Kean on the State of the State

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean issued the following statement on Governor Phil Murphy’s State of the State address:

“The people of New Jersey have shown great resilience and tenacity after a year that has been one of the most difficult in memory.

“Not only were they forced to cope with the impacts of a pandemic, but they also had to navigate a slew of arbitrary executive orders that only added to the burden of an already challenging situation.

“The total lack of transparency from the administration has made it difficult for people to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The people of New Jersey need to hear of the governor’s reopening strategies for schools and downtowns, and they want clarity on a schedule for vaccinations.

“The Governor needs to be willing to work in an bipartisan manner with the Legislature. We could have prevented the policy failures that led to unnecessary deaths in our nursing and veterans homes, the closure of nearly one-third of New Jersey’s small businesses, and the unemployment of nearly two-million New Jerseyans.

“If Governor Murphy truly wants to make New Jersey stronger in the year ahead, he should learn from the mistakes of 2020 and work to build consensus with other elected leaders. That’s how we’ll achieve the best outcome for all New Jerseyans.”