Gov. Cuomo, Albany leaders reach deal on $212B budget with $4B in tax hikes

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders on Tuesday announced a deal on the state’s overdue budget that includes about $4 billion in new taxes, legal sports betting and unemployment benefits for illegal immigrants.

The $212 billion spending plan, which was due April 1, dwarfs last year’s $194 billion budget, with officials blaming the coronavirus crisis for the surge in outlays. “New York was ambushed early and hit hardest by COVID, devastating our economy and requiring urgent and unprecedented emergency spending to manage the pandemic,” Cuomo said in a prepared statement.