GOP lawmakers accuse New York governor of prioritizing illegal immigrants over students

The New York state Senate Republicans have introduced new legislation to counter the proposals set forth in Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul's budget, arguing that more money should be going to schools, many of which have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently by the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants.

The government's decision to house undocumented newcomers in schools to the detriment of students has been slammed by the the GOP, and they have vowed to ensure the focus shifts back to providing children with an unhindered, quality education.

"The migrant crisis continues to get worse because the Democrats refuse to put an end to wrongheaded sanctuary city policies," Senate Minority Leader Roy Ortt said in a January 29 statement announcing the legislative package. "Instead, they continue to throw more money at the issue and away from programs that provide for our New York families, including school aid."
 

"Education should always be among the top priorities for state government," he added, "and the Senate Republican Conference is committed to ensuring that New Yorkers' hard earned tax dollars help schools obtain the resources they need."

Ortt slammed Hochul's proposed elimination of the "hold harmless" provision, which ensures school districts receive no less funding than they did the year before, and suggested the "bloated" $233 billion budget "siphons state aid away from local schools."

"The Governor's budget is yet another example of the complete disregard for New York families and taxpayers," he said. "$4.3 billion over two years will be used to address the migrant crisis that was caused by open borders and sanctuary city policies supported by Democrats. At the same time, they are stripping millions of dollars from rural and suburban school districts. We are tired of misplaced priorities from Albany’s One-Party Rule, and our conference will fight to get all school districts the funding they deserve,” said Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt.

Senate Deputy Republican Leader Andrew Lanza echoed Ortt's sentiments, saying, "While school children fell behind because of misguided policies during the pandemic, Governor Hochul and her radical allies support spending billions of dollars on illegal migrants instead of students who deserve a top-notch education."

Lawmakers have until April 1 to approve the budget.