| The Republican members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee released the following statements calling on Governor Murphy to release the full accounting of how he has secretly appropriated a large portion of the $6.2 billion Federal COVID grant received in May of 2021.
The Governor was delegated unilateral authority by the Democrat Majority to spend $600 million of the grant without any public process or transparency. In the most recent budget, he was given a blank check to cancel previously funded projects and redirect money to whatever he deemed necessary in order to meet a December 31, 2024 federal deadline to obligate all the money.
Republican Budget Officer Senator Declan O’Scanlon said, “We have repeatedly asked the Governor to explain how he proposed to use his unilateral spending authority so the public could vet his proposals and provide suggestions for improvement. Instead, he secretly spent the money and refused to explain his final decisions. It raises serious red flags about whether COVID funds have been used responsibly and fairly.”
Senator Michael Testa said, “While Republicans were calling for more of this aid to help small businesses destroyed by the Governor’s forced closures three years ago, the Governor was quietly shoveling money out the door. He gave $4,000 cash payments to undocumented immigrants and criminals who were let out of prison early, bought new SUVs for himself and his cabinet members, and created a whole new bureaucracy to force apartment buildings to accept criminals as tenants. That’s just what we know about, and he is hiding several hundred million more of unchecked spending.”
Senator Doug Steinhardt said, “Hundreds of schools across the State had their aid slashed while Republicans called for the federal grants to prevent school reductions during a time of crisis. Instead, the Governor designated federal funding for the Pompidou Arts Museum in Jersey City and other frivolous projects. Let’s hope this time we don’t learn his latest spending binge hasn’t been more of the same.”
Senator Carmen Amato, Jr. said, “The public has a right to know how the Governor spent hundreds of millions of dollars of federal grants while schools and municipalities had their aid cut and property taxpayers had to pick up the slack or lose important services.” |
