New Jersey’s Wasteful Budget Is a Tax-and-Spend Nightmare
TRENTON, N.J.— The New Jersey legislature passed a nearly $59 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 on June 30. The budget is 376 pages long and contains $2.1 billion more in state spending than last year’s budget including approximately $250 million in wasteful spending.
These exorbitant spending items include:
- $1 million for a carbon dioxide reduction pilot program
- $1 million for a visiting nurse association LGBTQ grant
- $850K for the Office of State Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- $250K for Department of Corrections diversity training
- $200K for immunization supplemental for the state’s Ukrainian population
- $1.2M for the state’s Chief Diversity Officer
- $30M for family planning services
- $250K for the "Black Issues Convention”
- $100K to The Pride Network
Spending in New Jersey is now up 70% from when Governor Phil Murphy first assumed office in January 2018. Continued reckless spending – coupled with $500 million in state aid cuts for 140 school districts – translates to ever-higher taxes for beleaguered Garden State residents.
“At a time when property taxes and electric bills continue to explode, Trenton’s latest fiscally irresponsible budget should be viewed for exactly what it is: a slap in the face to every New Jerseyan,” said Chair of AFPI-NJ Michael J. Donohue. “I do not believe you can call this monstrosity a ‘budget.’ It is a grim signal that the leftists who have hijacked our state government are indifferent to taxpayers’ suffering as they continue to gorge themselves on our hard-earned money.”
“The contrast between what’s happening right now in Washington, D.C. and Trenton could not be starker,” added AFPI-NJ Executive Director Matt Rooney. “President Trump is securing our border, cutting our taxes, protecting seniors, and putting Americans first again. Meanwhile, here at home, Trenton politicians continue to put themselves first at the expense of hardworking New Jerseyans. This budget will further what is a never-ending affordability crisis that will not end until America First policies and priorities reign again.”
America First Policy Institute (AFPI), the nation’s leading voice for America First policies, founded a New Jersey chapter (AFPI-NJ) earlier this year with former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Michael J. Donohue as chair and attorney Matthew T. Rooney as executive director. Rooney is also a radio host and owner of Save Jersey, the state’s leading conservative media outlet. Donohue serves as chair of CapeGOP and is a former State Assembly candidate.