Parsippany, NJ – The New Jersey Policy Institute today expressed disappointment with the process surrounding the adoption of New Jersey's FY2027 budget, arguing that the largest budget in state history was approved with insufficient public review and accompanied by hundreds of millions of dollars in last-minute supplemental spending.

Governor Sherrill entered office pledging to restore transparency to the budget process and end the practice of last-minute "Christmas tree" spending. Instead, lawmakers approved the final budget after releasing hundreds of pages of budget legislation with little more than a day for legislators and the public to review, while simultaneously advancing a $358.8 million supplemental appropriations bill containing dozens of additional spending items.

Among the supplemental appropriations were $40 million for World Cup related spending, $135 million in Transitional Aid to Localities, including more than $110 million in municipal loans, $5 million for a recreation center in Wood Ridge, and millions more in operating aid for individual municipalities and local capital projects.

"Governor Sherrill deserves credit for recognizing New Jersey's structural deficit and promising a more transparent budget process," said Wells Winegar, Executive Director of the New Jersey Policy Institute. "Unfortunately, the final product looked much like budgets of the past. Some of these appropriations may be worthwhile, but New Jerseyans had little more than a day to review the largest budget in state history and hundreds of millions of dollars in supplemental spending. Taxpayers should not be asked to simply trust that every item deserves funding. They deserve a process that explains why these investments are being made and provides enough time for meaningful public review."

NJPI also raised concerns that, despite the Governor's commitment to affordability, the final budget continues to rely on revenue raisers that ultimately increase the cost of doing business in New Jersey and are passed along to consumers.

"Moving hundreds of millions of dollars into a supplemental appropriations bill instead of the annual budget does not change the outcome," said Rosemary Becchi, President and Founder of the New Jersey Policy Institute. "The result is the same: hundreds of millions in new spending approved with little public scrutiny. New Jersey taxpayers and employers ultimately pay the bill. Real affordability begins with transparency, fiscal discipline, and keeping the growth of government in check."