ALBANY – Top aides to Gov. Paterson and the state’s legislative leaders have agreed to slash about $200 million from the current budget, not the $600 million being sought by the governor, officials said last night.
The aides held out hope that additional cuts would be agreed upon before tomorrow’s scheduled start of a special budget-cutting session of the Legislature called by Paterson two weeks ago to address massive growing deficits.
“Both houses of the Legislature are trying to be responsive to the menu of cuts the governor has put forward, but we’re not there yet,” said a senior Paterson administration official.
“Progress is being made and we’re getting there,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) who has questioned the need for the special session.
John McArdle, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) said, “Some real progress has been made.”
Paterson called the rare special session after insisting that the state must cut $600 million from its current, $121 billion budget – mainly involving Medicaid, CUNY and pork-barrel projects.