Phil Murphy warns he'll make huge cuts if there's no budget deal with Democratic leaders

NJ.com ^ | June 25, 2018 | Samantha Marcus

[pepsi_junkie]

Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that absent a last-minute deal with his fellow Democrats who run the New Jersey Legislature, he will be forced to cut $855 million in spending from the state budget lawmakers passed last week.

"That's unfortunately the option that we'd be left with," Murphy said at a news conference at his office in Trenton.

The Legislature passed a budget on Thursday that, in defiance of Murphy, does not include his plans to raise taxes on personal income over $1 million or boost the state sales taxes from 6.625 percent back to 7 percent.

Murphy would not say what he might cut, but the legislative budget included more than $300 million in additional funding for public schools, property tax relief and Democratic wish list items that could be targeted.

[pepsi_junkie]

Democrats run the state legislature in NJ and even they can't deal with the level of taxation the new Governor, Phil Murphy (former Goldman-Sachs CEO) wants to impose. So Murphy's threat is to CUT THE BUDGET if he doesn't get his taxes. That's like showing a crucifix to vampires, the dems in the legislature must be apoplectic.

[romanesq]

Well, good.

[gr8eman]

Yeah right! The budget in the people’s Republic of New Joisey will NEVER get cut!

[pepsi_junkie]

I’m with you, Murphy would melt like the wicked witch of the east if he tried to cut the budget. Empty threat. But it will be interesting if the legislators will call his bluff because they don’t want to get tarred with raising taxes in the same year NJ gets hammered with the loss of the deduction for the state and local taxes. Those of us trapped in NJ (and some, I assume, live here by choice) are already going to see our taxes go UP thanks to the federal tax cut. Now if they do raise the state taxes even more, expect politicians in NJ to be swinging from lamp posts around April 15 2019 when people see the bills come in.

[Sicon]

I heard a republican NJ state rep on the radio this morning. He said that Murpyh's threat to cut spending is an example of democrat in-fighting, as a spending cut isn't really a threat to republicans...

Funny, though here in NJ, they all like to spend like idiots anyway.

[Chode]

and all the cuts will be to the law enforcement, firefighting and hospitals... right?