O’Scanlon: No Reason to Let Murphy Delay Budget Message

Republican Budget Committee Members to Oppose Extension, Say Debate Long Overdue on Returning Billions of State & Federal Funds to Taxpayers

Senator Declan O’Scanlon said there’s no reason for the Legislature to let Governor Phil Murphy delay his Budget Message by two weeks, and the Republican members of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee will vote against legislation allowing the delay.

“We believe Governor Murphy should comply with the law and deliver his Budget Message to the Legislature on time and in person,” said O’Scanlon (R-13), the Senate Republican Budget Officer. “Both the Senate and General Assembly have been holding regular in-person sessions safely, so there’s no legitimate public health reason to delay a joint session, despite what the governor seems to be saying.”

State law requires the Budget Message to be delivered annually by the governor to the Legislature by the fourth Tuesday in February, which is February 22 this year.

O’Scanlon said the push for a delay is just another attempt by the Murphy administration to limit budget transparency by delaying the release of comprehensive fiscal data to the public and legislators.

“The proposed delay is really about buying time to try and hide $3 billion of overtaxation that everyone knows exists and should be given back to taxpayers,” said O’Scanlon. “That’s why the Murphy administration is trying to keep his budget plans a secret for as long as possible.”

Charles Steindel, former economist for the Treasury Department, estimates State revenues will be $3 billion higher than the Murphy administration assumed in the current FY 2022 State Budget, driven by higher taxes and inflation.

“Despite their attempts to limit transparency, we know the Murphy administration is sitting on billions of unspent federal relief dollars and billions more in taxes collected from New Jerseyans that wasn’t expected,” added O’Scanlon. “We shouldn’t give Governor Murphy more time to figure out how to spend, and likely waste, that money. The solution, as Senate Republicans have proposed, is clear. He should Give It Back to New Jersey taxpayers. We know that today.