For the past year, “affordability” has become Albany’s favorite buzzword. Governor Hochul has leaned heavily on it in her most recent State of the State address and her proposed 2026 Executive Budget, presenting herself as a champion for working families struggling with rising costs.

But if affordability is truly the goal, we need to be honest about what that word actually means, and whether the Governor’s agenda delivers it.

To me, affordability does not mean a $112 billion increase in state spending over the last decade. Nor does it mean continuing to mandate the very policies that have made New York one of the most expensive states in the U.S. while claiming families are better off. Yet the Governor’s proposed $260 billion budget, does exactly that. Calling this responsible money management, as the Governor did, requires ignoring both history and reality.

Nowhere is this disconnect clearer than in energy policy.

While Governor Hochul acknowledged the very real energy crisis facing New Yorkers, she failed to take responsibility for the policies that helped create it. Laws like the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act have placed enormous strain on our power grid,........

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