State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats) is warning that the Senate Democrat majority’s newly approved “one-house” budget resolution for 2025-2026 proposes billions in additional state spending that he calls “unaffordable and unsustainable.”
O’Mara, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, argued that the Senate Democrat plan would push New York’s budget to unprecedented levels, exceeding even Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed $252 billion executive budget. According to Senate Republican finance staff, the Democrat-led Senate’s version calls for an estimated $259 billion in spending—$7 billion more than Hochul’s plan and $15 billion more than current levels. If enacted, it would mark the highest-ever state budget.
The projected impact, O’Mara noted, includes ballooning deficits over the next three fiscal years: $6.5 billion in 2027, $9.8 billion in 2028, and $11 billion in 2029. He accused Senate Democrats of reckless fiscal management, claiming their approach will deepen financial strain on state and local economies, contributing to a continued outmigration of residents and businesses.
“Is it affordable and is it sustainable for the citizens of New York State to continue down this road of spending?” O’Mara asked. “Governor Hochul’s proposed Executive Budget is a plan of misguided and misplaced priorities, but the Senate Democrats try to correct it with higher taxing and even higher spending.”
O’Mara also pointed out that the state Assembly’s Democrat-led budget resolution calls for an additional $2 billion in spending beyond the Senate’s plan. Both legislative chambers’ budget proposals serve as a starting point for negotiations with Hochul, with a final state budget expected by April 1.
The senator expressed concern that continued one-party control since 2018 has led to nearly $90 billion in increased government spending. He urged lawmakers to prioritize tax relief, job creation, spending restraint, and a reduction of state debt, instead of what he described as “fiscal insanity.”
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