Some southern states more like ‘welfare recipients’

Former New York Gov. David Paterson blasted the federal government Sunday for failing to reimburse the Big Apple over its migrant crisis — while calling some southern states “welfare recipients.’’

The Democrat said on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable” that New York City has been paying more than its fair share to address the housing needs of the 50,000 new migrants flooding the area this past year, while Republican-led states only come around with their hands out.

“States like South Carolina that gets back $43 billion more than they pay in taxes from the federal government, and Alabama, which gets back $35 billion more than they pay into our Treasury,” Paterson noted to host John Catsimatidis, citing examples of states allegedly not pulling their weight.

“And so here are the people lecturing us on self-help when they’re the biggest beneficiaries’’ of government money, he said.

“If they weren’t states and were people, we’d call them welfare recipients.”

Paterson also addressed state issues, saying Gov. Kathy Hochul has recently been “disrespected” by Albany lawmakers who he claimed want to add tens of billions of dollars to her 2024 budget proposal.

The former gov did not say what the additional $50 billion in proposed expenditures involved. Hochul’s current plan calls for $227 billion in spending.

But he noted that Hochul “rearranged her staff” — presumably referring to her booting acting state budget Director Sandra Beattie for Bob Megna last month — while negotiating with members of her own party, which he said was the right move.

“Although it would seem ominous that she would do something like that, I see it as a good sign,” Paterson said. “I see it as a good, as a sign that she’s listening to someone whose telling her that she’s got to better organize her legislative a-agenda.’’

The Harlem pol said the negotiations with the legislature are especially important because New York will not receive any pandemic funding from the federal government in the next fiscal year.

“Her interactions with them have not been positive,” he said of Hochul and the legislature.

“I feel that she’s been disrespected. Um, and, and I think that she is still trying to be professional and trying to work with them carefully, but this is a very critical time.”