As the deadline to pass the state's budget approaches, Governor Cuomo defends his proposal against criticism.
In an address to the Rochester Rotary the governor laid out some of the specifics, focusing on upstate revitalization and economic development.
The New York State Senate and Assembly have also submitted their proposals over the last two days, and the governor says each proposal reflects the specific plans of each.
"My priorities are in -- some pieces are in the assembly budget, some pieces are in the senate budget, and it now becomes a question of whether we can reconcile these three visions and come up with one budget."
The governor took special care defending his $1.5 million economic revitalization competition, which has been criticized by some state lawmakers for creating winners and losers.
Cuomo says the competition is an important part of the process. He says they learned that through the success of the regional economic development council program.
"People got excited. Some years they won, some years they lost. But we're all competitive types. You lose, you go back, you lick your wounds, you yell at people, and then you figure out what you learned and you move on."
Cuomo also says there are no real losers. Regions that aren't awarded that money would still be eligible for $90 million through the regional economic development council program.
