We all saw this day coming, Save Jerseyans.
For years, Governor Phil Murphy has allowed the state’s budget to balloon to $20 billion MORE than it was when Governor Christie left office. The reckless spending spree was financed, in part, by Covid-19 federal funds which the Murphy Administration declined to sock away for a rainy day. They were never supposed to be permanent! But Trenton acted like they were.
Oops.
According to a report from ROI-NJ, Chief of Staff Tim Hillmann recently “notified the heads of all the cabinet departments that the state will pause approvals for discretionary salary increases and that each department should limit new hire requests to those that are ‘mission critical’ to the functioning of the department.”
A previous email from October 2024 reportedly warned department officials to brace for 5% spending cuts in the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget.
“Each agency will be required to submit budget savings for the upcoming budget fiscal year,” the October email warns.
Naturally, the better path would’ve been a dedicated effort to shrink the state’s bloated workforce over time rather than absorb indiscriminate freezes on raises all at once, but this is what terrible, incompetent, radical leadership will buy for you every single time.
