By ANGELA DELLI SANTI Associated PressTRENTON, N.J. -- Democrats will try to override many of Republican Gov. Chris Christie's last-minute budget cuts, including some to programs that benefit the blind, AIDS patients, cities, child-sex victims and cities struggling to pay their bills, the Senate leader said Thursday. "We didn't offer the governor a budget so he would hurt innocent victims," Senate President Stephen Sweeney said. "It's like taking hostages and shooting them to prove a point."
Republicans and the governor's office brushed aside Sweeney's criticism, saying Christie was simply being fiscally prudent when he whacked $1.3 billion in spending, including $900 million in Democrat add-ons, before signing the $29.7 billion budget last week.
"Unless the Democrats in the legislature just found a money tree behind the Statehouse, they still have no way to pay for their election-year spending spree," said Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts. "Rather than attempt to again spend money we simply don't have, their efforts would be better directed toward the many issues they neglected over the past year - like education reform for every New Jersey child and the unfinished business of the governor's property tax relief tool kit."Democrats like Sweeney believe Christie was angry that his original budget was rejected and that he delivered retaliatory vetoes to pay back those who had challenged him. For example, Christie cut three-quarters of the budget for an Essex County center for abused children whose chairwoman is an attorney for the Public Defender who scrapped with the governor before leaving office.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak has called the retribution claim "nonsense," saying Democrats are responsible for sending the governor an unbalanced budget "with spending that wasn't supported by real revenue."
Democrats propose reducing the budget surplus to about $300 million, from $640 million, and using that money to reverse the cuts they view as most detrimental. They will need three Republican votes to override Christie even if all 24 Democrats go along.
Senate GOP Leader Tom Kean Jr. said Republicans are unlikely to provide any votes. He said Democrats should have given Christie a balanced budget and been willing to negotiate with the opposite party.
He said attempts to override the governor should be used sparingly, "not as a tool to churn political fodder for the fall campaign. The majority's never ending use of this extraordinary tool shows that they are more concerned about political theater than the actual outcome."
Sweeney said he'll place the Senate under call, so members will have to cast votes.
The override attempts will take at least two Senate sessions, beginning Monday, he said.
The Assembly is taking a different approach. Unable to act on the overrides unless the Senate is successful, the lower house will hold hearings to assess the impact of the budget cuts on the poor and working class.
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver said she wants members to understand the detrimental affect the cuts will have.
The Assembly would have to act first on an attempt to override Christie's veto of a tax surcharge on millionaires because the bill raises revenue.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Politics & Elections »new jersey politics, money, politics & elections
No comments:
Post a Comment