As the legislature prepares to vote on whether Phil Murphy gets a 90-day extension of his emergency powers, one of the State Senate’s most impactful Republicans is warning his colleagues of the consequences of giving the governor what he wants.
“I will vote against any measure to extend this Governor’s emergency powers for one more second much less for another 90 days,” said Mike Testa, Jr. (R-1) on Wednesday. “Phil Murphy’s unlimited power has damaged our state, shut the doors on a third of our small businesses and harmed our residents. It is well past time for the Legislature – Republicans and Democrats – to stand up on behalf of our constituents. I opposed this same effort last summer and the Governor’s failures and missteps have proven the wisdom of that position.”
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“I would ask that any member of the Legislature who is planning to vote to give the Governor another 90 days of unfettered power also submit a letter of immediate resignation at the same time,” Testa added. “If you don’t want to do your job as a legislator, I’m sure the people of your district can easily find someone who will.”
Democrats lost seven seats in November and Governor Murphy was reelected by a far-narrower-than-expected margin.
Among the political casualties was Steve Sweeney, the Democrat Senate President from the district neighboring Testa’s who was seen by his LD3 constituents as a chief enabler of Murphy’s increasingly controversial lockdown policies.
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