TRENTON, NJ — Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco is calling out Trenton Democrats for what he described as a failure to justify more than $500 million in budget cuts to critical social programs, accusing them of redirecting the funds to politically motivated pork projects.
In a statement released Monday, Bucco said the final state budget gutted essential funding for affordable housing, utility aid, disability services, childcare, and opioid treatment in order to fund over 400 pet projects that received little public disclosure. He claimed that Democrats “raided” key programs designed to help underprivileged New Jerseyans in favor of backroom spending deals benefiting politically connected insiders.
Among the cuts highlighted by Bucco:
More than $100 million was diverted from affordable housing projects, including funding for nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity and veteran organizations
Millions were slashed from the NJ SHARES utility assistance program
Funding was reduced for nonprofits offering supportive employment for people with disabilities
Childcare programs were underfunded to the extent that new enrollments have been frozen
Tens of millions intended for opioid addiction treatment were redirected
Bucco said the budget reflects misplaced priorities, labeling it a process of “partisan indulgence and gluttony,” and warned the impact of the cuts is already being felt across the state.
He urged Democratic leadership to freeze the pork projects and restore funding to the affected programs immediately.
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Key Points
Sen. Bucco criticized Democrats for cutting over $500M from programs supporting vulnerable residents
Funds were redirected to over 400 opaque pork projects, according to Bucco
Cuts affected housing, utility aid, disability employment, childcare, and addiction treatment programs
