Steinhardt: Murphy Still Abusing CARES Act Funding While Small Businesses Struggle
November 23, 2020Steinhardt: Murphy Still Abusing CARES Act Funding While Small Businesses Struggle
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Trenton, NJ – On Friday, Governor Murphy said at a press conference that “N.J. would have ‘blood on our hands’ if we shut indoor dining, retail without stimulus money.”
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Republicans continue to beat the drum that Murphy is clamoring for more stimulus money, but at the same time, abusing the initial $2.4 billion in grants received from the CARES Act.
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Over the weekend, Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick called for both houses of the New Jersey Legislature to hold a special session to redirect CARES act funding towards an emergency aid package to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
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Governor Murphy’s 2021 State Budget uses $450 million of CARES Act funding on State employee salaries. Despite $4 billion in borrowing and a multi-billion surplus, Governor Murphy continues to abuse CARES Act funding and let small businesses struggle.
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According to a report by the New Jersey State Auditor, barely 10% of the $2.4 billion of CARES Act money was deployed by the Murphy Administration as of September 30.
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Since Governor Murphy received the CARES Act Funding, over 1.6 million New Jersey workers have filed unemployment claims and an untold number of small businesses have folded.
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NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt released the following statement:
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“Nothing comes between Phil Murphy and his AOC style radical agenda, not even the well-being of struggling small businesses or frontline medical workers. Even Congress came together on the CARES Act without playing politics. But once that funding hit Governor Murphy’s bank account he used it for political stunts in election season and to fund his bloated state budget. Next time Phil Murphy complains about needing more federal funding, let’s all remember how he treated the CARES Act.”
