By Matt Rooney
Arguably the worst budget in New Jersey history is headed to Governor Mikie Sherrill’s desk, Save Jerseyans.
Here are just some of the lowlights from this pork-filled, corrupt monstrosity:
- $2 billion MORE spent than Phil Murphy’s last budget, coming in at a record $60.7B+
- $800 million in brand *new* taxes and fees
- $400 million in school underfunding
- Millions of dollars in subsidies for illegal aliens AND taxpayer-financed abortions
- Medicaid cut by a whopping $266 million
- $360 million (!) of last-minute “pork” spending
The final budget legislation passed largely along party lines in both chambers, but there were two notable Republican defections: LD30’s GOP Senator Bob Singer and his running mate, Assemblyman Sean Kean, both long-time veterans of the state legislature.
Singer and Kean represent a gaggle of Shore county towns including Lakewood, the rapidly growing political powerhouse and Orthodox Jewish stronghold that universally replaced a second Republican Assemblyman (Ned Thomson) with its native son Democrat Avi Schnall back in 2023.
What’s in the budget for Lakewood? Aside from school aid?
My initial review found two fat items:
- Township of Lakewood – Operating Aid: $1,000,000.
- Beth Medrash Govoha – Security Needs and Anti-terrorism: $2,000,000 through the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness grants-in-aid
We’ll obviously need to dig further, but it’s worth asking whether Singer and Kean sold out to the Democrats and Governor Sherrill for district-directed goodies (see above) to hopefully preserve their own seats in 2027.
Also on this fiscal year’s menu? A nine-figure bailout for Jersey City, a sanctuary city staring down a budget crunch after avoiding a property tax reevaluation for THIRTY years.
For now, regardless of where they live, New Jerseyans find themselves grappling with a poorly-constructed budget guaranteed to continue driving the state’s affordability crisis. The FY 2027 final product – which the governor is expected to sign – also represents a small mountain of broken promises from Governor Sherrill including a February pledge to avoid last minute procedural tricks and pork-fueled dirty deals (send $$$ to certain legislators’ districts in exchange for support).
You get what you vote for… almost every single time!
