Timberlake Statement on Budget Negotiations

            (TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake (D-Essex, Passaic) issued the following statement:

“Yesterday, the Speaker proposed both the Millionaire’s Tax and the Corporate Business Tax as a compromise to generate revenue and best position our State.

“I am proud of Speaker Coughlin for his hard work and dedication to the people of NJ and am in support of both taxes.  

“Unfortunately, this budget compromise was not agreed to. To be at a stalemate this late in budget season is concerning.  As the result of this impasse is the unintended consequence which threatens to cut extremely essential social service line items, doing so assumes these services are disposable when in fact they are a must.  These are needs, not just wants.

“To place services like workforce housing in jeopardy of being cut if a deal is not struck assumes there is no other place to ‘trim the fat’ in the budget, and characterizes these services as being excessive luxuries. This says to NJ’s most vulnerable families like the disabled, working poor, single parents, seniors, etc. that despite paying into the system, they may not have a roof over their heads at night or food in the bellies of their children.

“I will continue to advocate for the ‘least of these’ which is whom I took the oath of office for. This is not how this process should go. We have worked hard to address the concerns of all parties and avoid a State shut down.

“I remain hopefully optimistic, even in the waning hours of this budget crisis, that our Speaker, and our legislative leadership, and our Governor will reach a mutual compromise to avoid any fiscal harms to our states most vulnerable.”