N.J. Will Borrow $4.5 Billion as Pandemic Pain Hits States
The New York Times
It is one of the first states to take on debt to plug a budget hole created by the impact of the coronavirus.
New Jersey officials on Thursday approved a budget that hinges on borrowing $4.5 billion to cover basic operating costs, making the state one of the first to take on debt to plug a gaping financial hole during the pandemic. Gov. Philip D. Murphy and his fellow Democrats who control the Legislature argued that the step was needed to avoid deep cuts to essential services, including education, transit and health care, in the absence of a deal in Washington on a stimulus bill. Across the country states and cities have been pummeled by declining tax revenues and unparalleled levels of unemployment.
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Spending that the White House does not like is being labeled fraudulent. At the same time, President Trump is rolling back anticorruption efforts and ethical standards for himself and allies like Elon Musk.
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A lawsuit appears to be the first challenge to the constitutionality of an executive order barring trans athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams.
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Representative Dan Goldman’s support may help Mr. Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, to emerge from a pack of progressive Democrats.
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