Christie Upbeat About Finding Way Out of New Jersey Transportation Funding Impasse
New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund lost its ability to borrow money on July 1. Road construction in the Garden State has been shut down for nearly four weeks. But Republican Gov. Chris Christie said Aug. 2 that he’s hopeful he can reach an agreement with the Democratic-controlled Legislature to end the transportation crisis soon.
“I’m not sitting here particularly worried that we won’t be able to come to a resolution,” Christie said at a press conference in Trenton. “I spoke with [Senate President Steve Sweeney] yesterday. I spoke with the Senate president again today. I spoke with [Speaker Vincent Prieto] today. We’ll get there. .. I want to get this done. I’m the first governor in 27 years who has said they’re willing to entertain a gas-tax increase. That’s not nothing.”
Sweeney is less upbeat about resolving the impasse anytime soon.
“I’m not confident that we’re going to get something done before the [Nov. 8] presidential election,” said Sweeney, who has been Christie’s chief antagonist on the issue. “I hope I’m wrong.”
Sweeney added that Christie may be hesitating in order not to sign legislation that includes a major tax increase, which would be unpopular with Republicans nationwide, and perhaps with nominee Donald Trump — an ally of the governor — as the tight presidential race heads into its final three months.
“This has nothing to do with national politics, because if it did, I wouldn’t have said I was for that one,” Christie said. “If the senator would have passed [the fuel-tax increase] in his chamber, I would have signed it.”
Christie and the Democrats have come out for hikes of 27 cents per gallon on diesel and 23 cents per gallon on gas to boost the Transportation Trust Fund, but they have differed on related tax relief. New Jersey’s current taxes of 17.5 cents on diesel and 14.5 cents on gas are the nation’s lowest outside of Alaska and haven’t been raised since 1988.
“There’s a limit to the tax cuts that we can provide,” Sweeney said at an Aug. 2 press conference. “There’s a level that beyond it, you can’t fund things.”
Legislative analysts have said Christie’s package would cost between $1.8 billion and $2 billion. The governor said he thinks it will cost about half of that.
“Working people will generally spend more money that you put into their pockets,” Christie said. “That helps to create even more economic activity.”
