Gas, groceries, utilities, and housing are causing debt and despair
A weekly COLUMN from NY State Senator Tom O’Mara
Not that we need new polls to tell us that New York State is getting increasingly more unaffordable, but recent statewide polling from the Siena Research Institute offers a telling look at the state of affordability in New York.
It’s a concern, of course, that many of my legislative colleagues and I have steadfastly pinpointed throughout the past as New Yorkers have consistently let it be known that the prohibitive cost of living in this state is driving them away.
The truth remains that citizens across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions I represent, and statewide, are worried about making ends meet. They see this state becoming less affordable, less free, less economically competitive, less responsible, and far less hopeful for the future with less opportunity. While many Albany Democrats may acknowledge that New York State has an affordability crisis causing the exodus of so many of our citizens to more affordable states – remember that we lead America in population loss – they nevertheless remain committed to out-of-control spending, high taxes, exorbitant costs for everything under the sun, and burdensome regulations and unfunded state mandates.
New York State’s current direction is not sustainable. While excessive costs cannot be brought under control solely through actions out of Albany, state government can and should be taking every step possible to ease the burden, not add to it.
Keep in mind, as I highlighted in this column last week, that fiscal watchdogs have already projected significant state budget deficits throughout the foreseeable future and, inevitability, footing the bill of budget deficits always falls on taxpayers.
We need to rescue New York and that can begin by restoring the right priorities to turn things around, rebuild stronger and safer communities, and work toward a more responsible and sustainable future for middle-class communities, families, workers, businesses, industries, and taxpayers.
From some of Siena’s latest statewide polling:
- Nearly 80 percent of state residents report that the amount of money they spend on groceries is having either a very serious or somewhat serious impact on their finances.
- Seven in ten New Yorkers say that housing costs are having a very serious or somewhat serious impact on their financial condition.
- Seventy-five percent of state residents say that their utility costs are having a very serious or somewhat serious impact on their finances.
The Siena Research Institute has summarized its most recent findings this way:
- “Three-quarters of New Yorkers say that their utility bills are having a serious impact on their financial condition and 51 percent say their utility bills are unaffordable. In response to these financial pressures, many New Yorkers are adjusting their thermostats, and a third of utility paying residents are paying bills late, 3 in 10 are taking on more debt, and nearly 1 in 5 have contacted their elected officials.”
- “New Yorkers are feeling the pain at the pump, in the grocery story, and at home. For the first time since 2023, six in ten residents say that gasoline prices are squeezing their budgets and seriously impacting their financial condition. This comes on top of food, utilities, and housing, where seven in ten are feeling the strain. While many New Yorkers are under financial stress, the experience for those with the lowest earnings and fewest resources is even more precarious.”
It simply reaffirms the need for a legislative agenda pushed by our Senate Republican Conference throughout 2026, “Save New York,” to focus on policies being ignored in Albany that prioritize economic growth and job creation, tax relief and regulatory reform, and many other affordability initiatives.
The “Save New York” agenda is a comprehensive plan to ease the financial burden on middle-class families and small business owners, lower costs and improve affordability, and restore the quality of life in communities statewide. The plan calls for numerous actions including:
- enacting a state spending cap;
- rejecting and eliminating tax increases and unfunded state mandates on local governments and school districts;
- providing across-the-board tax relief;
- rejecting extreme, mandated climate proposals;
- increasing affordable housing options;
- making childcare more accessible and affordable; and
- improving the state’s business climate by protecting small businesses and farms by reducing regulations, and lowering taxes and unfair costs.
We face an affordability crisis. New York, on its current path, fails to produce hope for a long-term, sustainable future for communities and families, businesses and industries, or taxpayers and workers.
It’s time to save New Yorkers from waking up every day worried about making ends meet
