Are New York's lawmakers making the sausage the wrong way?

When it comes to the $268 billion state budget, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie thinks the answer is yes. On Thursday, shortly after Governor Kathy Hochul announced a deal on the budget, Heastie emerged from his office to tell reporters that there was no deal, and that he’s fed up with Hochul’s practice of inserting most of her legislative agenda for the year — including numerous items that have little to do with spending — into the state’s budget.

“I’m never doing this again. Budgets are supposed to be about money, not policy,” Heastie said.

Could New York change how it makes its budget? This question has quickly escalated from a relatively fringe demand to a central issue in ongoing negotiations.

“There’s something fundamentally wrong with this process,” Heastie said.

But whether he or other lawmakers will take action to change it isn’t clear.