Gov. Murphy refuses to cut spending — Spadea calls BS

💲 Gov. Murphy’s budget sets record for spending

💲 Murphy refused to reduce overall spending

💲 Candidate Spadea says that’s ‘insulting’

In the days leading up to his budget speech before the Legislature, Gov. Phil Murphy talked about the state reducing spending.

“Families in our state are dealing with affordability issues,” Murphy told News 12 New Jersey, “They have to tighten their belt.  The state can be no different.”

Only apparently, it is.

Even though Murphy said the state has to “begin bending that curve which is the difference between what we take in versus what we spend,” he introduced another budget with record spending and over $1 billion in new taxes.

The nearly $58 billion dollar spending plan continues the trend of new record spending every year Murphy has been in office.

New or increased taxes are proposed for everything from go-cart racing, laser tag, bowling, cigarettes, alcohol, vapes, hemp products, internet gaming, sports betting and drones.

Even Democrats recoiled

Reaction to the Murphy spending plan was met with shock and surprise on both sides of the political aisle.

Joining the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show, Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, D-Camden, said there is no appetite for raising taxes in the lower house.

In part, because the Assembly is up for re-election in November, and Democrats fear backlash from voters if they raise taxes.

Greenwald recalled many children’s birthday parties at bowling alleys and laser-tag centers and said it makes no sense to change parents more for such activities.

In the Senate, John Burzichelli, a Democratic member of the Senate Budget Committee, says the upper house also has no motivation for tax increases.

I asked both legislators if they would cut the budget or find other ways to raise revenue.  Burzichelli said he personally preferred budget cuts but could not say what that might involve.  Greenwald was noncommittal but signaled other sources of revenue could be sought.

Spadea calls B.S.

At least one candidate to be New Jersey’s next governor offered specific areas of the budget that could be cut to not only reduce spending, but make New Jersey affordable.

During a recent visit to the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show, Republican candidate Bill Spadea called Murphy’s spending plan “bloated, irresponsible, and insulting.”

“For the governor to come out and act as if this is going to somehow make New Jersey more affordable,” Spadea told me, “Is a slap in the face to anybody that has any common sense.”

Spadea pointed out that while Murphy says he champions the lower and middle class, his tax hikes hit them where it hurts.

“Where do those tax increases go? They go against the middle and working class. I Internet gaming, sports betting, cigarettes, alcohol, vape, you name it.”

Beyond attacking the tax cuts, Spadea also outlined where he would cut the budget.

“Let’s start with the billion-dollar funding for Rutgers,” Spadea said. “Rutgers has a $5 billion budget; 24 cents on the dollar comes from state taxpayers. There's no reason for it.”

Spadea also made clear the school funding formula needs to be fixed.

“You've got $12 billion in school funding, yet there's zero return on investment. In Newark, 9 out of 10 kids can't perform math at grade level.”

The GOP candidate for governor is also certain there are savings to be had at New Jersey Transit and called for a deep audit of the agency's budget.

Additional savings, he says, could be found in the cost of road construction and subsidies for so-called “green energy.”

Spadea also supports a DOGE office in New Jersey similar to the one headed up by Elon Musk for President Donald Trump’s administration.

With a deep audit of all spending, Spadea says he is confident there would be “billions of dollars in savings.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: New Jersey 101.5 has invited all candidates for governor to appear on New Jersey 101.5 to answer questions from our listeners.  As of publication, the following candidates have accepted and appeared on-air: Bill Spadea, Jon Bramnick, Ed Durr, Steve Sweeney.

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