(TRENTON) – Assembly Budget Chairman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) released the following statement Thursday on Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to halt construction of the new Hudson River commuter rail tunnel:
“Gov. Christie has blown a crater in New Jersey’s economic future.
“It’s also now clear why the governor sent only one official to today’s special Assembly hearing on the economy – jobs and economic development, especially for working class New Jerseyans, are just not his priority.
“Our focus right now needs to be all about jobs, and with this decision, Gov. Christie has destroyed job creation in New Jersey in so many ways that it’s difficult to measure – but it begins with an immediate loss of 6,000 jobs.
“This irresponsible and reckless decision shows a leadership void in our governor’s office. What type of leader folds such an important project without any real effort to solve the problems facing it? Unbelievable.
“This decision – combined with Gov. Christie’s tax cut for millionaires and veto of the state homebuyer tax credit – may well push New Jersey over the edge and into an economic hole that will be impossible to climb out of anytime in the near future, if ever.”