Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) issued the following statement upon the signing of New Jersey’s spending plan for the next three months:
“In the wake of this pandemic, we’ve had to make some tough decisions to get our state back on a sound fiscal path. Our spending plan for the next three months meets residents’ needs without tax hikes or borrowing prematurely. Through deferring and reducing, we still managed to support programs that are essential to New Jersey residents. We will have to adapt as we go to address any unintended, temporary impact on programs as we start to rebuild our economy.
“These are unprecedented times that require a different approach to our budget this year. It also required us to look forward into the next five or more years to gauge the impact of this pandemic on our residents and our state.
“Now, we keep forging ahead. The remaining fiscal year spending plan will be critical to New Jersey’s recovery from helping small businesses get back on track, ensuring our hospitals and frontline workers have the necessary tools to do their jobs and assisting families who are returning to work and getting used to a new sense of normalcy.
“The state’s decline in revenue during this time is unprecedented. We will have to be innovative and brave in our fiscal decision-making. We will get it done for the people of New Jersey.”