Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) our May 2023 Porker of the Month for signing a budget that bans gas stoves and furnaces in new residential buildings.

Gov. Hochul’s $229 billion budget is devastating for taxpayers, businesses, and consumers, especially the inclusion of a ban on natural gas as part of her $5 billion “Green New Deal” initiative. Beginning in 2026, newly constructed residential buildings will be required to only use electricity for heating and cooking, making New York the first state to impose such a ban. Ending the use of natural gas will take away the cheapest and most efficient form of energy for tens of millions of New Yorkers, leading to increased energy prices and diminished services. Gov. Hochul has already demonstrated a penchant for screwing over New York taxpayers when she blindsided them last year with an $850 million bill for a new Buffalo Bills stadium, which earned her May 2022’s Porker of the Month honor.

CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “Gov. Hochul is forcing New Yorkers out into the cold by banning natural gas. The ban makes utilities unaffordable, drives up food and energy costs, fails to impact climate change, and will cost hardworking New Yorkers their jobs. Gov. Hochul’s ‘Green New Deal’ will also have adverse consequences on New York’s economy. Her natural gas ban prioritizes progressive policies and punishes consumers and taxpayers. For her harmful, unnecessary, and costly ban on natural gas, Gov. Hochul is an obvious choice for CAGW’s May 2023 Porker of the Month.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. For more than two decades, Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the taxpayers.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230523006062/en/