Déjà Vu or Something New? Breaking Down Murphy’s Budget Address
March 14, 2025
Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn take a seat on the Assembly Republicans’ reaction couch to break down Gov. Phil Murphy’s final budget proposal and how it will impact New Jerseyans.
“Well, it’s Groundhog’s Day again. Governor Murphy’s raising taxes on New Jerseyans,” says Flynn (R-Monmouth).
Murphy’s $58.1 billion spending plan relies on $1.3 billion in new and higher taxes that target everything from kids’ sports to real estate sales and essential services. The record budget also continues to outpace revenue, creating an even bigger structural deficit.
“By the time we get the budget to vote on, and the budget is actually progressing, those structural deficits inevitably grow. It could easily double if revenues fall short, which they tend to do. Saying you have restraint in this budget is just fantasy,” Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth) says. “We’re over $24 billion dollars increased in spending over the past seven or eight years. That’s hardly restrained.”
The lawmakers tackle the Murphy administration’s school funding numbers, zoning overreach, business taxes, property taxes, and strategy for addressing future fiscal uncertainty.
Is Murphy’s budget another tax-and-spend disaster or something new?
WATCH: Murphy’s Budget – More Taxes, More Problems? | GOP Reaction Couch
