ALBANY – Outflanked by the lame-duck Republican majority in the State Senate, Gov. Paterson last night hastily delayed his call for an “emergency” budget-cutting session today and vowed not to move forward without a deal with the Legislature.
The governor’s move, announced in a conference call with reporters, came after Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI) threatened to bring Paterson’s plan for proposed $2 billion spending cuts up for a vote, where it would likely fail.
The tactic – unusual in Albany, where bills rarely come up for a vote without guarantee of passage – placed pressure on Democrats, who largely do not support Paterson’s plan.
Paterson angrily labeled the GOP power play “a political game” that threatened the state’s ability to weather the worst fiscal crisis in recent memory.
“This is not a game,” Paterson said. “If this state starts to fall into the same situation as California did, I want you all to remember this moment,” referring to that state’s recent announcement that government workers may have to take unpaid leaves.
Paterson had called for lawmakers to convene at noon today to take up his budget-reduction plan.
Instead, the governor said he would call legislative leaders into a meeting where he expects them to put their alternatives on the table.
Earlier in the day Paterson predicted that if the Legislature’s doesn’t act, next year’s budget deficit would grow to $15 billion.
In his most dismal appraisal yet of the state’s financial picture, Paterson said layoffs by Citigroup and Goldman Sachs’ decision to forego executive bonuses would blow open the previously projected shortfall of $12.5 billion.
Senate Republicans, who lost their four-decade-old majority in statewide elections this month, have shown little interest in aiding the Democratic governor through another round of budget slashing.
Prior to Paterson’s announcement last night, Skelos threatened to highlight the lack of Democratic support.
“He asked for us to vote. We’re going to vote,” Skelos said. “I hope that the speaker and the Assembly majority stop hiding and that they express their points by voting.”