Heard Around Town
Senate leaders – and C&S readers – expect a late budget
This thing isn’t getting settled until after Easter.
State Sen. Thomas O'Mara, and his colleagues like state Sen. Liz Krueger, may be spending more time in Albany in April than planned. NYS Senate Media Services
In a surprise to just about no one, New York’s state budget will be late.
A whopping 93% of the people who entered City & State’s 2026 budget poll guessed that lawmakers would adopt the annual state spending plan after the April 1 deadline. And they’ll almost certainly be correct. (And the person who’s closest will win a fleece City & State NY blanket). The predictions, which closed last week, ranged from March 30 through Oct. 22, with Friday, April 10 as the most popular estimate.
There’s wisdom in the crowd. State Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger told her colleagues on the floor Thursday that she doesn’t expect a budget until after Easter, which falls on April 5. But it will likely be later than that.
The annual state spending plan is due in fewer than five days, but the halls of the state Capitol are quiet as lawmakers left town for the week. As of Thursday night, Legislative leaders aren’t sure if they’re meeting over the weekend, even though they have much left to hash out for a final deal. Lawmakers are expected to pass their first budget extender Tuesday to keep the state government running as negotiations continue.
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris told reporters Thursday that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s climate rollbacks and auto insurance reforms are taking up the bulk of negotiations so far, but there’s been no movement on those issues, or on the debate to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers or corporations. And an immigration deal to push back on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda still hangs in the balance.
State lawmakers don’t get a paycheck until the budget is signed into law, but a late budget has otherwise minimal impact on the public. Though for lawmakers, a late budget scales back what the Legislature has time to accomplish before leaving Albany for the year in June.
"We're going to really have to put our foot on the gas once the budget's done to take care of a lot of non-budget items that we care about," Gianaris said.