North Country Assemblymen Scott Gray and Ken Blankenbush were critical of the state not passing a budget and on time and the decision to pass a third budget extended

A statement by Assemblyman Scott Gray (R-Watertown) on the third emergency appropriation bill passed Sunday:

“First, I will say I never mind doing my job and being present whenever necessary. That said, I am deeply dismayed by the necessity of yet another emergency extender to prolong negotiations of our state budget. The timing of this extender is foolish and not well thought out. The reluctance to do the jobs we were elected to do, leading us to convene on a Sunday, for a mere 30 minutes, one vote is nothing short of ridiculous. If the governor and Democratic Majorities were truly committed to making the most of our time in Albany this weekend, they would prioritize bipartisan discussions to tackle the pressing issues of rising crime rates, retail theft and the increasing cost of living.

“The three and four-day extenders we are becoming accustomed to are a fallacy and fail to inspire confidence in our governance. It is not reassuring to the public, rather, it demonstrates a carelessness that continues to endorse skepticism regarding whether their government genuinely has their best interests at heart.

“It is complete idiocy to engage in debates on benign bills while our schools and taxpayers are under immense pressure concerning their local budgets. The delay in producing an on-time budget is particularly worrisome this year, given the significant impact of school aid being on the table. Our schools are facing uncertainty due to executive budget proposals threatening to cut foundation aid, exacerbating an already chaotic situation.

“I urge my Democratic colleagues to act with urgency and responsibility. It is not a surprise April 1 occurs the same time each year and repeating the delay year after year is a sign of incompetence by the majority. We owe a timely budget to New Yorkers.”

Assemblyman Gray represents the 116th District, which consists of Jefferson County and St. Lawrence County.

North Country Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C-Black River) joined his fellow Republican Assemblymembers on Sunday to watch the Democrat Majority fail once again to pass the budget on time. 

Sunday marked the third budget extender passed following the April 1 deadline, continuing to show the lack of urgency the Democrat Majority portrays. This became even more evident as the legislative session was canceled on Monday due to the solar eclipse.

Albany Democrats still cannot come to an agreement and pass a budget in a timely manner. In fact, they decided to spend more taxpayer dollars to bring us back to Albany on a weekend so they can cancel work on Monday because they want to watch the solar eclipse.

“The most upsetting part is the complete lack of urgency shown by the Democrat members. We need to stop dilly-dallying and finish this budget,” said Blankenbush.

Assemblyman Blankenbush represents the 117th Assembly District, encompassing all of Lewis County and parts of St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Oneida counties.