan acted upon this morning was long overdue and should have been completed months ago. It did not go far enough and was $500 million short of the state’s $3.2 billion budget deficit. Of particular concern was its use of federal school aid funds that were supposed to be for next year. This is just the latest example of Albany’s fiscal shell game and ‘spend today, pay tomorrow’ mentality. Yet more work still needs to be done to restore the state’s fiscal health. We still need to provide real, substantive reductions that include state agency consolidations, a ban on unfunded mandates and lifting the financial burden to local municipalities and school districts. We need a property tax cap, a state spending cap, and further Medicaid reform to protect the taxpayers of our great state. Actions completed today are merely a beginning. I am calling on the Governor to draft and submit his 2010-2011 Executive Budget as quickly as possible so we can get a head start on addressing next year’s budget deficit and fiscal crisis.”