‘PREZ’ DISPENSERISPENSER

Cuomo doless liberal gifts in 2020-bid prep

Gov. Cuomo used the state-budget process to go shopping for the liberal credentials he’ll need to run for president, Albany insiders say.

As the Assembly on Saturday began passing the bills to implement the state’s late and record-setting $153.1 billion spending plan, Cuomo was already touting his “progressive” largesse.

Appealing to key left-wing constituencies that could help him in a Democratic presidential-primary campaign, the governor poured $163 million into a collegescholarship program and handed out a $35 million tax break to workers who pay union dues.

He also created a $10 million immigrant legal-defense fund, halted the treatment 16- and 17-year-old criminal offenders as adults and renewed the millionaires tax.

The moves add up to a “press release for his presidential ambitions,” scoffed Assemblyman Al Graf, a Long Island Republican. “He’s trying to get his progressive bona fides up. He’s saying, ‘Look at how progressive I am.’ ”

And Democratic consultant Evan Thies said “Cuomo has clearly taken a left-hand turn on Route 2020 with this budget. He will point to wins for Democratic constituencies.”

Democrats called the budget, which will be voted on by the state Senate on Sunday, a “win for unions, immigrants and progressives” whose help Cuomo will need for his 2018 re-election campaign.

The free college tuition for families earning less than $125,000 per year earned cheers from supporters of Bernie Sanders, who has endorsed the plan, and Hillary Clinton, who tweeted Saturday: “Let’s celebrate New York state getting something important done that we wanted to do nationally. A great step for progressives.”

Organized labor, which traditionally leans left and can pump tons of cash and volunteers into campaigns, applauded the union-dues tax deduction.

“Hard to overstate what a big deal this is symbolically and practically for labor. While [Republicans] are moving [antiunion] right-to-work bills, Cuomo sends a message,” labor stategist Neal Kwatra tweeted.

The budget included other goodies popular with Democratic fund-raisers, including the continuation of $445 million in tax credits for film and television — a move praised by Hollywood donors.

Cuomo trumpeted his immigrant legal-defense fund as a response to President Trump’s “dramatic plans” to restrict immigration and deport undocumented immigrants..

Graf warned that if Cuomo rebukes Trump on immigration and other policies, there couldld be consequences because one-third of the state’s budget comes from the federal government..

“He’s actually playing chicken with a semi, or he’s playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun,” Graff said.

Asked Friday whether he was polishing his presidential résumé, Cuomo, who has de-nied any interest in a 2020 White House run, said only, “Ha, ha, ha.”