TRENTON, N.J. — Forty-three days after Governor Mikie Sherrill signed New Jersey’s record-setting $60.7 billion Fiscal Year 2027 budget into law, Assembly Republicans say taxpayers are still waiting to see documents explaining exactly how billions of dollars will be allocated across state government.
The New Jersey Assembly GOP criticized the delay Wednesday, arguing that the continued absence of budget resolutions has made an already complicated budget process even less transparent.
“Every year the process gets less transparent, and every year Democrats get better at hiding where the money goes,” Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, the Assembly Republican Budget Officer, said in a statement released by the caucus. “This is not an accident. This is the whole strategy.”
Gov. Sherrill signed the Fiscal Year 2027 budget just minutes before the June 30 constitutional deadline, preventing a state government shutdown before the new fiscal year began on July 1. The $60.7 billion spending plan is the largest budget in New Jersey history and was promoted by the administration as an affordability-focused package that invests heavily in education, transportation and tax relief while avoiding an increase in the state’s individual income tax.
The budget includes a record $12.4 billion in K-12 education aid, approximately $4.2 billion for property tax relief programs such as Stay NJ and ANCHOR, a 25% increase in the Child Tax Credit, and more than $2.1 billion for transportation capital projects and NJ Transit. It also makes a full pension payment and maintains a surplus exceeding $6 billion.
While the appropriations act establishes how much money the state plans to spend, budget resolutions provide additional detail about how those appropriations will be distributed among agencies, departments and individual programs. They are commonly used by lawmakers, local governments, policy organizations and the public to better understand where taxpayer dollars are ultimately directed.
Under New Jersey’s annual budget process, governors present their proposed spending plans in March before months of negotiations in the Legislature. Lawmakers amend and approve the budget before it must be signed by midnight on June 30 to keep state government operating when the new fiscal year begins July 1.
Republicans have long criticized the state’s budget process, arguing that final spending bills are frequently voted on with little time for lawmakers or the public to review them. This year’s criticism centers on the continued delay in publishing the supporting budget resolutions after the budget itself became law.
The Assembly GOP argues that the missing documents prevent taxpayers from fully evaluating how state government intends to implement one of the largest spending plans in New Jersey history. Budget resolutions often contain details that help municipalities, school districts, nonprofit organizations and state agencies better understand funding allocations and administrative directives.
Neither the Governor’s Office nor Democratic legislative leadership had publicly responded to the Assembly GOP’s criticism regarding the timing of the budget resolutions at the time of publication.
Key Points
- Assembly Republicans say budget resolutions detailing state spending remain unavailable 43 days after New Jersey enacted its record $60.7 billion budget.
- Assemblyman Brian Rumpf accused Democratic leaders of making the budget process less transparent and withholding spending details from taxpayers.
- Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes record education funding, billions in property tax relief, transportation investments and a full pension payment.
FAQ
- What are budget resolutions?
- They are documents that provide detailed information about how money appropriated in the state budget will be allocated among agencies, departments and programs.
- When was New Jersey’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget signed?
- Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the budget on June 30, just before the constitutional deadline.
- How much is New Jersey’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget?
- The budget totals approximately $60.7 billion, the largest spending plan in state history.
- What are Republicans criticizing?
- Assembly Republicans say the state has not released budget resolutions that provide additional details about spending allocations more than six weeks after the budget became law.
- Has the state responded to the criticism?
- No public response addressing the Assembly GOP’s claims had been issued by the Governor’s Office or Democratic legislative leadership at the time of publication.
Sources: New Jersey Assembly GOP on X, Office of the Governor of New Jersey
