Garden State Times

Senator Joe Pennacchio has called for the establishment of a New Jersey Government Efficiency Commission following Governor Murphy's final Budget Address. The proposal, encapsulated in bill SJR147, aims to address the state's growing budget deficit by identifying and eliminating wasteful spending.

"As inflation ravages our economy and our budget deficit continues to grow, New Jerseyans need all the help they can get and the first step is identifying wasteful State spending," stated Senator Pennacchio. He emphasized that creating a Department of Government Efficiency could alleviate financial burdens on residents by reducing taxes and fees through more efficient state spending.

Introduced in January, SJR147 seeks to streamline government operations by cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, removing redundancies, and finding cost-saving measures. Senator Pennacchio highlighted the importance of preparing for a new governor who will inherit significant fiscal challenges due to projected deficits.

"We will have a new Governor taking office in just over a year from now and whether they are Republican or Democrat, they will be handed a difficult budget situation as the State is projected to have billions in deficit. DOGE will help tremendously with going into that process and we should greet the new Governor with a blueprint of where and how we can find cost savings and improve efficiency," concluded Senator Pennacchio.