Espada, who led last year's debilitating Senate coup, says he wants to force lawmakers to approve a budget.
Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., D-Bronx, holds a key for the locked state Senate Chamber in Albany on June 10, 2009. Espada said today he's willing to vote against emergency spending bills and risk a government shutdown to force lawmakers to agree on a budget. One year ago, Espada and another Democrat, Hiram Monserrate flipped to the Republicans, giving the GOP control of the chamber. Espada then returned to the Democrats and was elected Senate president.
Albany, NY — The New York senator who set off a debilitating coup in the chamber a year ago says he’ll vote against any more emergency spending bills, even at the risk of shutting down government.
Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., a Bronx Democrat, tells The Associated Press that he won’t give the Democratic majority the 32nd vote needed next week to pass a short-term spending bill that would keep government running in the absence of a completed budget. Instead, he says he’ll force the Senate leadership — which he says has been out-negotiated in the budget process — to work through the weekend to seal a deal with the Assembly and governor.
Espada led the Senate coup one year ago on Tuesday. He said bold leadership is needed again and insists the coup brought needed reform in the Senate.
In April, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sued Espada, accusing the fellow Democrat of siphoning $14 million from his government-funded Bronx clinic.