Staff Reports
New York’s budget showdown has become a bad habit: miss the April 1 deadline, pass another short-term “extender,” and call it governing. The latest move — lawmakers sending an eighth budget extender to Governor Kathy Hochul that runs through May 4 — tells us the problem isn’t simple disagreement. It’s a broken system where politics beats planning and ordinary New Yorkers pay the price.
What’s happening: late budget and repeated extenders
The budget was supposed to be done at the start of the fiscal year, but Albany is still negotiating the policy fights that should never have been shoehorned into a spending bill. Instead of finishing the budget, lawmakers have passed one-week and short-term extenders so payrolls keep going and emergency services don’t stop. That’s not governing; it’s improvising with other people’s money. Schools and local governments are left waiting for final aid numbers. That uncertainty hurts kids and neighborhoods that can’t afford to wait while Albany plays chicken.
Why this proves Albany’s dysfunction
This isn’t a one-off. It’s the fifth late budget under Governor Hochul’s watch and another example of a system tilted toward the executive. Past court rulings and practice give governors huge leverage through the “Executive Budget” and Article VII bills, and successive governors have used it. When the only way to get lawmakers’ attention is to hold up the budget, you don’t have a balanced process — you have a power play. The result: backroom deals, surprise policy changes and little time for experts or the public to review what’s being voted on.
Who’s playing hardball: Heastie vs. Hochul
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says the process is “tilted in favor of the governor,” and he’s right to call out the imbalance. Still, complaining after voting for extenders isn’t leadership. If the speaker wants reform, demand transparency: release final bills in time for legislators and the public to read them before a vote. Meanwhile, Governor Hochul defends using the budget to press policy priorities like auto-insurance changes, climate deadlines and pension tweaks. Both sides are to blame — one for wielding the budget like a club; the other for letting the club swing unchecked.
Fix it or keep the circus
Albany needs real reform: force timely bill releases, limit the use of extenders, and put clear rules around when policy can be attached to the budget. If Speaker Heastie truly wants a “completely serious process,” he should stop cozying up to the routine and start insisting on rules that protect taxpayers, schools and towns from last-minute bargaining. Otherwise, expect the same tired two-step: miss the deadline, pass another extender, and repeat. New Yorkers deserve better than rehearsed chaos and policy by midnight surprise.
