This is how Murphy’s budget allocates $2.4 billion in federal COVID funding

Some lawmakers and state-funded organizations worry what will happen when that money is gone

For six months the coronavirus pandemic has loomed large over New Jersey, taking an enormous toll on the state’s public health and economy, and affecting nearly every aspect of daily life.

But you won’t find it by name in Gov. Phil Murphy’s $32.4 billion budget proposal.

Instead, the nine-month state-spending plan — which lawmakers must approve by Oct. 1 — seeks to distribute $2.39 billion in new federal dollars to multiple departments and agencies to help local governments and schools, small businesses, health care providers and struggling families recover from the impacts of COVID-19, according to budget documents. Some additional state funds are also slated for similar pandemic-related responses, but determining the total depends on many factors, including how you define the relief.

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