TRENTON - Republicans this evening decried the $60.7 Billion Budget as an exercise in opaqueness and government gluttony, helpless in the minority finally while the bill passed out of the state Senate on the strength of a Democratic majority.

The vote was 24-16 on straight party lines.

"All that rhetoric spectacularly set on fire," said Senator Declan O'Scanlon (R-13),

ranking budget committee member, referring to the gulf between Governor Mikie Sherrill's budget message and the budget process in practice - and the final bloated product. "On transparency, this is comical," he added. "We saw the budget 20 minutes before we voted on it. Every single person in this room will vote on a budget and we don't know what's in it. This budget is just like the last eight years." Pork. The budget's full of it, O'Scanlon lamented. Affordability? The budget's $2 billion more than former Governor Phil Murphy's last budget. "That's not an encouraging sign," O'Scanlon said, with regret.

He tried to table the budget, a motion that - predictably - failed on a 24-16 vote.

Senator Mike Testa (R-1) likewise lambasted the budget, decrying "historic bailouts for cities like Newark and Jersey City." He too objected to "secret deals and last-minute votes." The people of New Jersey deserve a process that is "open and transparent." Energy bills continue to climb. Property taxes climb. "While this budget finds tens of millions for illegal immigrants," Testa said.

"Caligula blushes," he added, with derision.

Senator Latham Tiver (R-8) said the taxpayers deserve better.

Senator Paul Sarlo (D-36), chair of the Budget Committee, for his part, defended the

bill for the majority. "Here we are - the sun shining in and in my opinion record breaking man hours spent listening to the public debating and talking," said the Wood-Ridge-based senator.

"There are always still concerns with any budget - many worthy programs to help many deserving people," he added. "There are people who say we didn't do enough or no funding at all. The greatest concern we all face going forward is the issue of school funding. We must tackle the school funding formula."

The budget earlier today passed out of the Assembly.

Shortly after the budget vote, the senate also passed the John R. Lewis Empowerment Act, 25-15.