Governor Andrew Cuomo told an audience at SUNY Old Westbury that he plans to urge the state legislature to pass a permanent property tax cap for the middle class. It is currently set to expire in 2020.

Speaking on February 28th, the governor also criticized President Trump’s tax bill that placed a $10,000 limit on federal deductions for state and local property taxes. New Yorkers are expected to lose billions to the federal government under the law.

As Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties pay among the highest property taxes in the country, according to the governor, he has made it a priority to reduce such taxes and also to reduce state income taxes. Without lowering taxes, it will be difficult for New York to compete with other states, he noted, and businesses will move elsewhere. Cuomo said that he wants to make it affordable to live here again and encourage people to stay in New York. “We are competing to attract and competing to keep,” he said.

In his talk, which was sponsored by the Long Island Association, the governor also said that a priority is the improvement of the Long Island Railroad. Some parts of Long Island only have one track, making it difficult to travel. “If a squirrel happens on to the track and has a heart attack, everything stops,” he said. Noting that adding two or three tracks in about fifty stations, would “prioritize the project called Eastside Access which brings the trains into the Eastside of Manhattan.”

The governor also said that he has made progress with water quality, partnering with Suffolk County Executive, Steven Bellone. Together, they are planning on bringing a “real water and sewer system to Suffolk County.” He added that the state is doing environmental work in cleaning up bays and shorelines with shell fish restoration.