ALBANY – Gov. Pataki moved to re-establish his conservative credentials yesterday with a bare-bones, $72.66 billion state budget plan that slashes money for Medicaid, schools and college tuition.
Pataki’s austere, below-inflation proposal – for the fiscal year beginning April 1 – would raise state spendingby a mere 1.8 percent – a sharp contrast to the 8.5 percent increase in his election-year budget last year.
“This plan chooses smarter government over bigger government,” said Pataki, whose aides hope his emphasis on fiscal conservatism will enhance his prospects for national office.
“It commits to smart ideas that work. It better meets the needs of our citizens. And it does all this at a cost people can afford.
“Not a nickel more.”
Pataki’s plan won strong praise from the state’s most conservative fiscal watchdog group, Change NY, many of whose founders have strong national Republican ties.
But legislative leaders – including Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, normally the governor’s strongest ally – criticized the budget for not spending enough.
Pataki’s budget would reduce state Medicaid spending by $266 million, a cut legislative fiscal experts said would hit them to the tune of nearly $1 billion a year because they would also lose federal and local matching funds.
Pataki’s plan would slash $138 million from the politically popular Tuition Assistance Program, which benefits some 200,000 New York college students.
It would also cut more than $100 million in state aid to mental health and mental retardation programs, according to legislative analysts.
In addition, Pataki’s proposal would increase state aid to local school districts by only $154 million – in sharp contrast to the $900 million aid increase last year.
New York City officials quickly charged city schools would only receive about $17.75 million of the total increase.
“There’s no question that number is insufficient,” said Deputy Mayor Joseph Lhota.
“We expected very little and we got even less,” said United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
“This budget wipes out some of the most exciting new educational initiatives we’ve had in years, programs that are proven to increase student achievement.”
State officials insisted Pataki’s school aid program would give New York City about 38.7 percent of all new education spending.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver claimed Pataki’s budget plan was “designed to appeal to the radical right of the Republican Party.”
Bruno labeled Pataki’s decision to keep spending below the rate of inflation “idealistic.”
“While that is an admirable goal, we must be realistic given that the current budget surplus will likely approach $3 billion,” said Bruno, who strongly suggested he would restore Pataki’s budget to the Medicaid, school assistance and TAP programs.
“There is no doubt that this is a taxpayer-friendly budget,” Change NY said in a statement.
“The governor has proposed a fiscally conservative spending plan that holds the line on spending, continues to cut taxes to stimulate job growth, and makes a historic commitment to slashing the state’s high debt level.”