Kruger's Offensive
November 16th, 2009
Some Senate Democrats are troubled by the aggression displayed by Sen. Carl Kruger in deficit reduction negotiations this weekend. The Brooklyn Democrat has gone on the offensive against Gov. David Paterson, pledging to block any serious cuts to health care and education. The Times points out that Kruger has managed to stockpile a $2.1 campaign chest with the help of labor unions.
Kruger claims Paterson’s office has not provided him with key information, and as a result he plans to subpoena the the financial records of state agencies and has said he is considering having a judge force Paterson to collect taxes from the sale of cigarettes on Indian reservations. The Post is reporting that Kruger is considering $1 billion in new taxes on medical services as an alternative to budget cuts.
Some Democratic Senators say they are troubled by Kruger’s actions . They say if a plan to reduce the budget isn’t agreed to and voted on this week Senate Democrats are likely to get stuck with the blame. They see the Assembly and Paterson getting off relatively unscathed should negotiations collapse. They also worry that Kruger is trying to block needed cuts to the budget. Some observers also see Kruger as moving instinctively against Paterson because of his low approval ratings.
Paterson took to the the airwaves this morning to insist that the legislature needs to come up with real cost saving measures. He complained that legislators have proposed “phony remedies” to the deficit problem. He said that proposing serious cuts to the budget has hurt his approval ratings.
By David King on November 16, 2009, 11:49 amIn category: Albany, Eye on Albany | No Comments »
