New York, NY —
Hours before the New York State Legislature convenes for a special session, Gov. Paterson lashed out at Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos for refusing to negotiate an agreement to reduce the widening budget deficit.
After a closed-door session with Republican senators Skelos said he would put Paterson's proposals for $5 billion in cuts to schools and health care before the Senate today, but he said he'll be voting against them.
The governor calls Skelos's move a political game that would surely defeat proposals and said that failure to act on the cuts today would be more than irresponsible.
Skelos says the cuts, particularly the mid-year school aid cuts, are unfair and should not be done "piecemeal."