Recovery for All Coalition Responds to Report of $3 Billion Surplus; $1 Billion in Unexpected New Revenue

Immigrant New Jerseyans and excluded workers will urge state legislature to allocate $989 Million in state funds to the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans

(New Jersey, June 9, 2021) – In response to the New Jersey Treasurer’s new revenue report, the Recovery for All Coalition members including immigrant community members, faith, and labor groups held a virtual press conference to respond and to urge the New Jersey state legislature to add $989 in additional funds to the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans, launched by Gov. Murphy in May, to fully fund the program. The press conference came on the heels of news reports of an additional $1 billion more in revenue than was initially expected for FY2022 and $3 billion in revenue for the current tax year, according to reports by Politico and NJ Spotlight.

“I worked as an essential food service worker during the pandemic but when I lost my job, I was ineligible for aid. I struggled to put food on the table for my daughter, who is a US citizen and struggled to keep up with bills. I don’t want the legislature’s applause – I want them to use the new revenue to fully fund excluded New Jerseyans so that no one has to go without relief.” said Noemi Ruiz, member of Make the Road New Jersey.

“I lost my job at a factor in late March of 2020. When my family got sick, I couldn’t afford to pay for our bills. I call on the state legislature to see our dignity and to add additional funds to the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans. This new, unexpected revenue must be used to make sure everyone has access to relief,” said Ingrid Milagros, member of Laundry Workers Center

Kevin Brown, Vice President and NJ District Director, SEIU Local 32BJ, said “As we slowly and cautiously emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans who continue to need support in recovering from the emotional, physical, and economic devastation of this disease. The initial Excluded Worker fund was a critical and important first step. But we must and should do more, and we urge the NJ Legislature to do so – there are many unsung frontline heroes that have not received an unemployment or a stimulus payment. It is time that our State provides a real relief for all.”

Katy Sastre, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said “Today’s announcement by Treasurer Muoio is great news for New Jersey, and should translate into great news for immigrants and other excluded New Jerseyans who have been fighting for relief for 15 months. This is the time and perfect opportunity to ensure that all excluded New Jerseyans receive the same level of pandemic relief that many others have. New Jersey won’t see a full and equitable recovery until all communities who call it home have the same level of support to deal with the economic upheaval of the past year. The toll of this pandemic for those who have been left behind by aid programs won’t be fully understood for some time, but we know that immigrant communities are saddled with debt and have depleted their savings. They are shouldering this incredible stress with little relief or assistance on top of living through a global pandemic, enduring all the same fears and anxiety as the rest of us, but without a safety net. It rings incredibly hollow to continue singing the praises of essential workers, while not adequately funding pandemic relief for some of those same workers because of their immigration status. This is why it’s absolutely imperative that the legislature prioritize increasing funding to excluded New Jerseyans.”

On May 7, 2021, Gov. Murphy launched the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans, a fund to provide one-time relief to low-income individuals excluded from federal relief programs that can prove they have been directly impacted by the pandemic. While this fund is a welcome first step, the initial $40 million allocated to the program will serve less than 10 percent of those individuals and families that are in need of aid.

The Recovery for All Coalition urged the state legislature to provide sufficient support for the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans so that all people left behind from aid that are in need are able to access relief. That means $2,000 payments per excluded individual and unemployment-like benefits in the form of $600 per week payments to workers that have lost their jobs during the pandemic but do not qualify for unemployment insurance due to their immigration status. The total cost of this program is approximately $989 million. Fully funding this program is not only an investment in the wellbeing and health of workers and families across the state, but it would also serve as an economic stimulus.

Members of the Recovery for All Coalition include: ACLU-NJ, Faith in New Jersey, Latino Action Network, Laundryworkers Center, Make the Road New Jersey, National Domestic Workers Alliance, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, New Jersey Coalition of Latino Pastors and Ministers, New Jersey Policy Perspective, SEIU 32BJ, Wind of the Spirit.

###