New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he does not plan to make cuts to the state budget until after Election Day. President Trump paused negotiations with Congress on another federal stimulus package, before backtracking.
Cuomo said he needs the federal government to send additional money for state and local governments a hard hit by the pandemic. The state faces a $14 billion budget deficit this year. Cuomo blames the coronavirus. Republicans blame years of mismanaged state spending.
On Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone again delayed submitting his 2021 budget until Friday to hold out on making cuts also. Suffolk Republicans say that delay does not give the legislature enough time to review the budget. By state law, the budget is due on December 1. Democrats in the legislature hope to hold a vote two weeks before that. The budget would normally be around $3.2 billion, but Bellone has signaled that there will be cuts.
