Guadagno calls on Murphy to intervene in budget showdown

Kim Guadagno

With New Jersey’s state government on the verge of shutting down because the Democrat controlled legislature has failed to pass a budget, Lt.Governor Kim Guadagno, the GOP nominee for Governor, has called on her Democrat opponent, former Goldman Sachs banker Phil Murphy, to intervene in the impasse.

“What is happening with the state budget is a disgusting display of Trenton politics that threatens to grind our state to a halt,” Guadagno said. “With so many problems in New Jersey from property taxes to healthcare, our leaders should be communicating with each other to pass a budget that puts the taxpayers of New Jersey first and separate the Horizon bill from negotiations so it can be thoroughly reviewed. Phil Murphy – as the head of his party – should immediately call his political bosses who are orchestrating this and tell them to stop playing politics with the lives of the people who will be hurt by a government shutdown.”

Governor Chris Christie said that he has a bi-partisan agreement with the Senate that submits a budget and two bills that Christie is insisting upon..one bill that would allow him to raid Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield’s surplus to spend $300 million on opioid addiction services and another that would use the said lottery to fund the government employees pension system.

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto is opposed to the raid of Horizon funds and has refused to allow the Assembly members to vote on that proposal. Prieto posted that budget for a vote in the Assembly yesterday, but 35 member refused to vote on the budget unless the Horizon bill was also posted. The budget failed to get the 41 votes need for passage in the Assembly.

State operations will shut down unless there is a budget at midnight tonight.