Opinion

Discretionary spending has risen by nearly $357 billion — a 26 percent jump to $1.7 trillion — since fiscal year 2019, according to data compiled by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This was in response to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and increases in transportation and defense spending.  This includes a $90 […]

As in so many instances in Albany, basic, fundamental democratic processes are frustrated by political agendas and needless dysfunction. This unfortunate reality is again playing out as Judge Hector LaSalle, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s choice to lead the Court of Appeals, was summarily dismissed as a candidate, despite enormous support from lawmakers and legal experts across

Like many Americans, I watched with dismay [in early January] as the U.S. House of Representatives struggled through 15 votes over four days to select a new speaker. The sense of dysfunction was remarkable. Anyone watching might well have wondered about our ability to govern ourselves. For a week, there was no speaker to call

With the beginning of each new legislative session, it’s tradition to hear members of the New York Legislature and the governor lay out their goals and outline the policies they deem most valuable for the state’s residents. Sometimes these ideas are rooted in common sense, and other times they are merely lip service. Gov. Kathy

As Congress and many state legislatures get under way for the year, there are lots of new lawmakers out there starting to learn the ropes. It’s an exhilarating, exhausting time, and they’ll have plenty of questions about the challenges. But here is one thing they might not even have imagined. The hardest part of their

But more should be done. Gov. Kathy Hochul [recently] approved a long-overdue measure to restore the comptroller’s office with oversight of state contracts. This is great news and is an important first step in restoring New York’s proper checks and balances. As such, lawmakers and good-government groups across the state applauded the decision to, again, permit

At the start of 2022, I wrote that defending democracy was the defining challenge for the United States. I noted that we Americans have faith that democracy is the best and most-just system — that we believe in government “of the people, for the people and by the people.” Defending democracy remained a consistent theme

As we look forward to this new year, we do so with a sense of optimism and possibility. The beginning of 2023 presents the opportunity to look toward new goals, new ideas, and new opportunities. Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution or start of a new project, each of us goes into January with a

The 118th Congress [convened] Jan. 3, and while it’s impossible to know What it will or won’t accomplish, it’s a fair bet there will be drama. With the GOP taking control of the House, a tightly divided Senate, and a presidential election less than two years away, sending political signals — as much to the

As required by the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), the Climate Action Council (CAC) [on Dec. 19] approved a framework for reducing carbon emissions in New York state. As expected, the final scoping plan raised a number of red flags regarding energy grid reliability, costs and feasibility, and does not fully take