CAPUTO/TUCKER/COUTINHO/SPENCER SLAM CHRISTIE’S REJECTION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP OUT-OF-WORK NEW JERSEYANS

CAPUTO/TUCKER/COUTINHO/SPENCER SLAM CHRISTIE’S
REJECTION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP
OUT-OF-WORK NEW JERSEYANS

(BLOOMFIELD) – Assembly members Ralph Caputo (D-Belleville), Cleopatra Tucker (D-Essex), Albert Coutinho (D-Essex) and Grace Spencer (D-Essex) today joined local elected officials and unemployed North Jersey residents to take Bush Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie to task for aligning with prominent Bush Republican governors to reject billions of dollars in federal funding from President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The Assembly members said that Christie’s refusal of these critical federal funds would have cost unemployed New Jerseyans more than $200 million in funding for extended unemployment benefits.

“New Jersey families who are unemployed are struggling to make ends meet, yet Christie would refuse more than $200 million in federal stimulus funding that is a direct lifeline for these families in need,” said Caputo.  “Hardworking New Jerseyans who through no fault of their own have already suffered the loss of their job and income deserve support, not Christie’s bloated rhetoric and Bush policies that would have devastating impacts on their future.”

“Chris Christie continues to put politics ahead of the people of New Jersey, especially New Jerseyans who are most in need,” said Tucker.  “It’s baffling how he would flat-out deny people the help they deserve especially when he refuses to come up with a plan to create jobs and get our state moving forward.  New Jersey families doing all they can to provide for their families simply cannot afford a candidate like Christie who would side with the far-right of his party and turn down federal help.”

In May, Christie praised Bush Republican governors like Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal and Mark Sanford for turning down federal economic recovery funds, saying their refusal "makes sense.”  “If they're going to put strings on that money that are going to tie your hands and make you expand programs and not be able to have the freedom of choice that people elected you for, then you shouldn’t take the money.” [Hannity Show, Fox News, 5/18/09]

“Christie is the man with no plan – he has yet to tell anyone how he would create one single job in our state,” said Coutinho.  “New Jerseyans cannot afford more failed Bush policies of the past.  Christie is a Bush Republican who wants to recycle the disastrous policies of the last eight years at the expense of hardworking New Jerseyans and their families.”

Last month, the independent, non-partisan Office of Legislative Services' reported that New Jersey would lose $5 billion of federal economic recovery funds if the state refused to accept the conditions set forth by the federal government which is a position held by Christie.   A rejection of these funds would include $207 million slated for extended unemployment benefits and two billion dollars in education funding, which would cause New Jersey homeowners across the state see their property tax bills also skyrocket by an additional two billion dollars.

“Governor Corzine put forth the first comprehensive economic stimulus plan in the nation to keep New Jersey working and signed a second stimulus package into law just a few weeks ago,” said Spencer.  “Thanks to these efforts, New Jersey is ahead of the curve in dealing with the current global economic crisis.  We are already beginning to see the benefits of these plans – 13,000 jobs were created in New Jersey last month alone.  We must re-elect Jon Corzine because he fights for what matters most to New Jersey’s working families.”  

Under Governor Corzine’s leadership, New Jersey was the first state in the nation to be certified to receive unemployment insurance funds under ARRA after the state modernized its system to allow part-time workers and those seeking job training to qualify for benefits.  

In total, more than 489,000 individuals in New Jersey have received federally-funded extended unemployment benefits that total approximately $1.85 billion.