Chris Christie uper-Wealthy at the Expense of the Working Class and signs new NJ budget: Reaction from lawmakers, unions, organizations

Chris Christie uper-Wealthy at the Expense of the Working Class and signs new NJ budget: Reaction from lawmakers, unions, organizations

By Brent Johnson/The Star-Ledger
on June 30, 2014

Trenton- Gov. Chris Christie today signed a new, $32.5 billion state budget, vetoing a package of tax hikes designed by Democrats and reducing payments to the public-worker pension system to cover a revenue shortfall.

Below is reaction from a number of state lawmakers, unions, and organizations:

STATE SENATE PRESIDENT STEPHEN SWEENEY (D-Gloucester)
"Democrats presented a budget to the governor that met our obligations while not placing the burden on working people. Our budget was a fiscally responsible plan that would have honored the state's commitments and increased funding for critical services. It was the right thing to do for all New Jerseyans. The governor, however, has decided to continue protecting the state's wealthiest at the expense of the middle class and working poor. His belief in punishing the middle class is one of the reasons New Jersey's economy continues to lag behind that of our neighbors and the nation, while working people suffer the brunt of the consequences."

STATE ASSEMBLY SPEAKER VINCENT PRIETO (D-Hudson)
"The governor's failure to fully fund our pension obligation will push New Jersey closer toward fiscal disaster, and his rejection of tax relief for working families and continued support for tax breaks for millionaires is once again disappointing. The ramifications will unfortunately be adversely felt by taxpayers for years to come."

ASSEMBLYMAN GARY SCHAER (D-Passaic)
Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee
"Our stagnating economy made it obvious that we needed a departure from the governor's repeated approach to the budget — kicking the can down the road year after year — to one where we all agree to do what is necessary to meet our legally-mandated fiscal obligations and to establish fiscal prudence. The governor's budget disregards these obligations. We are now one step closer to a moment of reckoning that will be far less palatable than this one."

ASSEMBLYWOMAN SHEILA OLIVER (D-Essex)
"Year after year, the governor has made reckless fiscal choices based mostly on bloated budget projections by his administration. New Jersey residents continue to pay the price."

ASSEMBLYMAN JOHN BURZICHELLI (D-Gloucester)
"Democrats presented a budget that was based on the ideas of fairness and living up to our obligations. It positioned New Jersey for success and provided much-needed help for working class families struggling to make ends meet. Some Democratic priorities remain, and that's a good thing, but it's not enough. After the governor's actions, the harsh reality is that our fiscal problems will grow immensely in the coming years."

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
NOTE: Christie is a possible contender for the 2016 Republican nomination for president
"Chris Christie vetoed a budget passed by the state legislature. Why? Because the budget asked the super-wealthy and corporations to pay a little bit more so that middle class pensioners who worked all their lives and have contributed into their retirements could get a fair payment from the state. Christie's plan, however, protects the tax status of the wealthy while nixing strategic investments in key programs like women's health centers and while slashing contributions into the pensions. It's a tale as old as time: a GOP governor standing up for the wealthy at the expense of the working and middle class — all in an attempt to court Republican presidential primary voters."

HETTY ROSENSTEIN
State director of the Communication Workers of America, the largest state workers' union
"There's a reason Wall Street credit agencies have down-graded New Jersey a record six times on Christie's watch. With today's veto, this Governor seems unsatisfied and decided to go for a seventh. Christie can magically find billions for corporations and tax cuts for multi-millionaires, but can't find money to pay New Jersey's bills. By again failing to make sure everyone pays their fair share, Christie continues to put our state on even shakier financial footing. New Jersey's economy has consistently lagged the rest of the nation under Christie, with his trickle-down economic agenda leading to America's 48th worst job creation. For all of Christie's bluster about fiscal discipline and making tough decisions, the Senate and Assembly Majorities are the only ones with the right priorities. Christie again shows he cares more about placating inside-the-beltway think tanks and right-wing caucus voters in Iowa than doing what's best for New Jersey."

GORDON MacINNES
President of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank
"The current budget crisis has made perfectly clear that New Jersey's leaders take a long, hard, mature look at the state's financial situation and come up with a responsible plan for systemic changes that bring stability, predictability, coherence and fairness to state taxes, spending and investment. The knee-jerk 'no new taxes' ideology on display from some of our leaders, both inside and outside the Statehouse, makes coming up with such a plan virtually impossible, and thus puts the state's economic future very much at risk."