Gov. Andrew Cuomo claims he’s trying to forestall economic “damage” by delaying steps to plug the state budget gap, but watchdogs, schools and local governments are right to warn of major pain from his delay itself.

And, by the way, that gap (Cuomo says it’s $30 billion over two years) isn’t soon vanishing: Monday, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli reported sales tax receipts alone are down $2.8 billion this year.

“I’m not going to do any damage [like budget cuts] to the state’s economy until you tell me that is the last resort,” the gov says. OK, we’ll tell you: “It’s the last resort, Gov!”

Cuomo hopes if Joe Biden wins the White House and Democrats take over the Senate they’ll quickly rush him billions to bail him out. Yet “even if there is a large federal aid package, it’s very unlikely it will cover the whole gap,” warns David Friedfel of the independent Citizens Budget Commission.

Plus, Biden’s “budget priorities don’t include permanent rolling bailouts,” adds Empire Center fiscal expert E.J. McMahon.

And as Cuomo waits, schools, towns and counties might put off necessary steps, causing more hardship later.

Cuomo’s “delay has deleterious effects,” argue watchdogs from both sides of the political spectrum (the CBC, the New York Public Interest Research Group, Common Cause, Reinvent Albany and the League of Women Voters). “Recipients of state funding may be delaying actions that they should be taking now.”

Cuomo, to his credit, has curbed outlays somewhat already but fears backlash if he goes further. Trouble is, there’s just no way to avoid more hits from the budget ax; the longer he waits, the worse it’ll be.

Besides, didn’t he just write a book on leadership?

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