For the Many NJ Coalition Slams Anti-Democratic Budget Process & Failure to Invest in Racial Equity in FY2022 Budget

As Gov. Murphy Signs FY2022 Budget into Law, Coalition of Advocacy, Labor, Faith and Community Groups Condemn Opaque Budget Process 

(Trenton – June 29, 2021) – On the morning Governor Murphy is to sign the FY2022 budget into law, members of the For The Many – NJ coalition condemned the anti-democratic and opaque budget process that left little room for input from constituents. The unprecedented $46.4 billion budget was released to the public less than 12 minutes before the legislature approved the bill, offering little time for public comment. Hundreds of millions of dollars in legislator’s individual budget resolutions for pet projects were not released to the public, and have not been released to this day.

As the state emerges from an unprecedented public health crisis, in which racial and economic inequities have worsened, the legislature has missed an opportunity to fund the pandemic recovery with a state budget that meets the needs of the moment and invests in communities most impacted by the pandemic. The FY2022 budget does not include further funds for New Jerseyans left behind from federal relief, fails to fully fund New Jersey Transit, does not increase paid sick leave for essential workers, many of whom became sick while working frontline jobs, and does not provide a long overdue increase to TANF. The Legislature must directly address the economic and racial inequities to come out of the economic downturn stronger than before.

“We are disappointed by the Legislature’s blatant failure to include the public in the budget process this year. Unfortunately, this is not new. This year, like years past, the Legislature has refused to engage in a transparent process to allocate the people’s resources justly and equitably across our state. The speed at which this budget moved through the legislative process, whether done so intentionally or not, prohibits meaningful engagement by the public, and perpetuates a system that shuts out the views and voices of the most vulnerable in our state — especially Black communities. In light of the Legislature’s actions, it bears repeating that elected officials have a moral obligation to engage and consult the public in lawmaking, including the budget process. Such consultation is the cornerstone of our democracy. Without public input in lawmaking, New Jersey will never be able to truly embrace and reflect its rich diversity. Our lawmakers must affirmatively make space for public discourse and create structures that guarantee its protection.”  said Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer, Founding Director of Salvation and Social Justice.

“Civic engagement is part of our obligation as citizens. As people of faith, we know that God can and does work through the structure of government. However, when the process like the budgeting process that has recently concluded does not operate in the open, evil can find its way in. And when it does, the needs of those who are most vulnerable, those who have limited choices can be forgotten. In this circumstance, those who are influential and powerful can be advantaged, while others who have been historically disadvantaged are excluded. Our government is stronger and we all benefit, when a diversity of opinions, all resident’s needs, and participation that is equitable builds robust civic engagement and fosters public trust,” said Rev. Sara Lilja, Director of the Lutherans Engaging in Advocacy Ministry. 

“Immigrant workers like me kept this state afloat during the pandemic, but we have still not received a penny in aid. When budget deals are made by white men in back rooms, communities of color get left behind. We cannot survive as a state if we do not fully fund all excluded New Jerseyans to ensure everyone has access to aid,” said Carla Cortes, member of Make the Road New Jersey and one of 30 immigrant essential workers who engaged in a multi-week hunger strike to fight for relief.

“A state budget of nearly $50 billion warrants feedback from the public whose tax dollars fund that budget, and for whose benefit it has ostensibly been drafted. When the details of that budget are made available for public review not weeks, not days, not hours, but MINUTES before it is to be voted on by the Legislature, it sends a clear message that legislators do not care about the needs, priorities, and concerns of the constituents they are (again, ostensibly) elected to serve. There is no way that deals hammered out in back rooms by a small and largely homogenous group of powerbrokers can serve the needs of all New Jerseyans, particularly those whose social and economic background, race and ethnicity, gender, or other characteristics differ from those who are making the deals. Representation matters. Transparency matters. Accountability matters. A budget process that allows for public feedback from diverse segments of our population is necessary in New Jersey — both to create a budget that works for all of us, and to build confidence that our state government is operating in good faith, with respect for all of its people,” said Leslie Bockol, Co-Executive Director of NJ 11th for Change.

“By refusing to fund excluded immigrant workers, the State has placed too many families in a place where they are out of money, out of food, and out of time. But with a budget surplus and influx of federal dollars, the State is not out of options. New Jersey can and must do more to fund immigrant families,” said Amy Torres, Executive Director at the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ). “In a state where a quarter million citizens live with an undocumented family member, we refuse to believe the false choice that our communities must pick a top budget or legislative priority. When there is a direct line between debt, the criminalization of poverty, and detention and deportation, every issue the State considers is an immigrant priority. NJAIJ proudly stands united in the call to fund our families and free them from the threat of detention.”

“We are happy with the full pension payment and other investments in our communities. However, a rushed through budget process is a manifestation of this system problem. We need a more transparent process, fewer Christmas tree items and a more comprehensive, multi-year budget strategy process,” said Sue Altman, director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance.

The budget addresses many but not all of the needs for pandemic recovery, and that’s why we need a better process by which it is crafted. The public and its Representatives need more time than a measly 11 minutes to review, understand, and comment on a huge bill like the state budget. We support the policy of mandating 72 hours as a minimum review time for any legislation before it is voted on, much like is currently done in the U.S. House of Representatives. We can and should do better for the sake of our democracy, and for the sake of ensuring voices across the state have a chance to be recognized. In a diverse state like New Jersey, black and brown communities need their interests heard in order to effectively combat our vast racial wealth gaps and other forms of systemic injustice,” said Liz Glynn of New Jersey Citizen Action.

“This budget of historic proportions, was fast tracked and passed before the public was given an opportunity to digest the budget, let alone review it,” said Eric Benson, Clean Water Action, NJ Campaigns Director. “This a structural and systemic breakdown in democracy in our state that privileges insiders and party bosses over average residents, voters, and community groups. When our state budget leaders cut the public out of large scale decisions, it perpetuates a broken system and discourages the public from participating in democracy.”

Joe Marchica of Our Revolution – Trenton, said: “This year’s budgeting process is typical of how Legislative leadership operates in New Jersey — opaque, behind closed doors, and catering to the well-connected few and their hired help in Trenton. It conjures an image of smoke-filled backrooms, where old white men used to make all the decisions with no regard for any who think, look, or live differently from them. Apparently, we’re not so far removed from that time. A just, democratic government is supposed to be accountable to the people. But when decisions on the single biggest piece of legislation the state passes each year are made with no input from public interest groups before the final budget decisions are made, this is clearly not the case. And it has proved nigh-impossible to hold the Legislative leadership behind this accountable in elections, given the gerrymandering of the ballot. Can we even call this a democracy anymore?”