Winston Churchill famously warned, “never let a good crisis go to waste.” New Yorkers will be better off if Gov. Hochul and legislative leaders make smart choices to prevent a crisis in the first place.

This coming budget season, state leaders will be tempted to boost spending that garners good will today but generates bad consequences tomorrow. Instead, they should make smart yet hard choices: to fund high-impact priorities by shifting money from ineffective programs while holding the line on taxes. This path would protect vulnerable New Yorkers from a future fiscal reckoning and strengthen the state’s economic competitiveness.

The pressure to boost spending and raise taxes is intense. Hochul, a child care and affordability champion, may yield to election-year temptation to balloon myriad programs. Mayor Mamdani inspired voters with an expansive platform to deliver affordability and raise taxes.

Compounding the stress, the state must reckon with significant........

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