If New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wants everyone to stop begging him to run for president, he isn’t doing himself any favors with his statement on the budget proposed by state Democrats.
Christie blasted the plan offered Friday, the Star-Ledger reports. “The proposed budget from the Democrats is just more of the same unrealistic, pie in the sky, fantasy budgeting they brought to New Jersey for the eight years before we arrived,” he said.
The Republican governor isn’t giving the opposing party any breaks, even after Democrats in the state legislature reached across the aisle to hand Christie a major victory on pension reform, something various governors and mayors in the tri-state area had attempted a multitude of times.
Christie acknowledged the bipartisanship on pension reform, but made sure to say it wouldn’t mean he’d lighten up on budget negotiations.
Democrats aren’t happy.
The president of the state senate, Stephen Sweeney, released a joint statement in response to the governor with the speaker of the state assembly, Sheila Oliver. Both are Democrats. “We appreciate the governor’s input,” they said, “but for all his rhetoric it’s clear his budget policies have done nothing to improve the lives of working-class New Jerseyans suffering under his property tax increases and high unemployment.”
Christie and state Democratic leaders are using two different revenue estimates in their budget calculations, resulting in clashes between the parties. Christie is imploring the legislature to use the more modest revenue estimate to be on the safe side. So far, Democrats have refused.
The Democratic budget plan pushes state spending over $30 billion for the next fiscal year, which begins this Friday. The plan also adds a tax on income for millionaires to fund public education.
Democrats are firmly behind the plan but, unless they can convince the governor to sign it, they’ll have to go back to the drawing board.