New Jersey Governor’s SUV Purchase Raises Questions About Priorities and Covid Relief Funds
TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy usually has a lot to say, but he has been silent after using COVID-19 recovery funds to purchase 50 gasoline-powered gas-guzzling SUVs for his administration despite promoting electric vehicle adoption to the public.
Governor Phil Murphy had been encouraging residents to transition to electric vehicles as a more sustainable option for the future. However, a recent financial disclosure revealed that Murphy used $521,783 in federal COVID-19 relief funds to purchase eight Chevrolet Suburbans for the personal transportation of himself, the lieutenant governor, and other top administration officials. The funds were disbursed through the New Jersey State Police, which is responsible for transporting and securing high-ranking state officers.
The spending choice came to light through a memo from the New Jersey State Treasury department to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee (JBOC). The memo outlined 46 different expenditures from a $200 million federal rescue fund allocation included in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget passed in June 2021.
The decision has sparked debate over whether such spending aligns with the intended purpose of COVID-19 relief funds and how it contrasts with the Governor’s public messages encouraging sustainable transportation options.
Governor Murphy and his administration have not yet publicly responded to questions surrounding the purchase of the SUVs.
The issue has raised questions about transparency and priorities at a time when many are struggling to recover from the economic and health impacts of the pandemic.