Thread: Christie, Legislature on Collision Course to Government Shutdown

Christie, Legislature on Collision Course to Government Shutdown

“Fearing revenue shortfall, Democrats back off original tax cut plans, but may send Christie a millionaire’s tax. If Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic legislators stick to their guns, New Jersey could be headed to its second state government shutdown in six years on July 1.

Christie has vowed not to negotiate any state budget with the Democratic-controlled Legislature that does not include a tax cut.

But Democratic legislative leaders made it clear yesterday that the only tax cut Christie might get before June 30 would be a direct property tax cut funded by an $800 million income tax increase on millionaires, and that might not happen because Democrats are divided over whether to give Christie the opportunity to veto a millionaire’s tax for the third year in a row.

What Democrats agree on is that the $183 million Christie has earmarked for an income tax cut will be set aside in the budget in a special surplus account dedicated to property tax relief. The Legislature would appropriate these funds only if the Republican governor is on track to hit his aggressive $32.02 billion revenue projection.

That decision would not be made until December or later, Democratic legislative leaders said, depriving Christie of a tax cut to trumpet in August at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, where he could be a leading candidate for the GOP vice-presidential nomination.

Christie reiterated Wednesday at a town meeting in Atlantic County that he would “not negotiate a budget with the state Legislature unless they cut your taxes” and noted that he has asked his Cabinet for contingency plans for a government shutdown in the event of a budget impasse.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) dismissed Christie’s threat yesterday as just “something he said at a town hall” and added that there would “not be a government shutdown, at least from the Legislature.”

“We’re approving his budget, with his revenue numbers, with his $183 million set aside for a tax cut if he hits his revenue projections,” Sarlo stressed. “If the numbers aren’t there, he won’t get it.”

What would not be unprecedented would be yet another Democratic bill for a millionaire’s tax landing on Christie’s desk.”

read more:
http://southbrunswick.patch.com/arti...tdown-d5d28808
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It looks like Gov. Christie is burning all his bridges behind him for any evolved consideration from Mitt Romney, republican nominee for president, to be his running mate. Christie is beginning to look like a fat bully and the Legislature is vowing to fight his attempts to have a tax cut based on any phony figures. They will have to approve the figures before they allocate the money.

Gov. Christie’s abrupt cancellation from the already started new commuter train tunnel leading from New Jersey into New York was suddenly stopped because of Christie’s inability to raise the amount New Jersey would need. They had already been approved $3Billion and had spent $600 million on construction already when Gov. Christie suddenly backed out in a totally unprecedented move.

But there is no problem with whomever will be Romney's running mate...the GOP just has to tell Romney who it will be. Christie appears to be out, Trump is too carnival tacky, Rubio was found to be lying about his heritage of being a Cuban refugee, and building his whole political career on it.

The fact is, although he was born in America, his parents didn't see fit to apply for citizenship for years after they lived in America and visited Cuba on many occasions. Rubio was a practicing Mormon at one point in his life, which seems to escape public notice also.

LOL! Obviously you're a disgruntled democrat. Christie is the best thing that happened to NJ since the Meadowlands.



heh

This will cost the Democrats major seats in the November elections.

Originally Posted by HB Surfer

This will cost the Democrats major seats in the November elections.

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What part of the following did you not understand?

"Christie reiterated Wednesday at a town meeting in Atlantic County that he would “not negotiate a budget with the state Legislature unless they cut your taxes” and noted that he has asked his Cabinet for contingency plans for a government shutdown in the event of a budget impasse."

“We’re approving his budget, with his revenue numbers, with his $183 million set aside for a tax cut if he hits his revenue projections,” Sarlo stressed. “If the numbers aren’t there, he won’t get it.”
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Aren't you just blowing smoke?

Originally Posted by JoanofArc

LOL! Obviously you're a disgruntled democrat. Christie is the best thing that happened to NJ since the Meadowlands.heh

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well, he's certainly the FATTEST thing that happened to NJ since the Meadowlands...

Granny says, "Dat's right - shutdown the gubmint an' put all dem politicians onna breadline...

As budget cuts loom, is government shutdown next?
28 Feb.`13 WASHINGTON (AP) — With big, automatic budget cuts about to kick in, House Republicans are turning to mapping strategy for the next showdown just a month away, when a government shutdown instead of just a slowdown will be at stake.

Both topics are sure to come up at the White House meeting Friday between President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker John Boehner. A breakthrough on replacing or easing the imminent across-the-board spending cuts still seems unlikely at the first face-to-face discussion between Obama and Republican leaders this year. To no one's surprise, even as a dysfunctional Washington appears incapable of averting a crisis over economy-rattling spending cuts, it may be lurching toward another over a possible shutdown.

Republicans are planning for a vote next week on a bill to fund the day-to-day operations of the government through the Sept. 30 end of the 2013 fiscal year — while keeping in place the new $85 billion in cuts of 5 percent to domestic agencies and 8 percent to the military. The need to keep the government's doors open and lights on — or else suffer the first government shutdown since 1996 — requires the GOP-dominated House and the Democratic-controlled Senate to agree. Right now they hardly see eye to eye.

The House GOP plan, unveiled to the rank and file on Wednesday, would award the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs with their line-by-line budgets, for a more-targeted rather than indiscriminate batch of military cuts, but would deny domestic agencies the same treatment. And that has whipped up opposition from veteran Democratic senators on the Appropriations Committee. Domestic agencies would see their budgets frozen almost exactly as they are, which would mean no money for new initiatives such as cybersecurity or for routine increases for programs such as low-income housing. "We're not going to do that," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "Of course not." Any agreement needs to pass through a gantlet of House tea party conservatives intent on preserving the across-the-board cuts and Senate Democrats pressing for action on domestic initiatives, even at the risk of creating a foot-tall catchall spending bill.

There's also this: GOP leaders have calculated that the automatic cuts arriving on Friday need to be in place in order for them to be able to muster support from conservatives for the catchall spending bill to keep the government running. That's because many staunch conservatives want to preserve the cuts even as defense hawks and others fret about the harm that might do to the military and the economy. If the automatic cuts are dealt with before the government-wide funding bill gets a vote, there could be a conservative revolt. "The overall sequester levels must hold," said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.

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The NJ cannot cut spending?