Assembly Republican Budget Officer Joe Malone said today that as the state prepares to address the $1.2 billion revenue shortfall in the current budget, it is time to stop pretending that things are not as bad as they seem.

“We are facing a revenue shortfall in our current budget of $1.2 billion, yet the previous administration would have us believe we were left with a nest egg to bridge the gap,” said Malone, R-Mercer, Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean.  “New Jersey is confronted with a fiscal crisis that we haven’t seen since the Great Depression. That is the reality which some would prefer to avoid.

“It is disingenuous that some people want to rewrite history by playing fast and loose with the numbers,” continued Malone.  “The public is entitled to an honest and transparent government, not one that deceives them by withholding information or ignoring the facts.”

Malone’s comments were made in response to a statement made by a spokesman for former Governor Corzine who indicated that the previous administration revised its supplemental spending projection on January 11, leaving the Christie administration with a surplus of nearly $500 million.

“There is no way to make lemonade out of the lemons the prior administration left in Gov. Christie’s office,” said Malone.  “We need to address a revenue shortfall that threatens to push our state into bankruptcy.  The truth hurts but we can’t hide from it.”

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