New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has put a halt to the budget process, saying he wants the state to wait until the federal government finalizes their spending plan. Cuomo believes the federal budget will end up costing the state money, especially in terms of health care.
” I don’t want to do a budget where we have a) either overcommitted financially and then when the federal cuts come to New York, inevitable, we have overcommitted or b) where we don’t have the ability to adjust to cuts.”
In the meantime, the state government will continue operating under the budget extender passed Monday. Cuomo says they have reached agreement on many issues, but one of those issues still up for debate is education funding. To help school districts, which have to send a budget proposal for next school year to voters on May 16, Cuomo says they will be setting the overall aid increase at 3.9 percent, and the final number will be that or more for school districts.
