Despite Commitment to Transparency, Murphy Less Than Open About COVID-19 Spending

The state has received more than $5B in federal funds to deal with coronavirus, but it’s taken more than four months for administration to announce a dashboard to follow the money

By COLLEEN O’DEA , NJSpotlight

Today, it is virtually impossible for any member of the public — and even some members of the New Jersey Legislature — to know how or even if the state is spending more than $5 billion received so far from the federal government to deal with COVID-19.

To address this, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday that he is creating a disaster recovery office and compliance task force to oversee all funding and ensure it is spent properly. There will also be a website where the public can track that money. That is welcome news for transparency advocates and lawmakers who say they have been unable to get information about pandemic relief from the governor’s office.

But some complain it’s too late in coming.