{"id":2181927,"date":"2024-02-20T12:37:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T17:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hochul-tries-to-expand-her-power-with-move-critics-say-creates-a-dangerous-precedent\/"},"modified":"2024-02-20T12:42:54","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T17:42:54","slug":"hochul-tries-to-expand-her-power-with-move-critics-say-creates-a-dangerous-precedent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hochul-tries-to-expand-her-power-with-move-critics-say-creates-a-dangerous-precedent\/","title":{"rendered":"Hochul&#8217;s power expansion attempt raises concerns over a &#8216;risky precedent"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhochul-tries-to-expand-her-power-with-move-critics-say-creates-a-dangerous-precedent%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2181927&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>New \u200cYork Comptroller Accuses Governor Hochul of Stripping Oversight Authority in \u2063Budget \u2064Proposal<\/h2>\n<p>In a \u2062scathing \u200dreport on the \u2062state&#8217;s executive budget, New York Comptroller\u2063 Tom DiNapoli has accused Governor Kathy Hochul of attempting to undermine his office&#8217;s oversight authority. DiNapoli&#8217;s 38-page \u200creport, released last week, \u200chighlights several\u200d &#8220;concerning proposals&#8221; in Hochul&#8217;s 2024-25 budget, particularly regarding transparency, debt, and limitations on oversight.<\/p>\n<p>According \u200bto \u200dthe report,\u2062 Hochul is excluding a\u2063 staggering\u200c $160\u200d million and an additional $1.4 billion from the Comptroller&#8217;s oversight and competitive bidding. This move \u2064has raised\u200d serious concerns\u2062 about transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Restricting Oversight and Approvals<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;The Executive Budget includes\u2062 a new proposal to severely restrict the State \u2064Comptroller&#8217;s\u200d terms and conditions approval of certain State bond issuances,&#8221; DiNapoli emphasized in the report. \u2062He stressed the\u2062 importance\u2063 of \u2062this oversight and approval\u200b role in protecting taxpayers\u2063 from risky and\u200c costly financing\u200d decisions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DiNapoli further criticized Hochul&#8217;s budget\u200c for expanding her own\u200d powers, potentially leading to &#8220;costlier and riskier bonding choices.&#8221; He warned that this could set a dangerous \u2064precedent,\u2064 with other public authority bond\u2062 issuers following suit, such as the MTA, known for its poor debt\u2063 practices. The lack of oversight, according to DiNapoli, would inevitably burden New York State taxpayers in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, \u200bHochul had signed legislation to restore oversight authority on certain state contracts to DiNapoli, which had been stripped from him by the previous Democratic Governor, Andrew Cuomo,\u2062 in 2011. DiNapoli emphasized the importance \u200bof his\u200b office&#8217;s independent contract review in\u200d deterring waste, fraud, and abuse in the state&#8217;s procurement process.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Protecting Taxpayers and Ensuring Fairness<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;By reviewing contracts before they\u2063 are awarded, \u200cmy office protects taxpayers\u2064 and state agencies by uncovering significant\u2064 fiscal and integrity issues and helps to ensure a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brexit-trade-deal-published-as-uk-calls-for-end-to-ugly-divisions\/\" title=\"Brexit trade deal published as UK calls for end to \u2018ugly\u2019 divisions\">level playing field<\/a> for\u200b vendors,&#8221; DiNapoli stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The battle for \u200doversight authority between DiNapoli\u200d and\u2062 Hochul continues, with the Comptroller\u2063 determined to \u200csafeguard taxpayer\u200b interests and maintain transparency in New York&#8217;s financial operations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click here to read more from The\u2062 Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How might the creation of \u2063the &#8220;New York Forward Fund&#8221; bypassing the Comptroller&#8217;s office\u200d affect accountability and transparency in the allocation\u200b of funds?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  $10 billion of debt from the Comptroller&#8217;s oversight authority. This move, according\u200b to DiNapoli, restricts the ability of the\u200b Comptroller&#8217;s office to assess the financial health and risk of \u200bthe state&#8217;s debt. The report argues that this lack\u2062 of oversight could have serious \u2063implications for the state&#8217;s \u200dfinances and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-tale-of-two-depressions-the-forgotten-and-the-great\/\" title=\"A Tale of Two Depressions: The Forgotten and The Great\">fiscal responsibility<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the \u200dreport\u2063 criticizes Hochul&#8217;s \u2062proposal to create a new entity called\u2064 the &#8220;New\u200c York Forward \u200bFund,&#8221; \u200bwhich would have control over a substantial\u200c portion of the \u2063state&#8217;s revenues. According to DiNapoli, \u2062this would potentially bypass the Comptroller&#8217;s office and undermine its oversight role in managing the state&#8217;s\u200c finances. This could lead to a lack of accountability and transparency in the allocation of funds.<\/p>\n<p>DiNapoli&#8217;s report\u200c also raises concerns about the lack of \u2063details and transparency surrounding the Governor&#8217;s \u200dbudget proposals. The report\u200b claims that the budget lacks adequate explanations and justifications for \u2062various spending and revenue decisions. This lack of transparency could make it difficult for the Comptroller&#8217;s office to evaluate and assess the potential impact of these proposals on \u2063the \u2064state&#8217;s financial health.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Comptroller&#8217;s\u200d office plays a \u200ccrucial\u200d role in overseeing the state&#8217;s \u200bfinances and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-embraces-bidenomics-label-as-he-embarks-on-reelection-campaign\/\" title=\"Biden embraces 'Bidenomics' as he starts reelection campaign.\">ensuring fiscal responsibility<\/a>.\u200b It\u200c provides independent analysis \u200dand evaluation of \u200dthe \u200dstate&#8217;s budget, debt, and financial practices. By stripping away the Comptroller&#8217;s oversight authority,\u2063 Governor Hochul \u200bis undermining an important check and balance system that helps prevent financial mismanagement and irresponsible spending.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the report, Governor Hochul&#8217;s office defended \u200bthe budget proposals, stating that they were necessary to jumpstart the state&#8217;s economy and \u200baddress the financial challenges caused by the COVID-19\u2062 pandemic. They argued that the proposed\u200d changes were aimed at streamlining \u2064and expediting the budget\u2062 process, rather than undermining oversight.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics argue that the Governor&#8217;s proposals could create a lack of checks and balances, allowing for potential abuses of power \u200cand misallocation of funds. The Comptroller&#8217;s\u2064 office, as an independent watchdog, ensures accountability and transparency in the state&#8217;s financial \u2062management. By \u2063stripping \u200caway oversight authority, Governor\u2064 Hochul is potentially compromising \u200dthese\u2062 principles.<\/p>\n<p>As the\u200c state continues to recover from the pandemic and faces ongoing financial \u2064challenges, it is crucial that there is robust oversight and transparency in managing the\u2062 state&#8217;s finances. The New York \u200dComptroller&#8217;s office has a vital \u2062role in providing independent analysis and evaluation that keeps the\u200d government accountable and responsible. Any attempts\u2062 to curtail or undermine this oversight authority should be thoroughly examined and debated to ensure the state&#8217;s financial \u2063health and\u200c stability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli accused Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) of trying to strip him of oversight power in a report on the state&#8217;s budget. DiNapoli&#8217;s 38-page critique of Hochul&#8217;s 2024-25 budget proposal highlighted worrisome transparency, debt, and oversight restrictions. Hochul&#8217;s actions have raised concerns about accountability and transparency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2669,"featured_media":2181928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ap23158630242142-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2181927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ap23158630242142-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2669"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2181927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2181928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2181927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2181927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2181927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}