Senator Jim Holzapfel, representing New Jersey’s 10th district, has criticized state Democrats for redirecting over $500 million in taxpayer funds from programs intended to support residents to projects he described as “questionable pork” that benefit politically connected individuals.
Holzapfel stated, “While Trenton Democrats quietly packed more than $500 million in pork into the state budget, schools in Toms River and Brick are being forced to cut teachers, slash programs, or raise taxes just to survive. Funding for schools, seniors, and struggling families was gutted so hundreds of secretive pet projects could move forward without explanation. This budget wasn’t built for working families, it was a cash grab for political insiders and their friends and it’s shameful. The people of New Jersey deserve better.”
Among the expenditures cited by Holzapfel were $21 million allocated to Newark Public Schools for capital improvements, $9.5 million to Wood-Ridge School District also for capital improvements, $1.5 million to the Township of Monroe for constructing an indoor recreational facility, and $1 million directed toward a maritime park improvement project in Hoboken.
A longer summary of these projects is available online.
