Paterson Heads to Washington After Albany Failure

New York, NY —

Gov. Paterson heads to Washington today, hoping for more success with Congress than he had yesterday with state lawmakers. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: Top on Gov. Paterson's beltway agenda will be shoring up the state's unemployment trust fund so it can handle the jump in jobless New Yorkers. In Albany, the decision by both Democratic and Republican state lawmakers to defer action on Paterson's call to cut $2 billion in the current budget, buys time for labor and education groups to push for a so-called millionaire's tax. In the interim, Paterson's proposed cuts in the face of growing deficits are pressuring legislators to consider budget reductions of their own. Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco is offering up 200 million in lawmakers' cherished member items. For WNYC, I am Bob Hennelly.