(TRENTON) — Assembly Majority Conference Leader Joan M. Quigley (D-Hudson) and Assemblywomen Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) and Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) issued a multimedia package Thursday responding to Gov. Chris Christie’s use of his line item veto power to strip the FY 2012 Democratic budget of a majority of provisions that would have funded numerous essential services and offered property tax relief to working class families in New Jersey.
The multimedia package consists of a video of the Assemblywomen criticizing the governor’s use of his line item veto power and audio and a transcript of same.
The video can be accessed directly via our website — www.assemblydems.com — or by clicking here.
The audio file is available upon request.
A transcript of comments from the Assemblywomen follows:
Assembly Majority Conference Leader Joan M. Quigley (D-Hudson):
“I am so, so disappointed that the governor has cut out of the budget so many programs and services that meant a lot to people.”
Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer):
“You know, we can be saddened by what the governor did by vetoing out all of these Democratic measures in the budget, but we’re not surprised by it.
“Because, given another opportunity, he’s done what he consistently does, and that is to support those who are very wealthy over those that are working class people, middle class people and the frail, elderly and the children.”
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen):
“This governor continues to continue his war on women, his war on education, his war on the cities, and I believe that this is not helping the taxpayers or the residents of the State of New Jersey.
“We’re not moving forward. This budget brings us backwards.”
Quigley:
“You know, I’ve seen the governor at his town hall meetings and he talks to people and he tells them what he needs and what he thinks they need. But we on the Budget Committee in the Assembly have been listening to the people, and they’ve been telling us what they need.
“We put it in the budget and he took it out.
“It’s unconscionable.”