Assembly Republican Budget Officer Brian Rumpf said on Mar. 9 that Governor Mikie Sherrill has a clear opportunity to act on her warnings about New Jersey’s finances by rejecting the spending increases advanced by Democrats in the Legislature.
Rumpf said this is important because New Jersey taxpayers already face some of the highest burdens in the country, and he believes it is necessary for the governor to stand up to her own party on spending. “New Jersey taxpayers are already among the most burdened in the nation,” Rumpf said. “They need to hear a governor who is willing to tell her own party that the spending has to stop, and see a governor in June that is willing to follow through, because it will be a fight.”
Last week, Sherrill delivered remarks at the statehouse warning that New Jersey’s reserves could be depleted by 2028 and pledged not to introduce new taxes while calling out what she described as a historic spending problem. Rumpf said he took those words seriously and is waiting to see if Sherrill’s first budget address will match them, especially if there is a risk of a government shutdown.
“If Governor Sherrill is serious about reining in spending, her budget tomorrow should not accommodate that kind of back-room dealing and legislating. She needs to reject it clearly and specifically,” Rumpf said. “Governors tend to come into office with an expectation that they are in charge now, but that has never stopped Democrats in the legislature from negotiating for and passing higher spending without transparency.”
Rumpf referenced January’s $128 million supplemental spending bill as an example of quick legislative action lacking transparency, which included $26 million for World Cup promotions and $25 million for an artificial intelligence supercomputer initiative. He noted these items were not part of what Sherrill had described as a deliberate process.
“Governor Sherrill acknowledged that New Jersey has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. She knows it. We know it. Taxpayers know it,” said Rumpf. “The question tomorrow is whether her budget reflects that understanding, or whether it makes room for the same kind of spending Democrats have been delivering for years.”
John DiMaio has played several roles within New Jersey politics over his career, including serving with the Warren County Board of Freeholders from 2000 to 2009 according to the official legislative roster. DiMaio represents District 23, which includes areas such as Hackettstown according to the official legislative roster. He held positions such as Appropriations Officer from 2012 to 2017 and Budget Officer from 2018 to 2019 in the General Assembly as per the official legislative roster. DiMaio has also worked as a legislator as noted in the official legislative roster.
DiMaio joined the General Assembly in 2009 and began serving as Minority Leader starting in 2022 according to the official legislative roster. He was previously associated with Hackettstown where he served as mayor from 1991 until 1999 according to the official legislative roster.
