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Christie’s Slap Puts New Jersey Governor on Defensive: ‘Come On, Man’

Christie’s Slap Puts New Jersey Governor on Defensive: ‘Come On, Man’

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy hit back Wednesday at criticism from his predecessor, Chris Christie, over a virus-driven state shutdown that’s blown an estimated $10.1 billion hole in expected revenue.

The day before, Christie said in an online news conference that Murphy, a Democrat, erred by not cutting public workers and by ordering small businesses to close while Target, Home Depot and other big-box stores remained open. Christie, a two-term Republican who says he may run for president, touted the private, nonprofit New Jersey 30-Day Fund he started with his wife, Mary Pat Christie, to give $3,000 grants to 100 small businesses harmed by the pandemic.

Christie’s Slap Puts New Jersey Governor on Defensive: ‘Come On, Man’

In addition, Murphy’s Economic Development Authority “didn’t do what they needed to do” to ease Covid-19’s financial impact, Christie said. Murphy, whose administration on July 9 issued a report that documented political influence and mismanagement at the authority under Christie, on Wednesday called it “a train wreck” and “a piggy bank for special interests” during that time.

At a news conference in Trenton, Murphy said the authority under his stewardsip has pledged $120 million to help 20,000 small businesses affected by the pandemic, and half of them have their money.

Murphy also defended keeping roughly 400,000 state and local employees on the payroll while unemployment hit a record. Without as-yet-uncertain federal aid and billions of dollars in borrowing to address the expected $10.1 billion revenue shortfall through June 2021, about half those workers would be fired, Murphy has said.

“Who thinks that laying them off somehow benefits New Jersey’s families, when in fact the exact opposite is the case? Come on, man,” Murphy said. His administration last month reached a deal with 35,000 unionized state employees for limited furloughs and other cost savings.

Christie, whose cuts led thousands of state and local workers to lose their jobs over two terms, dropped out of the 2016 presidential race. In a video interview published on TheHill.com on July 13, he said “maybe 2024 is time to try to go after that job again.”

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